Let's remember that Carlson and Fox chose to conduct and air this interview in October of an election year. The point of it was to make West seem like a brave iconoclast, and to suggest that people watching the interviewer, some of whom might not be regular Fox viewers or Republicans, might want to emulate West and challenge the liberal-fascist orthodoxy now.
It's fun to watch this video from Media Matters, which juxtaposes fawning praise for West from Fox hosts with Vice's unaired clips, but pay attention to that fawning praise.
We compared Fox’s coverage of their Kanye West interview with new footage of what was actually happening in the interview pic.twitter.com/xsUcNdaEyz
— Media Matters (@mmfa) October 11, 2022
Jason Whitlock, who's Black, says:
I'm going to make an analogy: Kunta Kinte in Roots. They got him out on the tree and they're whipping him, "What's your name?" And they want him to say "Left-wing liberal."Another Fox host (I'm not sure who it is) says:
Man, we could reach so many more people with this powerful movement that believes in freedom.... If Kanye West believes it, imagine how many more people out there maybe aren't talking about it.Translation: Don't be afraid to be right-wing, Black viewer. Maybe you've vaguely thought you didn't quite agree with your friends who reject the Republican Party and vote Democratic, but don't listen to them. You can be a Kanye. Vote Republican THIS YEAR.
If even a small percentage of Black voters are persuaded by messages like this, it could be enough to swing a couple of elections in close states or districts. That's why the interview aired in October. But the people at Fox should have known they couldn't keep West's craziness and prejudices contained. So they got what they deserved.
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