Or a better post title might be Cannibalism on the right.
Tucker Carlson
To summarize from yesterday, Fox News host and National Enquirer issue in human form Tucker Carlson expressed disappointment that Trump Campaign lawyer and specific story from the National Enquirer Sidney Powell, bold purveyor of bizarre campaign conspiracy theories, had not provided evidence for her bizarre claim concerning a conspiracy involving Dominion Voting Systems vote counting machines, the late Hugo Chavez, communist money, etc. All on its own, this is notable for Carlson actually trying to do professional journalism, rather than just making shit up.
Now comes the cannibalism.
Oliver Darcy notes the backlash for Tucker Carlson daring to inject the least little bit of actual mature judgment into his coverage:
Traitor. Globalist. Sellout.
Those weren’t the insults reserved for a CNN or MSNBC anchor on Friday. No, those were the insults aimed at conservative media darling Tucker Carlson. In what feels like the most severe moment of backlash since his Fox News show premiered in 2016, Carlson is fielding criticism from the right. …
But what is remarkable is that, ever since he called out Powell, Carlson has been the subject of denunciation by some on the right. His mentions on Twitter have been flooded with disappointed viewers saying that they feel betrayed by him. Right-wing websites have homed in on the controversy. And pro-Trump internet personalities have criticized him for having the nerve to challenge Powell.
Powell herself retweeted accounts attacking Carlson, including one that said Carlson had thrown “one of his Fox Globalist directed temper tantrums” and is “owned by The Syndicate.” During a Friday morning appearance on Maria Bartiromo’s show, Powell bashed Carlson as “insulting” and “rude.” [CNN/Business]
Of course, the first response is schadenfreude mixed with karma, but I think this is more important than just that. This is the reaction of people deep in the thrall of magical thinking. One of magical thinking’s distinguishing features is the excision of any requirement of actual evidence. There is usually some requirement of logic (the magic comes from bizarre assumptions) or adherence to an ideology or theology, but evidence? It is, at best, a subjective requirement, as in God told me to take child brides!
Sidney Powell
And that’s a marked characteristic of the far-right fringe that has taken over the conservative movement these days. They wish the societal narrative includes, say, Powell’s silly-ass theory constructed wholly in her imagination, and therefore it is. Someone popping their delusional bubble, even a personality generally considered friendly to the movement, marks them as a target.
Speaking of marking someone, this tendency to credit magical thinking over such mature thinking as requiring actual evidence really suggests people who’ve become unmoored from reality, people who’ve either never gained, or lost, a certain level of intellectual maturity.
Now, slipping into my own little puddle of conspiracy theory, I have to wonder if a substantial portion of those threats are coming not from sincere, earnestly believing people, but instead from provocateurs of either the foreign or domestic varieties. It’s not so much stirring the pot as in reinforcing a narrative, strengthening a fence that keeps the conservative movement under strict control. Someone said something about evidence, and if evidence is ever taken seriously, then those who are benefiting from the absurdity of the Trump Campaign claims will be in deep, deep waters. Their sources of income, power, even prestige might disappear.
And, therefore, Carlson becomes a target, using agent provocateurs to begin the harassment and discrediting. Indeed, it raises the question: is Carlson’s run as a Fox News host imperiled? If he apologizes and tries to rejoin the magical thinkers guild, as in fact he attempted to do already (“… [Carlson] pointed out his coverage of the Russia probe and how he never rules anything out — even UFOs.”), will he salvage his career?
Only time and his actions will tell. I have little doubt that he’ll drop his requirements of evidence if that’ll keep his career alive. But will that be enough?
Or will they be using a fine olive oil to sauteé Carlson’s ass for dinner?
