At one point I had a comment to make regarding Joe Rogan's arguments and motivation. Then I got lost in the extended distraction about the rules for posting on his board and whether or not it was fair to complain here about the rules there, etc.

My observation is that to me it does not appear that the Apollo missions as real or as hoax is the significant issue for Joe. He himself states that he does not know and does not have any inside information, he just finds things "weird". I have not perused his board, but from statements he made in the two radio segments, it appears to me that what concerns Joe is the Grand Conspiracy. Joe is displeased with the actions of the current administration, and with things he sees the government doing now and that it has done. He distrusts politicians. He appears to be looking for actions of the government with which to criticize them.

It appears that to Joe, Apollo being a hoax is an example of the disreputable government lying to the American people and the world, probably for some nefarious motives like bilking us of tax dollars to hide in secret military projects, or line their own pockets. The oddness of the claims to him is important, because it allows him justification to scrutinize everything. Notice how his statements in the "debate" made reference to modern current affairs (I believe Iraq was mentioned) as somehow relevant to the Apollo question.

Some of you have proposed that Rogan's primary motivation is his own celebrity, and the Moon Hoax claims are just an avenue for attention. Perhaps. But I also think it possible, even probable, that Joe really does question the issue. He is sincere in his desire to get answers, but unwilling to accept the answers for a different underlying reason.

I don't think it is a situation of Rogan picking out the hoax as a topic because it is outlandish or exciting and thus able to draw attention. I think rather that he may be pursuing publicly something already of interest with him. In this regard, I think he is different than Andy Kaufman. Kaufman deliberately did things to make people uncomfortable. To Kaufman, the joke was on the audience. I think it possible, even likely, that Kaufman promoted questioning Apollo merely to make the public doubt something significant and amazing, something they found impressive, inspiring, and incredible. I think Kaufman just wanted to make people uneasy, make them uncomfortable, and what better topic than a crowning achievement of the 20th century, indeed of human history - setting foot on another celestial body. Kaufman was very calculating in his approach to "humor". Kaufman liked to manipulate the audience, and didn't much care for truth or reality. I think Rogan is different - he isn't after the Apollo Hoax because he can use it for publicity, he is intrigued by the question, and it fits with his conception of the world and ideas about the government and politics. If his questioning Apollo brings him attention, he will happily pursue it, but I think his interest in the Apollo hoax has personal motivations that happen to coincide with his ability to use it for attention.