Hello friends, when I first saw the clip of Joe Rogan going off on Greta Thunberg, I couldn't help but spit out my coffee.
We're talking about the king of unfiltered podcasts
tearing into one of the world's most polarizing climate icons over a protest
that turned Venice's iconic canals into a sloppy green mess. It's the kind of
raw, no-holds-barred moment that makes you wonder:
Is this just Rogan being Rogan, or is there a bigger
conversation bubbling up about activism gone overboard? We've been following
Greta's journey since her school strikes kicked off back in 2018, and honestly,
it's gotten us all thinking about where the line between raising awareness and
straight-up vandalizing history. Let's break it down, because this one's got
layers.
The Venice
Protest: A Splashy Cry for Climate Action (Literally)
It's late November 2025, and a group of activists from
Scientists Rebellion, yep, including our girl Greta, decide to make a statement
that no one could ignore.
They hit up 10 cities across Italy, but Venice? That's
where it really splashed (pun intended). On November 22, they poured
eco-friendly green dye into the canals, turning the Grand Canal and others into
this eerie, fluorescent nightmare.
Slam the Italian government and Europe at large for
dragging their feet on fossil fuels. Greta was right there in the mix, chanting
and holding signs, her trademark braids bobbing as boats zipped by in the
tainted water.
We all know Venice is sinking under the effects of climate change and overtourism, so, on paper, it feels poetic. But man, the visuals? Heartbreaking.
That crystal-clear water, gondolas gliding through Renaissance magic, ruined for
a day.
Authorities were fuming; Venice's mayor even called for
jail time, saying it was "an attack on our city's soul." The dye was
non-toxic and washed out quick, but the damage to public patience? That's
sticking around.
Following Are The
Key Points From The Protest That You Need to Know:
Not just Venice activists targeted canals and fountains
in places like Rome and Milan too, but Venice's waterways made it the viral
star.
Demanding a "fossil-free Europe" by 2030, tying
into COP30 talks. Greta tweeted later: "This is what inaction looks like, our
future drowned in green denial."
Immediate Fallout: Tourists snapped pics (ironic,
right?), locals booed, and cleanup crews worked overtime. No arrests on the
spot, but fines are looming up to €50,000 per person if prosecutors push it.
She's 22 now, evolved from teen firebrand to full-on
organizer. This wasn't her first rodeo, but dyeing a UNESCO site? Bold move.
I mean, we get the urgency rising seas could swallow
Venice by 2100 if we don't act. But we're left scratching our heads: Does
shocking the system like this actually move the needle, or does it just
alienate the people you need on board?
Rogan's Rant:
"Self-Important Twat" and a Call to "Just Stop"
Enter Joe Rogan, live on The Joe Rogan Experience episode
#2418 with guest Chris Williamson, dropping on November 27.
The duo's riffing on wild news stories when Williamson
brings up the Venice dye job. "She dyed the Venice canals green to protest
against carbon fuel in Europe," he says, painting the scene of this
"gorgeous waterway" turned toxic-looking. Rogan? He doesn't hold
back.
That's hard to see how ugly it is. To have this
self-important twat pour green dye in that beautiful water, she should go to
jail for that." Then comes the kicker: "How much attention do you
need, lady? OK, stop."
It's classic Rogan, blunt, profane, and laced with that
everyman frustration. He pulls up a video on his phone (shoutout to producer
Jamie for the assist), zooming in on the murky green sludge.
Venice is so gorgeous and so ancient, he groans,
"and to have this, it's disgusting." Williamson piles on, quoting Sky
News Australia's savage nickname for Greta: "Swedish doom goblin."
Oof.
The whole bit clocks in under two minutes, but it
exploded online, racking up millions of views on YouTube shorts and TikTok
edits.
We've heard Rogan touch on Greta before; he's called her a
"pawn" in the climate wars, sympathized with her Asperger driven passion, even pitied how she's "being used" by bigger agendas.
Remember his 2023 chat with Patrick Bet-David? Or that
2022 Jordan Peterson episode where he flipped from denial to "let's talk
solutions"? But this? This feels personal. Rogan's been to Venice; he's
got that visceral love for irreplaceable beauty. And let's be real, we're right
there with him, dyeing history for likes feels like a step too far.
Rogan's hottest
takes from the clip, bullet-style:
Attention-Seeking Overload: "How much more do you
need? You've been at this for years, stop already." (He's not wrong;
Greta's got 5.8 million Instagram followers.)
Vandalism Vibes: Straight-up calls it a crime:
"Pouring dye in that water? Jail time, no question." Echoing the
mayor's rage.
Bigger Picture Jab: Ties it to "art protests"
that scream louder than they convince. "It's not changing minds; it's just
pissing people off."
The Doom Goblin Dig: Williamson's line lands like a gut
punch, but Rogan nods along, framing Greta as more goblin than goddess these
days.
The Firestorm:
Defenders, Detractors, and the Endless Climate Clash
You knew the internet wouldn't sleep on this. X lit up
like a flare. RoganVsGreta trended for hours, with clips shared 50,000+ times.
On one side, Rogan's fans piled on: "Finally, someone says it, she's a PR
machine for elites," tweeted one user with 10K likes.
Others defended the stunt as "necessary chaos,"
arguing that without shock value, we'd still be debating leaded gas. Greta's
camp fired back subtly; her team posted a thread on "sabotage as
strategy," linking to past wins like the Fridays for Future marches.
But zoom out, and this is symptomatic of our fractured
climate convo. Rogan's no stranger to heat; critics like one X user blasted him
as a "science denier" for platforming skeptics.
Yet he's evolved too, railing against geoengineering
"madness" like sky-spraying sulfate (which could backfire big-time).
Greta? She's pivoted from solo strikes to global coalitions, even sailing for
Gaza aid earlier this year (which Rogan mocked as a "flotilla clown
show").
It's like watching
two sides of the same coin: passion vs. pragmatism, urgency vs. unintended
consequences.
We are in this weird spot where activism feels both vital
and exhausting. I chat with friends about it all the time. How do we honor
Greta's grit without excusing the mess? And Rogan? Love him or loathe him, he's
the mirror we need, forcing us to laugh at the absurdity while questioning the
endgame.
Why We're Still Talking About This (And What Comes Next)
Look, we'll probably see more of these stunt dye jobs in the Seine at the Olympics. You bet. But Rogan's plea to "stop" hits because it's not just about Greta; it's about all of us.
We're drowning in doom-scrolls, and maybe what we crave
isn't more green canals but real, boring progress: carbon taxes that work,
nukes without the NIMBY, forests that actually get planted. Greta's given us
the fire; now, like Rogan says, let's channel it without torching the
treasures.
What do you think? Is this the wake-up call activism needs, or just another viral feud? Drop your takes below, we're all in this sinking (or dying) ship together. Stay curious, folks.
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