'Voice of angry White America': How Tucker Carlson's 'white grievance' spectacle is setting off a nationwide panic

On Wednesday, The Washington Post published a lengthy profile of Fox News host Tucker Carlson's ideology of "white grievance" — and how he was instrumental in setting off the nationwide panic against "critical race theory" being taught in schools.

Carlson has become one of the most powerful voices in right-wing media following the death of Rush Limbaugh, and, according to The Washington Post's Michael Kranish, he is now "the preeminent voice of angry White America."

"If you grew up in America, suddenly nothing looks the same," Carlson wrote in his book. "Your neighbors are different. So is the landscape and the customs and very often the languages you hear on the street. You may not recognize your hometown. Human beings aren't wired for that. They can't digest change at this pace."

Much of the national outrage against "critical race theory" — a framework that seeks to examine the role of white supremacy in America's founding institutions, which is not actually being taught in most schools — dates back to Carlson's discussions on his show with right-wing researcher Christopher Rufo.

"On Sept. 1, 2020, Carlson's guest was Rufo, who had previously appeared on the show to talk about homelessness and public disorder. Rufo told Carlson he had conducted investigations that showed the federal government had undertaken a 'cult indoctrination' to convince people that the United States is systemically racist," wrote Kranish. "'What I've discovered is that critical race theory has become ... the default ideology of the federal bureaucracy and is now being weaponized against the American people,' Rufo said on the broadcast."

"Rufo's appearance brought his allegations about government indoctrination to millions of people — including one particularly important viewer: Trump," noted the report. "The president saw the show and tweeted that critical race theory is 'a sickness that cannot be allowed to continue.' Within days, the White House produced a memo saying that no money could be spent by federal agencies on any training related to the theory or the idea of 'white privilege,' or training that suggested that any race is 'inherently racist.' Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 22 banning sensitivity training seminars for federal employees related to critical race theory."

Rufo told the Washington Post in an email that Trump's attacks on critical race theory "wouldn't have happened without Tucker."

In a statement, Fox News defended Carlson, describing him as "an important voice in America which deeply resonates with millions of viewers via our powerful primetime lineup."

You can read more here.