Critics of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson were struck by the surprisingly homoerotic content ofThe End of Men, a "documentary" that aims to answer just why traditional ideals of masculinity are on the decline.
The trailer, which starts off warning viewers about dropping testosterone levels, includes footage of shirtless white men wrestling, doing push-ups, chopping wood, firing guns, and even, yes, lying naked while getting their groin tanned.
All of this footage is set to the instantly recognizable musical theme “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” which most film viewers know from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
You can watch the trailer below.
I promise you are not prepared for Tucker's latest montagepic.twitter.com/8tdvYTW2cn— nikki mccann ram\u00edrez (@nikki mccann ram\u00edrez) 1650070249
The content of the trailer for The End of Men is particularly odd given Carlson's long record of homophobic commentary, which has received more coverage in recent months due to his repeated attacks against Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whom he has mocked for taking paternity leave and "trying to figure out how to breastfeed."
But the notion that masculinity is being attacked–namely by the left wing–is a popular one among Republicans like Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who last year accused "the Left" of hurting "the future of the American man" and went on to claim that the "deconstruction of America begins with and depends on the deconstruction of American men."
The suggestion that masculinity is "in crisis" has also persisted among the right as its most prominent voices continue to assert that the nation's framers would be "horrified" by progressive politics, particularly more inclusive rights for women, minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalized groups.
The trailer quickly took social media by storm and the general response can only be described as one of incredulity.
I am sitting here next to my gay husband living my gay life reading a gay novel as research for my new gay book...and yet I am not and will never be as gay as whatever is haunting Tucker Carlson's fantasies.https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1515130557675581442\u00a0\u2026— Mark Harris (@Mark Harris) 1650140351
If anything could actually \u201cturn someone gay\u201d it\u2019s @TuckerCarlson\u2019s autobiographical End of Men video.— Sgt Joker (@Sgt Joker) 1650186006
Tucker Carlson, built like a veal with hands as soft as the inside of a woman's purse, is exploring "The end of men".\nBecause when you think wood choppin', gun shootin', raw egg drinkin' tough guys, you think of frozen food heir, Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson.https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1515130557675581442\u00a0\u2026— Big Jim Slade (@Big Jim Slade) 1650113472
nothing says chiseled homoerotic masculinity like human bowtie Tucker Carlsonhttps://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1515130557675581442\u00a0\u2026— Justin Ling (@Justin Ling) 1650121842
You guys wanna see something gayer than a parade float on a Sunday in June?pic.twitter.com/hjQTRl5ZW1— George Hahn (@George Hahn) 1650134013
WTF us this?!?!pic.twitter.com/JsU35gKdxN— Dr. #DefenderOfDemocracy\ud83d\udc89#ReproductiveRights \ud83d\udc89 (@Dr. #DefenderOfDemocracy\ud83d\udc89#ReproductiveRights \ud83d\udc89) 1650108402
Do fascists get off on Tucker\u2019s weird video? A guy shoves his junk in a light box, a narrator says \u201chard\u201d repeatedly, one chugs water like beer at a frat house, two writhe shirtless, one squeezes a cow utter with no bucket (so just for fun?), and one shoots at jugs of yellow oil.— Walter Shaub (@Walter Shaub) 1650126465
This is ... almost indescribable.https://twitter.com/MarkHarrisNYC/status/1515424589228261378\u00a0\u2026— John Voelcker (@John Voelcker) 1650295473
is that a penis charger? https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1515130557675581442\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/Zg9t8vGev0— Shiv Ramdas Traing To Rite Buk (@Shiv Ramdas Traing To Rite Buk) 1650123080
The hullabaloo over The End of Men isn't the first time that Carlson has been taken to task for the "documentaries" featured on his program.
Last year, Carlson was heavily criticized for airing Patriot Purge, a three-part documentary series about the January 6 insurrection that attempts to rewrite the narrative about the event, prompting a thorough fact check by Politifact, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fact checking service.
Politifact noted that Patriot Purge floats numerous conspiracy theories during its runtime, including that the violence of that day was the fault of left-wing activists, that it was orchestrated by federal law enforcement, and that the government sees the day as an opportunity "to strip millions of Trump voters of their constitutional rights."
