Tucker Carlson, the host of the "Most Watched Cable News Show," a favorite of Proud Boys and other Fox viewers, now advocates nude guys standing on top of enormous rocks at dusk, staring up at heaven, with red lasers pointed at their genitals. Why? "There is a catastrophic fall of testosterone in American guys," Tucker claims. As a result, they require "full-body red light treatment" or "testicle tanning" (Dana Milbank, "Tucker Carlson: Aim Lasers at Men's Private Parts," Washington Post, April 18, 22).
What is the name of this Tucker fellow? If you aren't familiar with Fox television, he is the host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight." He was born in San Francisco, California, in the year 1969. His father was a rich media investor named Richard Warner Carlson, and his mother was Lisa McNeer, who divorced him when he was just six years old. Swanson Foods heiress was his stepmother. (Does anyone want a psychological evaluation?)
Tucker was deported to France and lived a "Bohemian" lifestyle there. He attended the renowned boarding school, St. George's (Episcopal), in Rhode Island, unlike the other Proud Boys—white supremacists. There, he married Susie Andrew, the daughter of rich Headmaster Reverend George Andrew, a classmate, and heiress. Later, he pursued higher study at Trinity College, a private institution in Hartford, Connecticut, where tuition was "just" $US 60 thousand. (According to their biography, he was rejected from Ivy League colleges.) Carlson, who purports to despise elites, has spent his whole life among them. (Anyone for intellectual dishonesty?)
Carlson applied to join the CIA but was turned down. In 2006, he did, however, make it onto "Dancing with the Stars" (can't anyone?). He disputes the claims, yet others speculate that he would run for President in 2024. On the other hand, some opponents refer to him and his Fox companions as "Quislings," after Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian Army officer who collaborated with Nazis during WWII. "Fox in the Chicken House?" is another option.
Other distinguishing characteristics? For one reason, Carlson's statements like "white supremacy is actually not a serious problem" stick out throughout his broadcast. (This was three days after the tragic El Paso massacre, in which a white shooter, Patrick Wood Crusius of Allen, Texas, killed 23 Hispanics and wounded 23 others while advocating right-wing "Great Replacement" beliefs.) Despite Carlson's denial of any problem with white supremacy, the FBI was investigating over 850 active instances of domestic terrorism at the time, 40% of which were white nationalists.
Carlson's sexist lament "women are incredibly primitive" and "they simply need to be silent" (Tuckers Carlson's many phone calls to "Bubba the Love Sponge," recounted in Ellen Cranley and James Pasley, "Things Tucker Carlson Has Said," 27 Sep 19) are two more self-identifying statements. Anyway, I'm sure you've gotten the image by now. Carlson and Fox News create "another reality," in which "Putin isn't so awful, but vaccinations are" and "Right-wing politicians are heroes, while America's top public health expert, Dr. Fauci, is a villain."
The worst of "Tucker the Untouchable," on the other hand, goes beyond sexism and false health advice. It has a treasonous ring to it. "Tucker Carlson continues to support Putin despite Russia's inexcusable war crimes." "Moscow's gift that keeps on giving," according to more than one writer (Jackie Calmes, "Tucker Carlson Shills for Putin," Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar 22).
Even after two Fox journalists were killed by Russian soldiers while documenting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Tucker maintained his pro-Russian, pro-Putin position! Furthermore, Fox's arguments were repeated by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti and Tsargrad, a pro-Putin television program founded with the support of John Hancock, a former Fox producer (Stuart A. Thompson, "How Russian Media Uses Fox," New York Times, 15 April 22).
Is "treason" a harsh enough word? "Calling Tucker a traitor misses the point," adds another observer (Zeeshan Aleem, "Real Reason Tucker Carlson Supports Russia," MSNBC, 28 Feb 22). Carlson may not be a traitor, but he "wants the United States to become more like Russia"–its elites, all White, all autocratic, most without a touch of "wokeness," and no sissy, low-testosterone men or government, as Aleem points out. The dispute over his motivations (giving Tucker some wiggle room) is still going on. Despite this, he and Fox keep polluting the well.
Perhaps you aren't familiar with Carlson because you aren't a Fox fan. "White, elderly, and Trump supporters" make up the majority of Fox viewers. Is it a hopeless task to expect those viewers to emerge from their cocoon? There is some reason to be optimistic. An experiment was conducted by two social scientists. They paid 304 Fox customers $15 per hour to watch at least 7 hours of CNN each week instead of their typical Fox watching. They went along with it. A significant number of people, at least 10%, changed their minds. They no longer believed the conflict was caused by Ukraine or the United States, or that vaccinations were harmful or unneeded (David Brockman, University of California, Berkeley, and Joshua Kalla, Yale, "Fox News Viewers Paid to Watch CNN,"
The majority of viewers returned to their former behaviors after the experiment. This echo chamber, though, isn't just about Tucker Carlson. Fox has discovered and will continue to find people who will do its bidding. Rupert Murdoch, the 91-year-old Fox owner who is "rich" at least $US40 billion, is the Rasputin behind the voice. He is a magnate who was born in Australia. Wendy Deng Wenge, Murdoch's third wife, was educated at Guangzhou University in the People's Republic of China. Their marriage took place barely 17 days after his second wife filed for divorce. (Is it any surprise that he and Donald Trump were such close friends?) Murdoch, a backer of Trump for President in 2024, influences the minds (and souls?) of a sizable portion of the American television audience. Other Fox right-wingers, such as Hannity, Ingraham, and Bartiromo, have aided him.
"Government exaggerates fatalities by COVID (really, figures are understated); and/or "Government is hiding up deaths from vaccinations;" and/or "vaccines cause infertility"–all incorrect (Kaiser Family Foundation Study: "Fox Viewers Likely to Believe Falsehoods," Associated Press, 16 Nov 21). As you might anticipate, true believers (i.e., Fox viewers) are mostly Republicans. "No other outlet comes close to matching Fox's popularity among Republicans," according to John Gramlich in "Five Facts About Fox," Pew Research, April 8, 20.
This is the problem for the rest of us. We are now facing the danger of nuclear war—many believe it is becoming more likely as Putin appears increasingly desperate. Meanwhile, one of America's major political parties, the Republicans, and its preferred television network, Fox, is collaborating with the enemy. Many of these deceived viewers are friends and family members of ours. How do we get in touch with them? We're not going to give up.
Will enough of them, like Chris Wallace and a few others, repent? Will more Fox watchers notice the inconsistency? Will they be able to comprehend how they've been used? Will they revert to being decent Americans? Will people change their minds before it's too late—in November 2022—and "vote the rascals out?" The fate of America as we know it, and indeed the fate of the entire globe, is in jeopardy.
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