In His Latest Hate-Filled Rant, Tucker Carlson Attacked the Idea of Diversity
"Diversity" is second only to “tolerance” as the most palatable and completely un-radical social justice goal. It literally just means sharing space-a school, a workplace, a nation-with people who are in some way different from you. And who could have a problem with that in America, a country that holds the melting pot among its foundational myths? Tucker Carlson, that’s who. On Friday, the Fox News host gave a monologue that traded dog whistle racism for bullhorn racism.
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 with your neighbors or your co-workers if you can’t understand each other or share no common values?
The end of Carlson’s rant struck at the root of so much racism and bigotry. Carlson assumes that people who speak different languages, come from disparate nations, or have diverging religious practices “share no common values.” But the immigrants and refugees so hated by the likes of Carlson fight to come to this country, work alongside native-born Americans, and send their kids to American schools precisely because they share our common values.
Not only was Carlson's speech bigoted, it was factually inaccurate. As HuffPost points out, research has shown that diverse groups are indeed stronger and more effective than homogenous ones.
Studies show that diverse groups are more innovative and creative, diverse groups encourage people to think on a global level, and diversity makes America’s workforce and militaries more competitive.
In the military, diversity is especially valuable. A 2017 analysis on diversity in the armed services noted that racial and gender diversity is “associated with better creative problem solving, innovation and improved decision making.
Carlson follows on the heels of fellow Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who last month complained of “massive demographic changes” destroying America in a segment she was forced to walk back after its sheer, unalloyed racism earned it the praise of Klansman David Duke.
Carlson's repeated attacks on immigrants and diversity have placed him even further right than the current conservative mainstream. Unlike many of his peers, Carlson doesn't confine his bile to undocumented immigrants, and even condemns legal immigration. His popularity among white nationalists was the subject of an explainer video from Vox last year.
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