The masterful manipulation of Tucker Carlson, a career built on the ashes of Jon Stewart's scathing critique. The 2004 "Crossfire" incident, where Stewart called out Carlson as a hack and a "d**k," marked a turning point in the latter's journey from self-proclaimed journalist to fascist propagandist.
Carlson initially took Stewart's criticism to heart, trying to redeem himself by working as an honest journalist at MSNBC and attempting to found the Daily Caller as a reputable news outlet. However, he soon came to realize that his own views were the ones being ostracized, not those of others. The problem with "Crossfire" wasn't its format, but rather the fact it didn't go far enough in demonizing liberals and progressives.
As Carlson's career progressed, he honed a skillset that would enable him to shamelessly pandering to the worst instincts of the right-wing audience. He created a narrative where liberals are an all-powerful force of evil, only to be countered by his wise audience – essentially making himself the hero of this self-righteous tale.
Carlson's mantra, "They want you to believe," is both effective and insidious. By defining "they" as a group of conspirators with implausible motives, he convinces his audience that anyone who disagrees with him is part of a larger conspiracy. This allows him to deflect criticism and shift the blame onto those he deems as the real villains.
The right-wing audience craves moral absolution, and Carlson delivers it on a silver platter. By portraying himself as the sole guardian of truth and reason, he absolves his audience of any responsibility for their own actions – such as voting for Trump or embracing racist ideologies. In reality, Carlson is merely serving up a toxic cocktail of conspiracy theories that reinforce the notion that liberals are the ones controlling public discourse.
The fact that Carlson has survived and thrived by peddling these falsehoods is a testament to his skill in understanding what his audience wants: endless reassurances that they're the good guys. By crafting an alternate reality where "they" – liberals, progressives, or anyone who disagrees with him – are the villains, he provides a giant permission slip for his audience to ignore the evidence and live in their own fantasyland.
Make no mistake; Carlson is a fascist hack, peddling lies that have consequences. As Amanda Marcotte so aptly puts it, "He and his fans love to talk about mind control, but they are living proof there is no such thing." Instead of being controlled by external forces, right-wing audiences are actively creating their own reality – one that's filled with conspiracy theories, racism, and xenophobia.
Carlson initially took Stewart's criticism to heart, trying to redeem himself by working as an honest journalist at MSNBC and attempting to found the Daily Caller as a reputable news outlet. However, he soon came to realize that his own views were the ones being ostracized, not those of others. The problem with "Crossfire" wasn't its format, but rather the fact it didn't go far enough in demonizing liberals and progressives.
As Carlson's career progressed, he honed a skillset that would enable him to shamelessly pandering to the worst instincts of the right-wing audience. He created a narrative where liberals are an all-powerful force of evil, only to be countered by his wise audience – essentially making himself the hero of this self-righteous tale.
Carlson's mantra, "They want you to believe," is both effective and insidious. By defining "they" as a group of conspirators with implausible motives, he convinces his audience that anyone who disagrees with him is part of a larger conspiracy. This allows him to deflect criticism and shift the blame onto those he deems as the real villains.
The right-wing audience craves moral absolution, and Carlson delivers it on a silver platter. By portraying himself as the sole guardian of truth and reason, he absolves his audience of any responsibility for their own actions – such as voting for Trump or embracing racist ideologies. In reality, Carlson is merely serving up a toxic cocktail of conspiracy theories that reinforce the notion that liberals are the ones controlling public discourse.
The fact that Carlson has survived and thrived by peddling these falsehoods is a testament to his skill in understanding what his audience wants: endless reassurances that they're the good guys. By crafting an alternate reality where "they" – liberals, progressives, or anyone who disagrees with him – are the villains, he provides a giant permission slip for his audience to ignore the evidence and live in their own fantasyland.
Make no mistake; Carlson is a fascist hack, peddling lies that have consequences. As Amanda Marcotte so aptly puts it, "He and his fans love to talk about mind control, but they are living proof there is no such thing." Instead of being controlled by external forces, right-wing audiences are actively creating their own reality – one that's filled with conspiracy theories, racism, and xenophobia.
I'm really disappointed in where Tucker Carlson has taken his career 
. From what I've seen, he's a master at manipulating public opinion by spreading misinformation and playing on people's fears 
. His show is like a never-ending loop of "they're out to get us" 
. It's so easy for him to convince his audience that liberals are the bad guys when all it takes is a little creative spin doctoring 
.
. It's like he's intentionally trying to create a culture of paranoia and mistrust 
. And you know what the worst part is? He's got millions of people eating out of the palm of his hand 
.
. By framing himself as a lone voice of reason, he convinces them that anyone who disagrees with him is part of some larger conspiracy 
.
. He's got a whole network of echo chambers and yes-men who enable him to spew his toxic ideology without consequence 
. It's like a big game of moral gymnastics where everyone's too afraid to speak out 
.
meanwhile he's just spreading toxic info that's causing actual harm to ppl 
it was like a warning sign 
. it's wild to think he turned those same criticisms on himself and then continued to spew the same divisive rhetoric 
. the right-wing audience needs figures like Carlson who provide a clear enemy and absolve them of any agency in shaping their own reality 
and now he's all about demonizing libs and progressives and making himself the hero of this whole self-righteous tale 
his mantra "they want you to believe" is so insidious lol it's like he's defining "they" as these imaginary conspirators with crazy motives who are just waiting for someone to expose them 
meanwhile right-wing audiences are eating it up and loving every minute of it 
, Tucker Carlson starts off as this super divisive guy on Crossfire, then slowly shifts to be more of a provocateur. His career is kinda like a spiral staircase 
– he gets attention for being contrarian, and that's cool at first 
. But then he figures out how to spin it so his audience feels justified in their own biases 
.
. He tells his audience they're right, and that's what makes them feel good about being part of this group 
. Meanwhile, he's just serving up whatever narrative will keep the haters at bay 
, and hit puree 
It's kinda messed up when you think about how that can lead to some real-life problems 
. If we're not careful, our words (and the ones we choose to listen to) can actually shape reality 
– and I'm low-key kinda scared about that 
but at the same time its just so sad that he's able to manipulate people with such ease 
and its not just his fans who are affected, like have you seen how many ppl get caught up in his conspiracies 
I'm so tired of seeing people like Tucker Carlson spreading toxic lies and hate speech 
. He's got this whole career built on being a master manipulator, playing on people's fears and anxieties 
. But what I find really disturbing is how his audience eats it up like candy 
. They're so desperate to believe they're the good guys, that they'll ignore all evidence to the contrary 
. It's like he's created this whole alternate reality where "they" are the villains, and they get to be the heroes 
. Newsflash: it doesn't work that way 
. We need to start calling out people like Carlson for the fascists they are 
. It's like, dude, if you're so concerned about people being controlled by external forces, maybe start using your platform to promote actual critical thinking instead of just regurgitating talking points that serve your own agenda 
.
.
.
. His mantra is both effective and terrifying 
. The right-wing audience craves moral absolution, and Carlson delivers it on a silver platter 
. We need to fact-check and critically think before consuming his toxic cocktail of lies 
️.
He initially tried to redeem himself after getting roasted on "Crossfire" 
, convincing his audience that anyone who disagrees with him is part of a larger conspiracy 
.
. By creating this narrative where liberals are evil, he's essentially given his audience a get-out-of-jail-free card 
. But let's be real, the consequences of his lies are very real 
. He's perpetuating a toxic reality where conspiracy theories, racism, and xenophobia thrive 
. And that's a scary thought 
. He's like a master puppeteer, manipulating the strings to get his audience all riled up and convinced that liberals are the bad guys 
.
.
, convincing his audience they're the real victims 
it's like he's created this whole alternate reality where "they" are the villains and his audience is the good guys 
it's like carlson is giving them a permission slip to ignore the truth and live in their own fantasyland 
