Tucker Carlson’s extraordinary anti-masker rant got entirely the responses it deserved

Poke Staff. Updated April 27th, 2021

Over on Fox News, Tucker Carlson – you remember – went viral with this extraordinary anti-masker rant.

Tucker Carlson is now telling his audience to harass people who wear face masks outside.

If they see children wearing masks, Tucker says the response should be no different than when you see a kid being abused — “call the police immediately, contact child protective services” pic.twitter.com/4svVH0JY3s

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 27, 2021

The Fox News presenter said requiring children to wear masks outdoors was “child abuse” and described seeing a vaccinated person wear a mask outdoors was like “watching a grown man expose himself in public”.

“Your response when you see children wearing masks as they play should be no different from your response to seeing someone beat a kid in Walmart.

“Call the police immediately, contact child protective services. Keep calling until someone arrives. What you’re looking at is abuse, it’s child abuse and you are morally obligated to attempt to prevent it.”

Carlson is in influential voice in the Republican Party and even seen as a potential presidential nominee in 2024 if Trump doesn’t run.

And his rant got entirely the responses it deserved. These nine went particularly viral.

This is really, really dangerous. Listen to his tone of voice, and what he’s instructing. He’s moving from his viewers passively consuming his propaganda to having them act on it — against their neighbors. He’s testing his audience’s compliance. https://t.co/ZxqFMsboAW

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) April 27, 2021

I look forward to meeting the first Tucker Carlson viewer who thinks it wise to harass me for wearing a mask outside. I look forward to it immensely. https://t.co/fi4B3RK1Sr

— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) April 27, 2021

It’s tough to imagine the hatred that goes into this. https://t.co/zOD4xIWeLM

— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) April 27, 2021

The kings of personal freedom and the right to buy guns don’t think we should wear fifty cents worth of cloth.

Clutch those pearls, sweet pea. https://t.co/i3mjQ5R1CA

— Liam O'Brien (@VoiceOfOBrien) April 27, 2021

This is deranged https://t.co/DJi7WTkwlx

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) April 27, 2021

of course tucker himself won't do this because he knows making false reports is a crime but some of his viewers will do it and they'll get in trouble and fox will say oh haha you shouldn't take him seriously and the wheels will just keep on turning https://t.co/VDOMDwQKqj

— my pal andy™ (@andylevy) April 27, 2021

Just going to point out again that Fox News own lawyers argued, and a federal judge held, that Tucker Carlson is so completely full of shit that no reasonable person would believe anything he says. This was and most likely remains Fox News’ solemn and sincere legal position. https://t.co/maeMyuvzjS

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) April 27, 2021

https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1386848454970953730?s=20

Our son’s friend has an immunocompromised sibling. The friend wears a mask outside. So I ask our kid to do so when his friend is over to make him comfortable. It’s called kindness. https://t.co/K5DkD0xWSm

— Rachael Larimore (@RachaelBL) April 27, 2021

To conclude.

If you don’t want to wear a mask outside, then don’t. If you do want to, then go ahead. Respect other people’s choices, including the choices of parents. Absolutely do not call the police or contact child protective services. Leave people alone as you want to be left alone. https://t.co/ufDIddr7m1

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 27, 2021

And this.

This is unbelievably dangerous, just an insane level of stakes-raising. https://t.co/ysR1bxFkpR

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) April 27, 2021

Separate but related …

Tucker Carlson has the questions AND the answers in "Tucker Jeopardy!" pic.twitter.com/GsWIvcerES

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 16, 2021

Source Twitter @justinbaragona