The Joe Rogan Experience

#2460 - Rachel Wilson

February 26, 2026

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  • Rachel Wilson's book, *Occult Feminism: The Secret History of Women’s Liberation*, posits that modern feminism is a radical social revolution driven by ideological agendas rather than a grassroots movement of oppressed women. 
  • The guest's contrasting upbringing between a Marxist feminist mother and a conservative father provided her with a unique perspective on political ideologies and the nature of happiness and success. 
  • First-wave suffragists, particularly figures like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, allegedly misrepresented history to frame suffrage as a fight against men, omitting support from progressive and socialist men and downplaying the anti-suffrage majority among women. 
  • The guest, Rachel Wilson, argues that the modern feminist movement was intentionally funded and promoted by entities like the CIA and Rockefeller Foundation as part of the Cold War strategy to mobilize women politically, often through occult or anti-Christian philosophical underpinnings. 
  • The historical narrative of feminism is allegedly distorted, with early proponents like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony holding anti-Christian and occult beliefs, and later figures like Gloria Steinem having documented ties to intelligence agencies. 
  • The societal outcomes of widespread feminism, according to the discussion, include increased vulnerability for women and children, the devaluation of motherhood, and the promotion of a hedonistic, self-focused worldview rooted in Luciferian concepts of self-deification and moral relativism. 
  • The historical intersection of occult figures like Jack Parsons and Marjorie Cameron with early feminist ideals promoted rebellion and the use of sexuality as a source of female power, which the guest argues has negatively influenced modern culture. 
  • Modern societal issues, including widespread female anxiety and dissatisfaction, are linked to feminism's removal of accountability while simultaneously granting women perceived power through sexual liberation and the devaluation of motherhood. 
  • Physical exertion, such as weightlifting, is presented as a crucial, non-negotiable factor for maintaining mental stability and combating anxiety for both men and women, contrasting with modern trends that dismiss physical discipline. 

Segments

Introduction to Book and Feminism
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(00:00:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Rachel Wilson’s book details the secret history of women’s liberation, which Joe Rogan found ‘crazy’ after hearing a synopsis.
  • Summary: Joe Rogan was introduced to Rachel Wilson’s book, Occult Feminism: The Secret History of Women’s Liberation, via her husband Andrew. Rogan admitted his prior opinion on feminism was based on encountering individuals who seemed to dislike men. Listening to the book provided a new, surprising perspective on the movement’s origins.
Author’s Upbringing and Ideological Conflict
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(00:01:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Wilson’s childhood was defined by conflicting worldviews between her Marxist feminist mother and her Rush Limbaugh-supporting, business-owner father.
  • Summary: Wilson was raised in two worlds following her parents’ divorce when she was nine, exposing her to both Marxist feminist and conservative ideologies. She rejected Marxism early on because she observed that people are not born equal in ability and effort dictates outcomes, contrasting with the Marxist ideal of ‘from each according to his ability to each person according to his need.’ Her father’s work ethic contrasted sharply with her mother’s bitterness and resentment over her station in life.
Education vs. Life Experience
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(00:10:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Formal education is not the sole path to knowledge, as demonstrated by the value of practical skills possessed by her grandmother.
  • Summary: Wilson rejected a full-ride scholarship to pursue her desire to marry and have children, challenging the societal mandate that higher education is the only route to success. She noted that intelligence can exist without formal education, citing examples of highly educated people lacking practical knowledge like car mechanics. Her grandmother, despite only an eighth-grade education, possessed vital practical skills gained from growing up during the Great Depression.
The Two-Income Trap and Career Pressure
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(00:18:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Pushing women into higher education and the workforce since the 1970s is the primary correlate for declining birth rates globally.
  • Summary: Wilson experienced feeling constantly torn between work responsibilities and motherhood, a common sentiment among working mothers. She argues that the narrative encouraging women to prioritize careers until their 30s leads to fertility struggles later on. The massive influx of women into the labor force nearly doubled the workforce, which subsequently stalled men’s wages, trapping families in a two-income necessity.
Feminism’s Economic and Social Redirection
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(00:22:49)
  • Key Takeaway: The shift to a female-based, consumer-driven economy favored ‘fluffy jobs’ like HR and sociology over manufacturing, often redirecting traditional female domestic labor into corporate roles.
  • Summary: The economy shifted away from manufacturing toward service roles like HR and social media management, fields where women are highly represented. Traditional unpaid labor, such as childcare and housekeeping, is now performed for corporations, generating income tax revenue. Early Marxist feminists intentionally pushed women into the workforce to increase the size of the proletariat for revolutionary purposes.
First Wave Feminism History Revision
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(00:27:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Gender studies departments rewrote the history of women’s suffrage to frame it as a fight against patriarchy, omitting the fact that most women opposed suffrage initially.
  • Summary: The historical record shows that the majority of women in the 19th century, including in Massachusetts referendums, did not want the vote, fearing the loss of legal protections like sole property rights over inheritance and protection from debt liability. Anti-suffragists correctly predicted that politicization would drive wedges between husbands and wives and shift focus from community welfare to issues like abortion. Leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton actively suppressed dissenting views within the movement to craft a narrative of oppressed women fighting men.
Margaret Sanger and Eugenics Agenda
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(00:50:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Margaret Sanger, a key figure in the birth control movement, was an extreme antinatalist eugenicist who fabricated stories to promote her agenda.
  • Summary: Sanger, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, promoted the idea that bringing children into the world was suffering, even stating the kindest thing a large family could do is kill one of its young members. She lied about her mother’s cause of death and fabricated thousands of letters claiming women were dying from ‘overbirth’ to justify the need for abortion clinics; only three such letters exist in the archives. Sanger abandoned her own children to pursue her political and personal affairs abroad, letting her husband take the legal fall for distributing illegal birth control information.
ZipRecruiter Ad Read
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(00:56:30)
  • Key Takeaway: ZipRecruiter utilizes smart matching technology and screening questions to help employers find quality, skilled candidates quickly, with four out of five employers getting a quality candidate within the first day.
  • Summary: Skill-based hiring is promoted as the current best practice for recruitment. ZipRecruiter offers a free trial via ziprecruiter.com/Rogan. Their technology screens candidates using specific questions to ensure quality talent matches the role requirements.
H.G. Wells and Eugenics
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(00:57:28)
  • Key Takeaway: H.G. Wells, author of The War of the Worlds, was a die-hard Malthusian and eugenicist who favored social hygiene policies preventing reproduction among those with perceived defects or belonging to ‘inferior races’.
  • Summary: The concept of social hygiene, popular post-Darwinism and pre-Nazism, advocated for controlling reproduction based on perceived mental or racial inferiority. This movement was supported by institutions like the Kaiser Wilhelm Foundation. H.G. Wells is cited as a prominent proponent of these eugenicist ideas.
Birth Control and Abortion History
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(00:58:22)
  • Key Takeaway: The development of the birth control pill involved Margaret Sanger, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Kaiser Wilhelm Foundation, and Nazi scientists synthesizing human hormones.
  • Summary: The birth control pill was marketed with the promise that widespread availability would render abortion obsolete, a promise that proved false as millions of abortions still occurred annually. Despite widespread access to contraception, abortion rates remained high, suggesting the initial marketing premise failed.
Gloria Steinem CIA Connection
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(01:00:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Gloria Steinem was allegedly recruited by the CIA out of Smith College and funded via the ‘Chester Bulls Fellowship’ to promote liberal democracy and feminism globally during the Cold War.
  • Summary: Steinem’s early feminist activities included tours in India (working for the Ford Foundation) and Eastern Europe, where female agents were considered less suspicious. She was reportedly undercover as a Playboy Bunny to promote sexual liberation concepts. She later started Ms. Magazine with CIA funding, creating a rivalry with Marxist feminist Betty Friedan.
Feminist Indoctrination and ICE Protests
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(01:06:08)
  • Key Takeaway: The pervasive Marxist feminist worldview taught in universities programs women to view masculinity as inherently toxic and men as oppressors, leading to radicalized confrontations like women aggressively challenging ICE agents.
  • Summary: This indoctrination frames men as inherently violent and women as nurturing earth figures, causing activists to see immigration enforcement agents as agents of the ’evil white patriarchy’ protecting ‘innocent victims.’ The segment highlights a video where activists support bringing back an MS-13 member deported by ICE, prioritizing ideology over criminal facts.
Feminist Regrets and Career vs. Motherhood
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(01:11:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Many women who followed the feminist mandate to prioritize career over family later express deep regret about loneliness and lack of fulfillment, contrasting with historical norms where men protected and provided for their families.
  • Summary: The Stepford Wives narrative, suggesting men only want mindless servants, is presented as propaganda designed to undermine traditional family structures. The guest notes that historical figures like Simone de Beauvoir admitted that if given the choice, most women would choose motherhood over career opportunities.
Occultism in Feminism
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(01:32:01)
  • Key Takeaway: A significant portion of early and Second Wave feminist leaders were deeply involved in occult practices, including spiritualism, Theosophy, goddess worship, and even Satanism, viewing Christianity as a tool of patriarchal oppression.
  • Summary: The guest’s research revealed that many foundational feminists openly rejected the Bible, with some, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, rewriting scripture from a feminist perspective. The occult appeal lies in concepts like gender transcendence and viewing Lucifer as a liberator who brought enlightenment, aligning with secular humanism and moral relativism.
Feminism’s Hidden Agenda and Outcomes
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(01:42:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Feminism’s core promises of safety and choice have resulted in the opposite: increased domestic violence in cohabiting relationships and significantly higher rates of child abuse and neglect in fatherless homes.
  • Summary: The movement replaced fathers with government dependency, making women and children more vulnerable. Historically, women had choices, but modern feminism traps them into feeling they must pursue careers due to economic necessity or parental/societal pressure, rather than genuine desire.
Occult Figures and Feminism
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(01:52:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Jack Parsons, an avowed Satanist involved with NASA rocketry, connected with the feminist movement through Marjorie Cameron, his partner described as an archetype of the Scarlet Woman.
  • Summary: Parsons created an occult cult breaking off from Aleister Crowley’s beliefs, and his relationship with Cameron, who was deeply into witchcraft, involved intense ritual magic, including sex magic to channel powerful energy during orgasms. Crowley favored using homosexual acts to invoke demons, believing more ‘degenerate’ acts intensified the spell, though he also engaged in such practices with women. Parsons was also friends with L. Ron Hubbard, and they reportedly fought over Cameron.
Cameron’s Post-Parsons Cult
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(01:54:49)
  • Key Takeaway: After Parsons’ death, Marjorie Cameron moved to the desert to start a cult focused on impregnating women with men of different races to birth ‘moon children’ intended to bring about the Antichrist.
  • Summary: Cameron believed she was the Scarlet Woman destined to birth the Antichrist, referencing Biblical end-times prophecies that Crowley also explored. Her rebellious, occult persona became an archetype for the sexy, undomesticated ‘bad girl’ in counterculture, influencing mainstream perceptions of feminism. This archetype often correlates with themes of rejecting traditional roles and using sexuality for power, as women lack the monopoly on physical force.
Female Power and Reproduction
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(02:05:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Genetic studies suggest women have historically had twice as many reproducing ancestors as men, indicating that female power has historically resided in sexuality and the control over reproduction.
  • Summary: Men historically had to compete for resources and survival, often dying younger in conflict, while fertile women were consistently impregnated, establishing sexuality as a primary source of female power. This historical dynamic explains why many famous women prioritize maintaining sexual attractiveness throughout their lives, as seen in celebrities like Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez.
Dating Apps and Modern Relationships
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(02:01:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The constant inundation of options provided by dating apps creates chaos and discourages men from becoming dependable providers, as women are constantly seeking immediate gratification over long-term growth.
  • Summary: The speaker notes that dating apps lead to an overwhelming number of options, making people quick to discard potential partners over minor flaws. In contrast, the speaker’s grandmother sought partners based on reputation, family, shared values, and job prospects, indicating a historical focus on long-term stability. Today’s performative online culture, driven by seeking external validation, contributes significantly to anxiety among young people.
Physicality and Mental Health
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(02:08:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Physical strength and engaging in difficult physical work are essential requirements for maintaining stable mental health and low anxiety levels, a fact often dismissed by those unwilling to commit to the long path of training.
  • Summary: The speaker emphasizes that physical capability provides a form of power and self-defense that men inherently seek, and working out provides mental clarity, acting as a powerful tool against depression and anxiety. The speaker credits consistent weightlifting for helping her recover from severe postpartum complications, advising women to get strong to avoid fragility and dependency later in life.
Feminism’s Negative Impact on Women
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(02:13:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Feminism has removed accountability from women while granting them power, leading to societal chaos, higher rates of female substance abuse, and lower reported happiness compared to the 1970s.
  • Summary: Studies like ‘The Paradox of Female Happiness’ show women report being less fulfilled post-liberation, and global surveys indicate women are consistently less happy than men due to biological factors and unfulfilled feminist expectations. The explicit goal of Marxist feminists was to dismantle the family unit, which has resulted in children suffering and a societal imbalance where women have power without responsibility.