“They don’t care what you think. They want to control your mind. They want you to kiss the ring. They want to control what you do. And of course, they want to control your kids too.” That’s the Tucker Carlson mantra. He’s inconsistent with truth, but not with tactics. The changing American demographics have created a receptive audience for his nonstop fear-mongering as we wait for the barbarians—an imaginary population of elites and minorities conspiring to take everything away from white America—to climb over our walls or sneak their ideas into our libraries. That’s what Covid policies are about. That’s what standing up to Putin is about. That’s what is really at work when you call a racist a racist. And, undoubtedly, that’s what is behind this in-depth, three part NYT series. What’s sad is that Carlson feels the need use his growing platform to divide. What’s sadder is that, for millions of Americans, the message works so well. Like with Trump’s fixation on birtherism, these guys don’t pick their messages before experimenting and honing. Once the message is perfected, it’s hammered home relentlessly. NYT (Gift Article): How Tucker Carlson Stoked White Fear to Conquer Cable. In the end, what allows these “they” messages to be so effective is our complete social and cultural divide. If we actually interacted, it would be easy to counter Carlson’s hogwash and say, “Actually, I know them and “they” are nothing like that.” But our divide is everywhere and it creates a vacuum that people like Tucker Carlson can fill with hate.