The pressure on Rogan and Spotify intensified last weekend over Rogan’s repeated use of a racial slur, along with a few other inflammatory statements that cannot simply be dismissed with the counterargument of “context.” If that isn’t enough for Spotify to eat whatever money is needed to ditch Rogan, then surely the risk that other offensive material will be found in the archives of Rogan’s podcast or comedic output should be. The Zoomers don’t care and are scrolling through TikTok.

Powerful millennials Daniel Ek and Taylor Swift, despite pleas from all corners, have opted for nonintervention when either could end the business scandal of the day whenever they wanted. He comes off as an inquisitive and nonconfrontational, but also politically incorrect, slacker-wing personality involuntarily thrust into the role of culture warrior when he would rather be doing MMA, DMT, or some other acronymic pursuit. The all-ages battle royale kicked off with Boomers Neil Young and Joni Mitchell utilizing that most 1960s form of mobilization and persuasion-boycott and protest-to try and get Spotify to deplatform Rogan. Also unfortunately for Spotify, the controversy is tailor-made for generational division.

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