Hollywood actor tells Rogan that participation trophy culture has become a crisis in America
Hollywood actor tells Rogan that participation trophy culture has become a crisis in America
Alexander HallThu, February 19, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC
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Podcaster Joe Rogan and Hollywood actor Michael Jai White said on Wednesday that modern America's refusal to let young men compete and lose is part of what's fueling the modern masculinity crisis.
Rogan and White spoke about how places like Australia and New Zealand have been great sources of action movie stars and competitive fighters in recent years. White argues that one thing that benefits that part of the world, particularly certain warrior cultures, there is that they still have rites of passage for young men.
"That's one thing that is sad about the United States. It's like we're not making men anymore," White said.
"Not a lot of them," Rogan agreed. "When they are, they stand out."
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Joe Rogan attends the UFC 277 ceremonial weigh-in at American Airlines Center on July 29, 2022, in Dallas, Texas. (Getty Images)
White went on to argue that many times now in American movies, when there is an American alpha-male type character, he, ironically, is often played by an Australian, a comment that made Rogan laugh. "It's very rarely an American."
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"Well, masculinity is demonized here," Rogan said. "For some strange reason over the last couple of decades."
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"Bro, I saw the beginning of a lot of it, because you know, like I said, I was a schoolteacher, and I was right on the forefront seeing, like, ‘everybody gets a trophy,’" White recalled.
He railed against the idea of doing everything one can to protect kids’ self-esteem, arguing in response, "I'm like, come on. And, you know, taking away competition. I saw the beginning of that s---, and it's just so, so bad. Then these kids don't know how to deal with loss or anything and then they end up shooting a classroom!"
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Actor Michael Jai White.
"Dealing with loss is one of the most important lessons you could ever learn," Rogan said. "If you want to get better, lose. Losing is the best medicine because you lose, ‘I don't ever want to feel that again.’ And then you start thinking about all the things that you cut corners on, all the things that you didn’t do. ‘What can I do differently to make sure that that never happens again that I never feel that feeling?’ Or you quit."
"Those are the two options," Rogan said, underlying his point. "Either you get way better or you quit."
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Podcaster Joe Rogan argued that losing is far more instructive than winning, because "either you get way better or you quit."
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Original article source: Hollywood actor tells Rogan that participation trophy culture has become a crisis in America
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
