All of that until the last line is true. He isn't "treasonous filth". He was just very wrong in his assessment. It certainly couldn't be said that he towed a party line. He veered off his own errant direction, and his words were twisted by Putin, by the Left, and by the Right, to all suit their own agendas, none of them seeing what he was saying as it actually was (commentary that was wrongheaded and off the mark), but through the filter of their preconceptions and beliefs, from within the context of their own perceived framework (this is the epitome of all of today's social and communication ills, and until we learn to be better it'll never improve).
Carlson never supported Putin, or his actions. The video evidence is quite clear on that. To the contrary, until recently he didn't even believe it was real. We all need to stop demonizing with words like "nazi", "treason", "facist" ,etc. unless it reflects reality. For this situation with Carlson, it does not. Healing will never occur if so many of us keep picking at the scab. Both sides blame the other for hate, when reality is that both sides are filled with hate. We need to stop pointing fingers, look in the mirror, and wise up. Until we do, this venomous dynamic will continue to escalate in a feedback loop that's destined to destroy our society from within, until enough people on both sides of the political/ideological aisle decide to become the "bigger" person and rise above it.
Yes, Hungary has authoritarian elements, but so does Ukraine, yet neither have slipped nearly as far that direction as Russia. I suspect if Russia was doing to Hungary what they're now doing to Ukraine you'd be just as supportive of Hungary (or nearly any country). It just took Carlson a bit longer to get there, but he is getting there. Just like it took the Left a while to come around to admitting masks barely work, that the vaccine isn't as effective as hoped, etc., and a handful on the right into accepting that for most people the vaccines provided protection and had value. Belief delays one's acceptance of reality. Almost all of us are subject to this evolved survival trait that in modern society serves as more a hindrance than the help it did pre-civilization.
Instead of evolving further, we're devolving. We must do better.
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Never believe. Always question. Rebuke belief, a.k.a. bias, a.k.a. groupthink, a.k.a. ideology, the bane of skeptical, logical reason.
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Keelai (36087)
3 years ago
Nothing you wrote changes the fact that Carson, Trump, Bannon, Trumpites and other far-right extremists embrace Putin who is using Carson's support for his pro-war propaganda in Russia.
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warrior-poet (1369)
3 years ago
Let me fix that for you:
"Nothing you wrote changes my belief that Carson, Trump, Bannon, Trumpites and other far-right extremists embrace Putin who is using Carson's support for his pro-war propaganda in Russia."
Putin is definitely misusing out of context portions of their words as propaganda. But "embrace"? Hardly. That's equal to those on the Right who suggest you embrace fascism because you support vaccine and mask mandates.
Both are false equivalencies. We must all strive to be better.
Yes, both Trump and Bannon have made ill-advised statements (especially Bannon when it comes to praising cultural elements of Russia), being the egocentric loudmouths they are (constantly putting their foot in their mouth and acting as their own worst enemy), but they have not supported the death and destruction Putin's committing. Their over-zealous America-first-at-all-costs-to-everyone-else-in-the-world, fervent anti-Biden, stances got the better of them and stomped on their better judgement. But they have not supported what Putin is doing, no matter how much you may want to twist it into that.
Although I'm more than willing to consider any evidence that might prove to the contrary.
_________________________________________
Never believe. Always question. Rebuke belief, a.k.a. bias, a.k.a. groupthink, a.k.a. ideology, the bane of skeptical, logical reason.
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