# Taxing the rich: Rutger Bregman vs Fox news



## Taleweaver (Feb 21, 2019)

Okay...here's an interesting one. The name "Rutger Bregman" probably doesn't ring much bells on the American side of the ocean, but he's a rather known Dutch historian/writer who launched the idea of basic income into our general conscience (or in my personal case: altered it from a "lol yeah...that's one naive dream " to "hmm...this idea might actually be feasible  "). Like many, he warns about the danger of the income inequality and comes with ideas to diminish it.

Not too long ago, he had a panel conversation in Davos that can be summarized as "tax the rich!!!". With underlying reasons and the why and such (hey...that's the idea of abbreviation: you boil it down to its essence).

Now...from all the people, a certain Tucker Carlson from a certain Fox channel hears about this and wants an interview with this Bregman guy. Now...since Fox probably doesn't need an introduction on your end, you can understand how this isn't going to be a pleasant one.

But I was wrong: the interview is downright hilarious. Forget the stupid "this person TOTALLY OWNS this other person" sort of captions you often see on youtube channels..._this_ is the sort of interview that cuts to the chase, and where the title is actually correct.

So much, in fact, that it was never broadcasted on Fox. Luckily...the internet provides...





Note: I can't comment on how much those fox anchors make. But on pretty much everything else Bregman says, I can say he's absolutely correct.


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## IncredulousP (Feb 21, 2019)

Taleweaver said:


> Okay...here's an interesting one. The name "Rutger Bregman" probably doesn't ring much bells on the American side of the ocean, but he's a rather known Dutch historian/writer who launched the idea of basic income into our general conscience (or in my personal case: altered it from a "lol yeah...that's one naive dream " to "hmm...this idea might actually be feasible  "). Like many, he warns about the danger of the income inequality and comes with ideas to diminish it.
> 
> Not too long ago, he had a panel conversation in Davos that can be summarized as "tax the rich!!!". With underlying reasons and the why and such (hey...that's the idea of abbreviation: you boil it down to its essence).
> 
> ...



Another giant oof from Fox. Of course this wasn't aired, a fox anchor was appropriately called out and ended up showing his true colors in a fit of childish emotion. And of course Fox's reasoning for not airing is right out of the propoganda playbook: project and gaslight.


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## SG854 (Feb 26, 2019)

Taleweaver said:


> Okay...here's an interesting one. The name "Rutger Bregman" probably doesn't ring much bells on the American side of the ocean, but he's a rather known Dutch historian/writer who launched the idea of basic income into our general conscience (or in my personal case: altered it from a "lol yeah...that's one naive dream " to "hmm...this idea might actually be feasible  "). Like many, he warns about the danger of the income inequality and comes with ideas to diminish it.
> 
> Not too long ago, he had a panel conversation in Davos that can be summarized as "tax the rich!!!". With underlying reasons and the why and such (hey...that's the idea of abbreviation: you boil it down to its essence).
> 
> ...



Tucker Carlson could’ve handled it better. But when he guy claimed things that wasn’t true then acted smug about it, he snapped. It happens even the best of us.

Carlson actual addresses the issue on Fox and why he didn’t air it.

One thing about Carlson, and I heared him talk about in past interviews, like the one with Dave Ruben, is that Fox gives him and others the freedom to say what they want to say. They don’t push an agenda like other News organizations, which is why he likes working with Fox. He has full freedom to speak his mind. John Stossel has said the same thing about Fox too.

Tim Pool, he won an award for his Journalism, he was also the first person on Vice News and a key founding member of the originization, talked about why he became solo, it’s because of the pervelant fake news and news organizations pushing an agenda and tell people to what to say, likely a left wing one because it’s the safest route to go to get views and money.

This is something Fox doesn’t do. Which is why when Rutger comes on the show claiming Tucker Carlson is bought off by billionaires and they are the puppet master telling him what to say while acting smug about this claim, Carlson snapped thinking “no ones tells me what to do.” It’s the smugness most likely that caused him to snap rather the his claim, I’ve seen this countless of times even getting the best of good people.

Carlson has talked about many times in the past criticizing the upper class, saying he grew up in it so he knows how they function. He is not afraid to criticize them, and even is weary of a monopoly on the internet.


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## Xzi (Feb 27, 2019)

This was hilarious.  It's exactly as Bregman says during the interview: Carlson cannot handle the tiniest bit of criticism without becoming extremely agitated.  Carlson thought Bregman was going to come on the show and go along with the narrative that it's "liberal elites" who are ruining the country and the world, when in fact the Panama papers revealed that multi-billionaires of all political backgrounds were using a network of tax havens to avoid paying their fair share.  Also, a number of left-wing billionaires have come out in favor of taxing themselves more.  I'd love to see just _one_ right-wing billionaire do the same.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: there's no way we would have seen this footage if not for Bregman's recording, and there's no way Carlson would've issued an apology for footage that the public never saw.  Carlson is a fucking pathetic weasel in addition to being a hollow mouthpiece for a billionaire.


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## Taleweaver (Feb 27, 2019)

SG854 said:


> Tucker Carlson could’ve handled it better. But when he guy claimed things that wasn’t true then acted smug about it, he snapped. It happens even the best of us.
> 
> Carlson actual addresses the issue on Fox and why he didn’t air it.
> 
> ...


Interesting post. As you can imagine, I do not forgive Carlson snapping like that. I can understand arguing that Bregman is getting personal, but don't you say it's rather weird? Saying "hey...your channel and the anchors are getting payed by the upper class" isn't so different than many politicians claiming "fake news" on any news station that is even remotely leftwing. Especially Donald Trump has no issue getting much more personal, whereas these reporters keep their emotions mostly out of it. I mean...Acosta pushing away a microphone isn't in the same ball park as this stuff, right?

As I'm at work, I can't currently view your linked youtube channels. But I'll certainly watch them. Thanks for sharing. 


@Xzi: I'm not 100% certain this outburst is just a matter of the talk show host being out of control. I mean...it's not unlikely that Bregman would have indeed been given a platform by fox to illustrate his ideas, if he had just not mentioned the part of Fox or their anchors being grossly paid by this very class. Wouldn't that be worth it? Or (also not unlikely) would the interviewer otherwise have gone in the direction where his ideas be ridiculed or dismissed based on sound bites and leading questions? 

But back to that first sentence. Doesn't this mean that (even falsely) emotionally unstable news host have way more power to influence the news than an emotionally stable one? The premisse of this video is that any news anchor can basically say "I don't like what he's saying, so I'll make sure that it won't get aired". From the way I perceive this, it's Carlson explicitly acting in a way to make sure the interview becomes unfit for television. From then on, it's just a matter of lying. "no, it's not Carlson's fault...it's the guest who's to blame!".
But of course...that's my current idea. I haven't watched the video's @SG854 linked to yet, so I might be wrong.


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## Xzi (Feb 27, 2019)

Taleweaver said:


> @Xzi: I'm not 100% certain this outburst is just a matter of the talk show host being out of control. I mean...it's not unlikely that Bregman would have indeed been given a platform by fox to illustrate his ideas, if he had just not mentioned the part of Fox or their anchors being grossly paid by this very class. Wouldn't that be worth it? Or (also not unlikely) would the interviewer otherwise have gone in the direction where his ideas be ridiculed or dismissed based on sound bites and leading questions?


Unless perhaps he had gone on Shep Smith's or Chris Wallace's show, there was never any chance that Bregman would've been given a platform on Fox to suggest raising taxes on the ultra-wealthy would have a positive outcome.  He would've been shouted over, or mocked in a more sarcastic/indirect manner.  Fox viewers have been programmed over decades to be opposed to that type of message, anyway.


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