The editor of National Vanguard wanted to post my essay on Carlson, so I refined it and thought I submitted the best version—but mistakenly sent an earlier version.
You are right, of course, Karl. Hard to argue with this. The playbook is obvious.
I was surprised to read here that Alex Jones is more popular than ever. I guess my personal experience is not typical. Years ago, I used to watch Jones a little (never more than a couple minutes at a time), and I found him helpful in offering some good launch points for subjects to investigate on my own. By the time I'd reached my own (increasingly accurate) conclusions, I'd forgotten what Alex had been pushing in the first place. I soon outgrew Alex altogether. During the same time, I knew quite a few people who also found Alex interesting and thought-provoking, but also outgrew him. By the time of Alex's "fall from grace" I didn't know anyone who bothered with him anymore. The consensus was that it was theater, and Alex had been a tool all along. But he was useful in the sense that he popularized some degree of dissent, thus making us feel a bit less marginalized when we ran down the side paths on our own.
It does appear that my analysis is correct, and I am glad that you see it so. I think many other journalists and commentators on the Tucker news cycle may know it as well, but are as controlled as Tucker himself, and cannot and will not say so.
You may be among those who outgrew Jones and left his viewership, but it seems many others--not capable of your insights--joined Jones and his popularity grew. That of course was the plan. We have other plans with Taboo Truth, as the name indicates.
You are right, of course, Karl. Hard to argue with this. The playbook is obvious.
I was surprised to read here that Alex Jones is more popular than ever. I guess my personal experience is not typical. Years ago, I used to watch Jones a little (never more than a couple minutes at a time), and I found him helpful in offering some good launch points for subjects to investigate on my own. By the time I'd reached my own (increasingly accurate) conclusions, I'd forgotten what Alex had been pushing in the first place. I soon outgrew Alex altogether. During the same time, I knew quite a few people who also found Alex interesting and thought-provoking, but also outgrew him. By the time of Alex's "fall from grace" I didn't know anyone who bothered with him anymore. The consensus was that it was theater, and Alex had been a tool all along. But he was useful in the sense that he popularized some degree of dissent, thus making us feel a bit less marginalized when we ran down the side paths on our own.
It does appear that my analysis is correct, and I am glad that you see it so. I think many other journalists and commentators on the Tucker news cycle may know it as well, but are as controlled as Tucker himself, and cannot and will not say so.
You may be among those who outgrew Jones and left his viewership, but it seems many others--not capable of your insights--joined Jones and his popularity grew. That of course was the plan. We have other plans with Taboo Truth, as the name indicates.
just #noticing