The male podcast appeal is the performance of open inquiry against perceived liberal dogma.

Evidence

Political analyst John Ganz argued that Rogan’s appeal stemmed from “the appearance of open inquiry” in contrast to a growing sense of enforced liberal dogma: “The main feature tying together the shows that young right-leaning men watch and listen to now is curiosity: They include discussions and debates; their hosts might not be particularly knowledgeable and they are open about it, so they ask what might seem like dumb questions without shame.” In a world that told them they were wrong about everything they believed, open inquiry gave them some hope they could be right about something. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 819

Categorization

• SEED: An essay angle: the ‘just asking questions’ aesthetic as a mechanism — curiosity as a status signal that inverts intellectual authority.