Tucker Carlson has branded himself as a populist, condemning the “liberal elite” that he argues makes up the American “ruling class.” It’s a good shtick, and it’s helped him stand out from other Fox News hosts. But while Tucker decries the “elite” on his show, he regularly ignores major stories of Republican economic policies that harm the working class, choosing instead to focus on bogus culture war stories. That isn’t an accident. Carlson’s show is meant to distract Fox News viewers from Republican economics, channeling their frustration and anger at groups that don’t deserve it. That kind of misdirection produces what Marxist theorists call “false consciousness”: when workers are tricked into accepting their own exploitation.
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Friday, April 5, 2019
Why Tucker Carlson pretends to hate elites
What is Tucker Carlson's game plan, defending the everyday guy, or protecting the elites? The right have been using False Consciousness for decades to get the middle and working classes to blame the lower classes for all of societies problems.
Tucker Carlson has branded himself as a populist, condemning the “liberal elite” that he argues makes up the American “ruling class.” It’s a good shtick, and it’s helped him stand out from other Fox News hosts. But while Tucker decries the “elite” on his show, he regularly ignores major stories of Republican economic policies that harm the working class, choosing instead to focus on bogus culture war stories. That isn’t an accident. Carlson’s show is meant to distract Fox News viewers from Republican economics, channeling their frustration and anger at groups that don’t deserve it. That kind of misdirection produces what Marxist theorists call “false consciousness”: when workers are tricked into accepting their own exploitation.
Tucker Carlson has branded himself as a populist, condemning the “liberal elite” that he argues makes up the American “ruling class.” It’s a good shtick, and it’s helped him stand out from other Fox News hosts. But while Tucker decries the “elite” on his show, he regularly ignores major stories of Republican economic policies that harm the working class, choosing instead to focus on bogus culture war stories. That isn’t an accident. Carlson’s show is meant to distract Fox News viewers from Republican economics, channeling their frustration and anger at groups that don’t deserve it. That kind of misdirection produces what Marxist theorists call “false consciousness”: when workers are tricked into accepting their own exploitation.
It sounds like Carlson is doing the same thing Chomsky does. Chomsky will point out a policy that harms the people and blame the US government but conveniently leave out that the Israels are behind it. I don't listen to Carlson or anyone else on Fox but it sounds that he is just encouraging the cultural wars. I heard Elizabeth Warren the other day calling for support from all of the identity groups and I decided then that she had better hope they vote for her because she will never get my vote. The thing about identity groups is that they only give a damn about their own group and to hell with everybody else. Was it Payne who said that divided we fall?
ReplyDeleteApparently, they put identity politics in the GND, which is a disaster. We need to get the floating voter and as many of the conservatives as we can aboard. We need to tell those that love capitalism that this is the new opportunity for entrepreneurs to make some very good money, maybe their fortunes. But to put identity politics in, well, what a blunder?
ReplyDeleteAgreed
ReplyDelete