Tucker Carlson's video grocery shopping in Moscow has received a lot of attention. The intended message was that living in Russia, or at least Moscow, was more affordable or better than what Americans had been living under President Joe Biden. But Carlson is being very dishonest in his film, which says more about his ignorance than his knowledge.
When Carlson first recorded himself grabbing a supermarket cart, the silliness began. He was surprised to see a supermarket where the carts were tied to each other and needed to be released with a coin deposit. Upon completion of their purchase, guests return the cart and get their currency back.
Then Carlson responded, "All right, here we go." It is free, but there is an incentive to return it rather than simply taking it to your homeless camp, so I assume you pay in 10 rubles here and receive it back when you put the cart back. Alright.
However, Carlson did not need to go to Moscow in order to enjoy this experience. He might have seen the same thing if he had gone to any ALDI grocery shop in the United States. Even though Carlson made a concerted effort to project a populist image by criticizing the high cost of groceries, it is unlikely that he has ever shopped at ALDI, in contrast to a significant portion of his American audience.
Bravo to him for having the means to do so; that is the price of chasing the American dream. But his response to the millions of Americans who do this every day did make him appear very foolish. It brought to mind President George H.W. Bush's reaction in 1992 when he learned what a barcode scanner was in a grocery shop and was astounded by it. Similar to Bush, Carlson's attempt to win over the people he was out of touch with came out as arrogant and out of touch.
Carlson's response to the cost of groceries at a Moscow store came next. He implied that the Biden administration's inflation was to blame for his amazement upon discovering that food were far less expensive there than in the United States. That being said, this was also manipulative, deceitful, and, to be honest, dishonest. Long before Biden took office, grocery costs in Moscow were less than those in the US. Indeed, I did reside there in 2018.
As part of a study abroad program, I resided in Moscow. The second thing I noticed was the disparity in food pricing, which was in addition to how clean and well designed the metro stations were. I would email my family images of the tasty, but affordable, food I was eating, along with some not-so-delicious ones, and I would often convey this to them. In addition, I saw this March 2018 story on how pricing in Russia were cheaper than in the United States before I left for my trip. Nothing about Carlson's "finding" was novel or unusual.
Moreover, Carlson ought to have been to any of the smaller towns in the area that I did, such Tver or Yaroslavl, if he believed that food costs in Moscow were low. The pricing disparity between those cities and the United States would astound him greatly.
Reporting occurrences that are true is one thing. Preying on the weaknesses caused by the fact that a large portion of the populace is unaware of the pricing discrepancies between food stores in Moscow and the United States is a whole other story. You would think that Carlson and the other conservative Republicans would be the guardians of the truth and the good people. The Left should handle the exaggerated frenzy and unfounded accusations.
I fully endorse calling out the Biden administration for its awful economic policies and for pushing Bidenomics as something for which Americans should be grateful. Just as inaccurate, deceptive, and manipulative as Carlson's praise of Moscow grocery pricing and shopping carts is this implication.
Whether it originates from Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, the Left or the Right, propaganda is always harmful. We cannot honestly say that we want the media to tell the truth while bowing down to Carlson when he presents false information. It is appropriate to criticize him for seeking to capitalize on the resentment of Republican supporters.
I am wholly opposed to everything that Biden stands for, and I would contend that, in contrast to Democrats throughout the nation and the media, the majority of my views are in line with Carlson's. But there are right and wrong, and it is incorrect to act as if Moscow's supermarket costs have recently decreased relative to those in the United States.
It is also time for everyone of us to reflect on what our true values and goals are for our nation. Do we prefer inaccurate and propaganda-filled media reports as long as they support our political beliefs, or do we prefer the truth?
When Carlson first recorded himself grabbing a supermarket cart, the silliness began. He was surprised to see a supermarket where the carts were tied to each other and needed to be released with a coin deposit. Upon completion of their purchase, guests return the cart and get their currency back.
Then Carlson responded, "All right, here we go." It is free, but there is an incentive to return it rather than simply taking it to your homeless camp, so I assume you pay in 10 rubles here and receive it back when you put the cart back. Alright.
However, Carlson did not need to go to Moscow in order to enjoy this experience. He might have seen the same thing if he had gone to any ALDI grocery shop in the United States. Even though Carlson made a concerted effort to project a populist image by criticizing the high cost of groceries, it is unlikely that he has ever shopped at ALDI, in contrast to a significant portion of his American audience.
Bravo to him for having the means to do so; that is the price of chasing the American dream. But his response to the millions of Americans who do this every day did make him appear very foolish. It brought to mind President George H.W. Bush's reaction in 1992 when he learned what a barcode scanner was in a grocery shop and was astounded by it. Similar to Bush, Carlson's attempt to win over the people he was out of touch with came out as arrogant and out of touch.
Carlson's response to the cost of groceries at a Moscow store came next. He implied that the Biden administration's inflation was to blame for his amazement upon discovering that food were far less expensive there than in the United States. That being said, this was also manipulative, deceitful, and, to be honest, dishonest. Long before Biden took office, grocery costs in Moscow were less than those in the US. Indeed, I did reside there in 2018.
As part of a study abroad program, I resided in Moscow. The second thing I noticed was the disparity in food pricing, which was in addition to how clean and well designed the metro stations were. I would email my family images of the tasty, but affordable, food I was eating, along with some not-so-delicious ones, and I would often convey this to them. In addition, I saw this March 2018 story on how pricing in Russia were cheaper than in the United States before I left for my trip. Nothing about Carlson's "finding" was novel or unusual.
Moreover, Carlson ought to have been to any of the smaller towns in the area that I did, such Tver or Yaroslavl, if he believed that food costs in Moscow were low. The pricing disparity between those cities and the United States would astound him greatly.
Reporting occurrences that are true is one thing. Preying on the weaknesses caused by the fact that a large portion of the populace is unaware of the pricing discrepancies between food stores in Moscow and the United States is a whole other story. You would think that Carlson and the other conservative Republicans would be the guardians of the truth and the good people. The Left should handle the exaggerated frenzy and unfounded accusations.
I fully endorse calling out the Biden administration for its awful economic policies and for pushing Bidenomics as something for which Americans should be grateful. Just as inaccurate, deceptive, and manipulative as Carlson's praise of Moscow grocery pricing and shopping carts is this implication.
Whether it originates from Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, the Left or the Right, propaganda is always harmful. We cannot honestly say that we want the media to tell the truth while bowing down to Carlson when he presents false information. It is appropriate to criticize him for seeking to capitalize on the resentment of Republican supporters.
I am wholly opposed to everything that Biden stands for, and I would contend that, in contrast to Democrats throughout the nation and the media, the majority of my views are in line with Carlson's. But there are right and wrong, and it is incorrect to act as if Moscow's supermarket costs have recently decreased relative to those in the United States.
It is also time for everyone of us to reflect on what our true values and goals are for our nation. Do we prefer inaccurate and propaganda-filled media reports as long as they support our political beliefs, or do we prefer the truth?
