Is self-awareness a thing anymore? If feels like it's not a thing anymore.
I watched the segment in question last night. It was Carlson's typical hyperbole (intended to entertain as much as it is to inform), but like most of his segments there was a serious argument being made – that Jean-Pierre was chosen less for her qualifications to fill the duties required of a press secretary, and more for her qualifications to tick off diversity boxes.
This is a complete outrage of course and a priori evidence of his bigotry. As HuffPost put it,
The Fox News host spewed a demeaning hot take on the new White House press secretary.
How dare he spew a demeaning hot take by highlighting her race and sexuality while ignoring her many professional qualities?
That's HuffPost's job!
Let's start with the headline:
Tucker Carlson Goes Full Bigot To Assess Karine Jean-Pierre's Qualifications
Never go full bigot.
Tucker Carlson proudly wore his prejudice Tuesday in a cheap shot at new White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
I don't mean to reveal any spoilers here, but HuffPost general assignment reporter Ron Dicker never once attempts to explain why Tucker was being bigoted and prejudiced, he merely assumes that his ideologically driven and intellectually dim readership would simply nod along in self-satisfied moral superiority.
Jean-Pierre is the first Black woman and openly gay person to hold the position being vacated by Jen Psaki this week. Jean-Pierre previously worked as President Joe Biden's deputy press secretary.
That's how Dicker himself introduces Jean-Pierre:
- She's black.
- She's gay.
Oh, and bringing up the rear, she's done some press secretary work in the past.
That's it. That's HuffPost's assessment of the women, with being black and gay coming in at numbers one and two.
The popular Fox News host declared that the administration had found someone as "shallow, nasty and partisan" as Psaki. He then assessed Jean-Pierre's job qualifications as only someone who hates others on first sight could.
Tucker then assesses "Jean-Pierre's job qualifications as only someone who hates others on first sight could..."
...by describing her the same way HuffPo does.
That's what haters do. They use your own words, only with hatred. Or something.
"Karine Jean-Pierre is our first out LGBTQ+ White House press secretary and that's all you need to know," Carlson said. "It's a good thing, shut up and celebrate. That's why she got the job. She's in the right group and to the Biden administration, which thinks exclusively in terms of groups and never in terms of individuals because individuals are messy and inconvenient. The group is all that matters."
"Show us your picture and we'll tell you if you're qualified for the job," he added.
- HuffPo assessing Jean-Pierre's job qualifications: Celebratory and empowering:
Jean-Pierre is the first Black woman and openly gay person to hold the position
- Tucker Carlson assessing Jean-Pierre's job qualifications: Bigoted and Prejudiced:
Karine Jean-Pierre is our first out LGBTQ+ White House press secretary and that's all you need to know...
Show us your picture and we'll tell you if you're qualified for the job.
But wait, HuffPost included a video to further expand on her qualifications, scored with treacly second-rate trance music the better to evoke the proper atmosphere.
What else do we learn about Karine Jean-Pierre from this campaign ad masquerading as journalism? Are we treated to examples of her innovative approach to communications and gift for forging personal relationships with those with whom she disagrees?
Instead, we learn she's black and she's gay!!
I understand that's a first of some kind.
Not only that, but she's no stranger to being black and gay.
While not emphasized, her ability to work for Kamala Harris for more than six months is admittedly impressive.
And just in case you missed it the first seven times...
Ron Dicker has made a specialty of sorts not understanding things he sees. Here is an example from today in which Eric Reed, the trainer of long-shot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike tweeted something we're supposed to be outraged about:
That nasty tweet was less nasty and more crude (content warning on this one):
Nowhere in the short piece does Dicker provide any indication that he understands the context of this. It's not some random piece of misogyny. It's based on allegations that Kamala Harris had an extramarital affair with then San Francisco mayor Willie Brown who later helped her launch her public career.
Is it true?
Snopes rated it:
When Snopes rates an accusation against a political ally as "mixture," you know it's true.
In fact, they have an inventive approach to dealing with these situations. first, they admit it's true
What's True
Harris did date former San Francisco Mayor and State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown for a period of time between 1994 to 1995. In his capacity as speaker, Brown appointed her to two political posts — first to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, and then to the Medical Assistance Commission.
Then they ask you to please ignore that it's true.
What's False
Although Brown was technically still married during the time period that he dated Harris, he had been estranged from his wife Blanche Brown for more than a decade. Harris' first, successful run for office in 2003 happened well after the relationship ended, and Harris sought to distance herself from Brown.
But Dicker either has no idea about any of this, or just chose to ignore it and instead try to depict someone he doesn't know as a bigot and misogynist as opposed to someone making an off-color political joke.
Keep in mind, this is how people manage such cognitive dissonance. They steep themselves in ignorance and avoid anything that might challenge their worldview, and then assume the worst of motives about those with whom they have political disagreement, and the best about those with whom they agree.
That's how you can successfully argue that what someone said is bigoted, while saying the same thing.
Don't think that makes sense?
As a side note, Jean-Pierre isn't quite as "firsty" as she's being made out to be.
You see, similar "firsts" that are made by people with the wrong opinions are routinely ignored or played down, in part because among those wrong opinions, is the one that holds that race should not matter and that people should be judged as individuals.
Smith's pioneering role also drew less notice than it might have because Bush and his team didn't focus on her race. Marlin Fitzwater, who as Bush's press secretary hired Smith, said he "just didn't think of it in those terms."She came from a different culture than me. I'm a farm boy from Kansas and she was the city girl from Washington in addition to being a Black woman. … I had a couple of deputy press secretaries who were women so that really wasn't new," Fitzwater said. "The fact that she was Black ... didn't have any effect at all."
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