Mike Rowe’s no-nonsense take on division and modern culture

By Billy Hallowell (Pureflix), Pureflix.com Monday, February 11, 2019

Mike Rowe, host of 'Somebody's Gotta Do It.' — Mike Rowe, host of "Somebody's Gotta Do It." | (Photo: Courtesy of Icon Media Group)

Famed TV host, writer and spokesman Mike Rowe is known for his comical and insightful take on a variety of issues. From his former show “Dirty Jobs” to his current Facebook Watch hit, “Returning the Favor,” Rowe has been intriguing and inspiring the masses for quite some time.

In a recent interview with The Pure Flix Podcast, Rowe appeared alongside his mother, Peggy, to promote her new book, About My Mother: True Stories of a Horse-Crazy Daughter and Her Baseball-Obsessed Mother, and to speak about modern culture.

Rowe specifically addressed the divides that plague the nation and the “kinder, gentler way of communicating that used to be the norm and now isn’t.”

“The country is listening to some sort of warning sign … and every day, every minute, every headline is just a reminder that something, somewhere is rotten or dangerous or hazardous,” Rowe said, adding that he believes there simply needs to be a world in which people laugh.

Listen to Rowe’s take on division and modern culture — and hear what his mom has to say about her famous son — at the 4:20-mark:

The TV host warned that too many people today are self-isolating and falling prey to confirmation bias — a trap in which people search for and see only the information that aligns with their specific worldview.

“We’ve created our own little bubble,” Rowe said. “Oddly we’re more connected today than we ever have been in the history of the world … but at the same time we’re more disconnected than we’ve ever been from the stuff that really matters — from our history, from our food, from our energy and most tragically sometimes from our friends and our families.”

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As for Rowe’s own fascinating TV career and his keen take on a variety of important issues, he explained what motivates him to find balance in what he chooses to speak out on and how he frames his messages.

“I guess on a conscious level I’m very aware of it, but I’m also mindful of the fact that no matter how necessary it is, nobody wants a lecture, nobody wants a sermon, nobody wants to have a finger wagged at them,” he said. “So, what I try to do from ‘Dirty Jobs’ to Somebody's Gotta Do It’ through ‘The Way I Heard It’ through ‘Returning the Favor’ — I’ve been doing the same show for 20 years. I just change the title every five years or so.”

Rowe said his goal is to “amuse” himself and to focus on his own curiosity about people, places, jobs and simple acts of kindness.

“If I’m genuinely curious about something that’s going on in that space then I think the viewer or listener feels less like they’re being sold something,” he said.

It seems like Rowe’s methods are paying off, as he continues to find success — and to inspire — the masses.

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This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free, one-month trial here.

Billy Hallowell, author of "The Armageddon Code," has contributed to TheBlaze, the Washington Post, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Mediaite, and the Huffington Post, among other news sites. Through journalism, media, public speaking appearances, and the blogosphere, Hallowell has worked as a journalist and commentator for more than a decade.