the design conservative | tdc

*UPDATED* tucker carlson and his unfortunate tweet

UPDATE:  March 1, 2011

A few minutes ago, Mr. Carlson apologized for his language last night.  Via Twitter:

At this point, there’s not much more to say, except - Thank you, Mr. Carlson!  I’m happy that this episode has ended on a positive - and mature - note.

- tdc

Generally speaking, I have nothing against Tucker Carlson. 

He founded the Daily Caller website, which I read regularly, and seems to be a pretty good political analyst.  That said, I was pretty shocked to see a tweet from him this evening in which he used the term “MILF” (if you don’t know what it is, Google it) in reference to Governor Sarah Palin.

The story Carlson was referencing was a CNN write-up about the former governor’s poll numbers in Iowa. It was all perfectly fine until you got to the end of Mr. Carlson’s tweet and saw the word “Milfistan”.  The original tweet has been deleted, but I managed a screen cap of a couple of retweets and responses (the second one is my own):

I assume he was trying to be funny, but it just ended up being rude. 

Using that unfortunate term about any woman is simply tasteless, and I would expect more from someone like Tucker Carlson.  I’m not calling for him to make some grand apology to Governor Palin, or the Twitterverse, for that matter.  But, since the original tweet was deleted, someone must have clued him in. 

Thus, it would be nice if he acknowledged his lack of judgment in referencing a word that only boys - not men - find appropriate (or, in Opposite Land, somehow complementary).

More importantly, the reason I am even bothering to write this post is to call attention to the fact that we should all be mindful of the language we use.  Hyper-sensitivity is never a good thing, but when someone like Governor Palin (or Michele Bachmann) has been routinely objectified as a means of diminishing her political and governing skills, it’s important to speak up and point out what a slippery slope we’re on.

If you *must* use locker room language, save it for the locker room.  Don’t display your inner-most Neanderthal to your 23,000+ Twitter followers - some of whom will take the opportunity to offer their own crass retort.  Surely, we can expect more from you, Mr. Carlson - can’t we?

- tdc