Tucker Carlson last night, and not for the first time, questioned the concept of diversity being our strength.
Carlson brought up the idea of an internal White House “resistance” to President Donald Trump, saying it “sounds more like a coup than a feature of a legitimate democracy.”
But, he added, “Maybe they’ll succeed in it, but before that happens the people hoping to regain power should have to explain why their ideas are better for America.”
“So far they haven’t done that,” Carlson continued, “They’ve talked a lot about norms, called a lot of people racist, and tried to make anyone who disagrees with them shut up. And, of course, they’ve lectured us endlessly about something called diversity, as if that answers some relevant question.”
He showed clips of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton talking about diversity being one of America’s greatest strengths and then said, “Well, they all agree on that. It’s hard to know exactly what it means, though, other than ‘Stop talking or else.'”
Carlson said Americans deserve answers to the question of “how is our current immigration system made America more stable and more prosperous.” He also said he wants to know how exactly diversity is our strength:
“How precisely is diversity our strength? Since you’ve made this our new national motto, please be specific as you explain it. Can you think, for example, of other institutions such as, I don’t know, marriage or military units in which the less people have in common, the more cohesive they are? Do you get along better your neighbors or your co-workers if you can’t understand each other or share no common values? Please be honest as you answer this question. And if diversity is our strength, why is it okay for the rest of us to surrender to one of our central rights, freedom of speech, to just a handful of tech monopolies?”
After the clip spread on Twitter last night, a lot of people had some answers for him:
I really would like all the US companies that support Fox news and this dude to recognize how racist (and against many of these organizations’ stated missions) what he’s saying is: https://t.co/vqmEZcSpVN
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) September 8, 2018
Carlson thinks this is a pointed question but it's actually a confession. He is unable to conceive of friendship across racial or cultural lines. The concept baffles him. https://t.co/ak7oyWrgmP
— Adam Serwer ? (@AdamSerwer) September 8, 2018
Our diversity makes us stronger because it expands our capacities in business, defense and culture, but most importantly, because it reaffirms that our nation is defined and united by what we do share which is commitment to the equal worth of all, not the superiority of the few. https://t.co/Q9Gt9jclAA
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) September 8, 2018
Also “please be specific“ and “please be honest“ as if it’s a given that any defense of diversity is based on vague falsehoods. Fuck this oily shit bird
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) September 8, 2018
What’s craziest is the first example he names — the military — is possibly the greatest force for integration and national identity in US history https://t.co/EvCTZHHPqZ
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) September 8, 2018
One thing I've seen in life is that cognitive diversity makes organizations think better.
Fox News should try it sometime. https://t.co/f9aSZdznJR
— Thomas E. Ricks (@tomricks1) September 8, 2018
FACT: @TuckerCarlson embodies this notion of white fear when it comes to the future of America. He is playing to the fears of @FoxNews’ old white viewers https://t.co/a5YkvJuqMY
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) September 8, 2018
Since they’re mentioned in this clip, it’s worth pointing out that the U.S. Army itself has said having troops of different backgrounds allows the military to pool together their diverse life experiences to solve a wider array of problems.
?? https://t.co/DwiulgPY3g https://t.co/X4xlN9tNIv
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 8, 2018
so, when you put it all together,
1. liberal college students have a patriotic obligation to embrace diversity of perspective … bc it makes us strong.
2. but the rest of the country has the prerogative to resist diversity of background … bc it makes us weak. https://t.co/q3pDSoCPz5— Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) September 8, 2018
Someone needs to tell Tucker Carlson that the greatest argument for diversity is Tucker Carlson pic.twitter.com/dvGDYhngDC
— Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) September 8, 2018
[image via screengrab]
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