Tucker Carlson: A Symbol of Privilege and Sexism
Tucker Carlson's career is an exercise in unearned smugness and prejudice.
Tucker Carlson is in the news again. This time for a segment involving women in the military. Needless to say, Carlson's statements were not as illuminating about military policy as they were revealing about Carlson's prejudice. If anything, the segment that Carlson decided to air, seemingly with no degree of self-reflection, is a symbol of what Carlson can't stand in the world: change.
Beginning his diatribe, Carlson posed the idea that Biden was elected as a pseudo-moderate who is now making radical changes to the United States. The implication in such an argument is that Biden's positions are fundamentally separate from the common people. Of course, that is not true as Biden's approval rating is strong, with 60 percent of Americans' approving of his administration. But I digress.
Carlson's bit, at its core, was not about approval ratings, the actual beliefs of the American people. It was about sexism. From the very beginning, Carlson's segment was dedicated to the idea that America was weakening and that China was growing stronger, but it was his choice of words that were so revealing. Indeed, Carlson described the Chinese military as "masculine." However, when discussing the American military, Carlson described it as feminine, a characterization that he did not portray positively.
It should be self-evident that Carlson's comments are prejudiced. The feminine is seen as weak and unreliable, while the masculine sphere is seen as strong, ironclad, and traditional. One can't help but wonder if Carlson would make such an insinuation to the women who served in the military despite their pregnancy. Perhaps he would, as the sacrifices that many of those servicewomen endured seem to be easy for Carlson to cast aside, especially if the servicewoman was pregnant at any time during her service.
When discussing the changes that the Biden administration was making to the military, Carlson brought up the proposed idea of "maternity flight suits," which Carlson mocked, saying:
"So we've got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It's a mockery of the U.S. military."
Of course, Carlson did not mention the reason for having those suits in the first place. Instead, he went with the most insane and insulting position he could've taken, insinuating that pregnant women were going to fight our wars from the cockpit with babies in their bellies. What those suits do is far more reasonable and dignified than Carlson could ever admit to his audience because the person who was calling for more of it was on the other side of the aisle.
The maternity suits are specifically for women who are not authorized to fly at the moment or are on non-deployed jobs are fulfilling other duties. Women who want children but serve in the military can plan their pregnancies around that nondeployment period in which they serve in other positions, and during that time, these pregnant women can wear the suits for their convenience. Nothing more.
Thankfully, military officials have taken Carlson to task for his arrogance, but I suppose it is too late for such nuance. Carlson has his snappy phrase to condemn the Biden administration, making millions while he does so. But if there is one thing that we can learn from this, it is this: if a man can insult the very people he claims to respect and make millions while doing so, something is fundamentally broken about our society. Carlson is but a symptom, a symbol. Sexism is the disease, and it is not so easily cured.