Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, photo marked for re-use
It’s not that FOX News’ Tucker Carlson is worth listening to or respecting, yet his comments about ‘women’s advancement harming society’ must be addressed; his poison countered. Too many men, and women for that matter, still buy into straitjacketed gender roles that are no longer realistic, and in many cases, not desirable, in today’s society. His brand of “stinkin’ thinkin’” is part of why Senator Warren announcing a likely Presidential candidacy is met with dozens of articles about her lack of “likeability”. Any woman seen as a threat to an insecure man is, of course, “unlikeable”. Here is Tucker Carlson’s first line of twaddle:
“Study after study has shown that when men make less than women, women generally don’t want to marry them.”
So women must remain small in order to allow the man to feel big? I see. To women I say, if you remaining small is what it takes to make a man feel big, you will never be able to make yourself small enough.
Tucker also claimed his studies show ‘there was “more drug and alcohol abuse” and “higher incarceration rates” in areas where women earn more money than their male counterparts.’
I venture that Tucker’s “studies” are manufactured from ruminations on his bathroom throne.
My husband and I have been married 22 years. We both work and always have. He is a teacher. So who do you think makes more money? Do I care? No. Anyone who ever said teaching is the noblest profession is correct. My husband is beloved by his students for good reason. I’m proud of him and consider myself lucky to have such a wonderful life partner. By the way, he doesn’t drink, smoke or have so much as a parking ticket. So that puts a big chink in the first two pieces of Tucker Carlson’s sexist, insecure, emasculated male claptrap. Feel free to chime in with your own examples.
More infuriating even than Carlson’s limited, ignorant view of men and male thinking is his disrespect to the rights, needs and hard work of women.
My mom was the sole support of a family of four well before it was commonplace. She took care of a sick husband and raised two daughters. Often her schedule was brutal, working long hours while still doing plenty of cooking and cleaning when she finally got home. I have no recollection of my mother sitting down. She was in the workforce for over fifty years and did what she had to do to provide for her family. I had to force her to retire at age 74 for health reasons.
Mom loved the comfort of a paycheck. She also had no choice in the matter. Many women don’t. But those who do are entitled to have career aspirations without worrying that a man won’t like it if a woman doesn’t walk two steps behind him.
Then again, remembering not only Carlson’s comments about women, but the disgusting statements he made about immigrants making our country “dirtier,” perhaps in his private heart, he knows himself to be so odious that his only value is being able to put a dollar on the table.
It’s about time we stop telling women they have to be prom queens to be desirable. Or that hyper-masculinity is the only kind of man that is acceptable.
Who is sending us this message?
For what it’s worth, Carlson’s comments do not reflect the world I see around me. But they likely do reflect the white, male-dominated pundit world—and that of most newsrooms. This goes a long way to explaining the double standards applied to women in the work force, politics or any woman who dares to step outside the narrow lane that limited men like Carlson have carved out for them.
We can do better. We must protest until we receive better.
2 Comments
I’ll admit that his first lines of twaddle piqued my interest because a woman I was absolutely NUTS about back in 1998-1999 when I was in my early 30’s kept getting asked by her mother, “Well, how much money does Mike make?” Granted at the time, I was a little “behind the curve” and I think her mother and she were angling towards a stay-at-home mom life. Needless to say, I think her mother constantly whispering in her ear, “You can do better, Amy.” brought that relationship to an end and I was devastated, both from a relationship-y perspective and my self worth.
Fast forward, all good now: Happily married (to another woman), who is a teacher also by the way, and my income over the last 20 years made great strides.
All that to say, I was hoping Tucker was going to go down the road that traditional stereotypes CAN lend itself to stress on males to always be the bread winner, especially in Christian circles, to which I am and run in. Obviously given my past experience I have conflicted feelings on the matter so, like I said, when I heard about his opening comments I was intrigued but sadly it “devolved” from there. Honestly, Catherine Herridge is the best thing Fox News has, but she’s not on enough for me to suffer through the rest of the clap trap.
Great blog post, Anita.
Thank you, Mike. I appreciate what you shared. It’s so important that we all reject stereotypes and Tucker uses them to gaslight others and profit himself. I hope you’ll keep visiting.