The Internet is laughing at Tucker Carlson’s new program. Experts say it’s no joke – By Alia E. Dastagir (USA Today) / April 20, 2022
When a trailer for “The End of Men” episode of Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s “Tucker Carlson Originals” dropped last week with shirtless men swinging axes, wrestling and shooting guns, news headlines and social media users referred to it as “homoerotic” and “hilarious.” When more clips previewing the episode showed Carlson promoting the “bromeopathy” therapy “testicle tanning,” he was further ridiculed and roasted by late-night hosts. But experts in masculinity and extremism say while promotion around Carlson’s program may appear ridiculous, it’s elevating dangerous propaganda.
“He and his writers are seeking to exploit a popular line of discourse on the far-right fringe that mainstream audiences may not be aware of,” said Michael Edison Hayden, a senior investigative reporter with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, which tracks the radical right. “It’s this hyper-masculinized propaganda that speaks to people who actually really admire the notion of ‘men returning to men.’ My concern is that it has more appeal; it is more exciting to people than perhaps liberals and centrists may realize.”
Season 2 of Carlson’s series began streaming Monday on Fox Nation. Fox did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the release date of the “End of Men” episode.
