Joe Rogan: “I don’t go to Canada anymore, I’d rather go to Russia”

In one of his recent podcasts, Joe Rogan stated that he would not be going to Canada for the upcoming UFC event in May, saying: “I don’t go to Canada anymore, I’d rather go to Russia”.

The famous UFC commentator, who has been around the sport for a long time, will be missing the event on May 10 for the welterweight championship between Jack Della Maddalena and Belal Muhammad, which will take place in Montreal.

Rogan stated on his podcast that he hadn’t been to Canada in a long time, calling the Canadian government “terrible”, saying he would rather go… to Russia.

Rogan seems to suggest that, in his opinion, a true dictatorship like Russia’s – a country with a score of 19/100 (3/40 for political rights, 16/60 for civil liberties) in the Freedom in the World 2024 ranking – would be preferable to that of its democratic neighbor.

While Rogan prefers Russia to what he perceives as the ‘dictatorship’ of Canada, the latter obtains, in the same Freedom in the World 2024 ranking, a score of 97/100 (39/40 for political rights and 58/60 for civil liberties).

Sadly, these accusations against Canada’s supposed dictatorship have gained momentum, supported by a portion of the population dissatisfied with the health measures put in place by the government during COVID-19 in 2022, and never got over it.

These accusations have been amplified by the far-right propaganda, both in the United States and across the MAGA movement.

Just a few years ago, an American saying they would rather travel to a country run by a dictator rather than a free and democratic nation would have certainly raised some eyebrows, especially coming from someone living in a country once a symbol of freedom.

Russia, under the authoritarian regime of Vladimir Putin, where freedom of expression is restricted, where political critics mysteriously fall from building windows and where the State closely controls information, seems to be an unthinkable choice for anyone who values democratic principles.

But today, Joe Rogan’s recent statement is no longer really shocking, with the spread of propaganda infecting the media and social media, especially in the United States.

It would also be interesting for Joe Rogan to check in a few months where the new results of the US ranking will be, which will probably decrease due to the many disastrous decisions for American democracy under the new Trump regime. Currently, the United States has a score of 83/100 (32/40 for political rights, 51/60 for civil liberties) in the Freedom in the World 2024 report. But again, surely Rogan won’t believe anything until he has made his own research in his Texas studio and decided what the truth is before spreading it to his captive fanbase.