Tucker Carlson has inadvertently handed feminists a bone, and to the surprise of exactly no one, they’re voraciously tearing it apart.
Carlson made some off-color remarks between 2006 and 2011 on a popular shock jock radio program called “Bubba the Love Sponge.” (Note to journalists and fellow authors: stop lowering yourselves by going on these trashy programs.) Carlson made many comments he would never make on his current program or in any mainstream public forum, several of which were about women. Put simply, he said women are “extremely primitive, they’re basic, they’re not that hard to understand.”
Oh, the shock! This exact same thing could be said about men. Men are also primitive, basic, and not hard to understand. But somehow, when we reverse the sexes it doesn’t sound so bad. In fact, it sounds normal. Women, and men, tell the truth about men all day long and no one bats an eye. On the contrary, we laugh. But woe is the person who tells the truth about women.
Almost all of Carlson’s comments on that ridiculous program sound bad when pulled out of context as standalone items. The Left did that on purpose to evoke an emotional response from Americans so they think Carlson is a terrible human being that must disappear. As Carlson himself explained in a monologue, the Left has been wanting him off the air since he took over for Bill O’Reilly, and they will stop at nothing to do so. Unearthing the comments Carlson made in tongue-in-cheek manner on a show few people know about or watch is their latest and most pointed attempt to do so.
But on closer examination, and heard within context, many of Carlson’s comments, particularly about women, are more raw than they are anything else. Raw is for shock jocks and for people who are willing to say things that are true but aren’t supposed to be said in public. Raw is for people who can think beyond their emotions and consider the validity of a statement.
Carlson is right: Women are primitive in their sexual desires, which is what the conversation was about, just as men are primitive in theirs. There’s nothing wrong with that. That it’s hard to hear or uncomfortable to swallow is another matter.
It’s no coincidence this recording was found now, at a time when saying things that buck the status quo is considered verboten. That’s what this false feminist outrage is about: taking down Those Who Say Things They’re Not Supposed to Say, particularly about women, and particularly if the person speaking is a white male.
That’s why the best part of this story is Carlson refusing to apologize.
Over the past several years, far too many high profile folks have done just that, after doing nothing more than telling the truth, albeit sometimes in cringeworthy manner. Cringeworthiness is not enough for an indictment. No one has a right to not be offended. “The fake outrage brigade does not deserve an apology, ever, for anything,” writes Matt Walsh. “Groveling apologies and public acts of contrition only embolden the pitchfork mob. They serve no other purpose.”
Unfortunately, Carlson may just be the last public figure with the chutzpah to stand up against that very mob, the one that seeks to destroy anyone who dares to say the “wrong” thing.
And for that at least, I’m grateful.
Suzanne Venker (@SuzanneVenker) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is an author, columnist, and relationship coach known as “The Feminist Fixer.” Her newest book, “WOMEN WHO WIN at Love: How to Build a Relationship That Lasts,” will be published in October 2019. Suzanne’s website is www.suzannevenker.com.
