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The triumph of the ‘R-word’
Joe Rogan called the popularization of the slur a “great culture victory.’“ Sad.
It is my understanding that neither cowards nor liars are allowed into Valhalla, the Viking afterlife. But maybe a few sneak in from time to time?
So imagine — for fun — superstar podcaster Joe Rogan elbowing his way into Valhöll, the Hall of the Slain, where the greatest Norse warriors spend eternity battling one another in the fields by day, followed by feasting, drinking, and boasting of their heroic deeds at night. Legends that will be remembered forever.
First, Thorstein raises a goblet of mead and speaks of bravery and sacrifice. He gave his life so that his brothers could live to fight another day. Next comes Sigurd’s famous tale of how he killed the dragon Fafnir.
Then Rogan stands — grinning like an open zipper — and declares, “I made the slur ‘retard’ popular again!”
In this fantasy, Rogan’s pronouncement is met with silence, for he is unserious and vain, a party crasher, and is clobbered by Sven back to the mortal realm, where he currently makes something like sixty million dollars a year at Spotify. Rogan is wealthy and powerful, but no hero, at least not by any traditional…
