Fox News host Tucker Carlson isnât an outstanding white man. He canât do anything extraordinary. He canât sing or dance or jump really high, but he does possess one trait that stands out above most all white men: Heâs the loudest whiny white-guy voice in a sea of whiny white guy voices. Heâs made a living by being a conservative voice that perpetually sounds and looks like an intern who wondered on set and somehow taped a show.
Itâs his schtick.
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So heâs not apologizing for recently unearthed tapes of derogatory comments he made about women, underaged girls and rape because it was years ago and Carlson thinks what he did was ânaughtyâ and worthy of debate.
The short version of what Carlson calls â naughtyâ consists of several comments made on shock jock âBubba the Love Spongeâ radio program between 2006 and 2011 that includes such hot takes as, calling television personality Alexis Stewart âcunty,â journalist Arianna Huffington a âpig,â and noting that Britney Spears and Paris Hilton are âthe biggest white whores in America.â
And if you ever wanted dating advice from a 49-year-old man who looks 16 and wears bowties, Carlson offered that women love to be told to âbe quiet and kind of do what youâre toldâ and that they are âextremely primitive.â
Carlson also noted that underage marriage isnât the same as child rape. âThe rapist in this case has made a lifelong commitment to live and take care of the person, so it is a little different.â
Oh, and if you havenât vomited yet, during a bizarre scenario about boarding schools turning school-age girls into lesbians, Carlsonâs daughter, who attends a boarding school, had this to say: âIf it werenât my daughter I would love that scenario.â
It isnât just that Carlsonâs thinking is sexist, misogynistic, rape-y, or pedophilloic. It isnât just that Carlson has one of the most punchable faces in American television. It isnât that he whines or that he makes those goofy-ass faces when he really thinks heâs nailed his guest with some wild and usually racist assertion.
Itâs that Carlson knows that he doesnât have to apologize because he wonât be held accountable for his actions. And that my friends is white privilege. Itâs the freedom to share your darkest, deep-seeded thoughts with impunity. Fox News doesnât give a shit about anything Carlson says. They pay him to be an outlandish boat shoe. Thatâs his job. Heâs basically an on-air conservative shock jock who trades in racist, misogynistic troupes.
Thatâs his schtick.
And heâs allowed this….because….heâs a white guy.
He can claim that his position isnât deplorable, itâs debatable, and therefore he can ask that those who find his position to be vomit-inducing can come on his show, because he still has a show, and debate him about it.
Thatâs the freedom that is allowed white men. Thatâs the audacity of the undyed. It isnât just that Carlson can call for an end to rape shield laws, which were set up to protect the victims of sexual assault, itâs that he can do so without ever being reprimanded for his beliefs.
Last year, during Tucker Carlson Tonight, Carlson claimed that immigration makes the United States âpoorer and dirtier and more divided.â
âFox News stood by Carlson at the time, saying it would not allow voices like his to âbe censored by agenda-driven intimidation effortsâ from organizations such as Media Matters,â The Hill reports.
So far, Fox News has said nothing about the latest claims and donât expect them to. They donât just support Carlson, they encourage his behavior. They embolden his antics and allow for his divisive speech.
It helped get the president elected.
Itâs their schtick.
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