The recent New York Times report that uncovered texts from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has sparked outrage and condemnation from many.
The texts in question have been deemed racist by numerous individuals, including MSNBC host Alex Wagner. During her show, Alex Wagner Tonight, she expressed her anger and shock at the content of the messages while ripping Carlson's words with a zinger about the January 6 insurrection.
Wagner was visibly upset as she discussed the report, stating that the idea that someone like Carlson could hold such views is not surprising but still "shocking." She went on to denounce the text not just for its content, but for its timing.
The day after the January 6 Capitol riot, Carlson drew a line saying, "This isn't how white people fight," which Wagner pointed out was ironic given the events of the previous day.
Wagner then went on to place Carlson in the context of America's history of race, stating that he "represents so much of the inheritance of America on the topic of race."
She pointed out that "the idea of white nobility and gentility has been used since slavery times to justify violence against people of color" and that Carlson "is no different in that attitude than white people were in the 1700s."
You can hear what Wagner said in the video below.
Controversial text reveals nature of Tucker Carlson's white supremacy on Fox youtu.be
Wagner said:
“The idea that the day after January 6, when a largely white mob attacks the Capitol, and this man is drawing a line saying, ‘This isn’t how white people fight.’ Well, yesterday — the day before you wrote that text — we saw how white people fought."
In response to her guest, Eddie Glaude Jr., chair of Princeton’s African American studies department, she said:
“[Carlson] represents so much of the inheritance of America on the topic of race, right? This idea of white nobility and white gentility has been used since slavery times to justify violence against people of color. And Tucker Carlson is no different in that attitude than white people were in the 1700s."
"It shouldn’t be shocking, but it remains shocking to me, and I think it’s worthy of calling it out when we see it.”
Later, she pointed to Fox News'—and of course Carlson's—history of racist coverage she referred to as "fearmongering" about the "brown menace":
“That’s what Fox News has been doing for years. But the person who took this fear-mongering and turned it into a professional skill was Tucker Carlson. The same Tucker Carlson who the New York Times reports was fired in part after the disclosure of a January 7, 2021 text message he sent to one of his producers."
"Carlson was writing about a video of a group of white men attacking ‘an Antifa kid.’ The text message was uncovered during Dominion Voting System’s defamation lawsuit against Fox. It was redacted in public filings."
She then concluded her monologue with the following observation:
"According to the New York Times, it read in part, ‘Jumping a guy like that is dishonorable, obviously. It’s not how white men fight.’ This text was sent a day after Jan. 6, the riot at the Capitol."
"But to Tucker Carlson, it still seemed that white men were not the violent ones.”
Many have echoed Wagner's criticisms while offering their own assessments.
The recent report has sparked widespread condemnation and discussion about the role of media in perpetuating harmful stereotypes and racism.
Many are calling for accountability and action to be taken, both by Fox News and by individuals like Tucker Carlson who perpetuate harmful rhetoric.
As Wagner stated, it's time to call out racism and bigotry when we see it and take steps to dismantle harmful systems and attitudes.
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