The things people hear on red tribe cable!

TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2024

Professor Hanson speaks: As far as we know, Victor Davis Hanson is well regarded as a scholar. The leading authority on his life and times thumbnails him as shown:

Victor Davis Hanson (born September 5, 1953) is an American classicist, military historian, farmer, and political commentator. He has been a commentator on modern and ancient warfare and contemporary politics for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Review, The Washington Times, and other media outlets.

He is a professor emeritus of Classics at California State University, Fresno, the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in classics and military history at the Hoover Institution, and visiting professor at Hillsdale College. Hanson was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush.

You're right! The Hoover Institution is part of Stanford, but it's widely regarded as an independent conservative entity. And of course, Hanson is most visible, in the present day, as a frequent commentator on the Fox News Channel, where we saw him again last night.

What sorts of things do viewers hear while watching the Fox News Channel? Last night, Hanson spoke with Laura Ingraham about Joe Biden's speech in South Carolina. 

Along the way, the pair discussed Biden's remarks about the nationwide protests which followed the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. At times, the formulations were a bit hard to credit, as when Ingraham said this:

"You know, at this speech in South Carolina, President Biden extolled the virtues of the riots in 2020. I think we have a sound bite."

An extremely brief sound bite was played. Needless to say, no one "extolled the virtues" of any "riots" in the brief excerpt viewers were shown.

The professor took it from there. To watch the bulk of this exchange, you can just click here.

We won't attempt to evaluate Hanson's statistical claims about the violence which sometimes emanated from those demonstrations. (As we'll note below, one of his statistical claims was quite clearly crazily wrong.)

In fairness, violence and looting did sometimes accompany, or emanate from, these protest events. The leading authority on those protests offers this overview:

A report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project estimated that between May 26 and August 22, 93% of individual protests were "peaceful and nondestructive" and research from the Nonviolent Action Lab and Crowd Counting Consortium estimated that by the end of June, 96.3% of 7,305 demonstrations involved no injuries and no property damage. However, arson, vandalism, and looting that occurred between May 26 and June 8 caused approximately $1–2 billion in insured damages nationally, the highest recorded damage from civil disorder in U.S. history, and surpassing the record set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

In short, the large majority of these events were peaceful and nonviolent. That said, a large amount of damage was recorded as these events continued.

That said, what sorts of things do viewers routinely hear on Fox? We'll highlight the most remarkable statement the professor made last night:

HANSON (1/8/24): Thirty-five people died. Fifteen hundred police officers were killed [sic]. $2 billion in damage. Looting, arson, attacks on federal property, as I said.

And then, if you talk about insurrectionary speech, Kamala Harris said these riots and demonstrations would not stop, nor should they stop, she said. They're going to go all the way on to the [2020] election, she said.

I don't know why anyone would take credit. Fourteen thousand people were arrested. The only difference is, in magnitude, it far dwarfed the violence, if there was any, on January 6. 

No, Virginia! Back in 2020, Candidate Harris didn't say that "riots" should continue. 

Nor is it true that 1500 police officers were killed. We're prepared to assume that this mournful fellow simply misspoke at that point.

We've highlighted the astonishing statement which brought us right out of our chairs. In that statement, Professor Hanson rather plainly seems to say that he doesn't know if any violence occurred on January 6!

That's right! According to this familiar savant, the violence associated with the George Floyd protests dwarfed the violence which occurred on January 6—if there was any violence on January 6 at all. 

Yes, that's what he actually said! So the learned professor said, the one who's connected to Stanford.

We often hear blue tribe pundits say that we've all seen the videotape of the violence which occurred on January 6. An understandable type of incomprehension lies behind such statements.

People who watch MSNBC routinely see such videotape—but people who watch the Fox News Channel never see any such videotape at all. Last night, a learned professor, straight off The Farm, told viewers that he wasn't sure if any violence had taken place on January 6 at all!

Ingraham let the comment pass.

These are the wages of "segregation by viewpoint." This is part of the world which comes into being when we allow ourselves to be super-siloed, red and blue always apart.


54 comments:

  1. Various leftist riots by Antifa and after Floyd’s murder greatly exceeded the 1/6 riot in terms of death and destruction. But, many or most Americans are unaware of this fact due to how the media chose to focus.

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    Replies
    1. How much of that was opportunistic violence by rightists?

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    2. By the way, fake David, get lost.

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    3. Kyld Rittenhouse is an example of the kind of yahoo causing violence at protests. Proud Boys were arrested.

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    4. The first building burned to the ground in St. Paul Minnesota was an AutoZone, by a right wing arsonist. Equating violence in the streets after murder of black citizens by police does not equate with storming the capital and threatening the lives of elected officials, however much DIC would like it to be. Early coverage by the Fox pundits of the 1/6 event suggested that it was instigated by ANTIFA, a fabrication for which they had zero evidence.

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    5. unamused -- After the murder of George Floyd, there were riots in many cities. A large number buildings were set on fire. Regardless of who burned one particular building in one particular city, most of the rioting was done by people on the left.

      For years before this tragedy there were many violent Antifa riots in a number of cities, particularly in Portland Oregon.

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    6. This is false.

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    7. Quaker in a BasementJanuary 9, 2024 at 10:53 PM

      And none of those protests or riots was immediately preceeded by an address by a Democratic political leader urging a mob to "fight or you won't have a country anymore." Nor did any of these actions attempt to disrupt the finalization of the results of a nationwide election.

      Take it somewhere else, bub.

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    8. "...by a Democratic political leader urging a mob to "fight or you won't have a country anymore.""

      Do you mean that no Democrat pol ever uttered these exact words?

      You know, in all likelihood, at some point, some Democrat pol probably did utter these exact words. With the purpose, obviously, to affect an election.

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    9. The connection between the rioting after the Floyd murder and January 6th is race.
      The former was caused by racist police, the latter was caused by racists Right-wingers (AKA Right-wingers), who were throwing a childish temper tantrum just because black people's votes counted in the 2020 Presidential election.

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    10. Race is a social construct.

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    11. Tell it to the judge(s).

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    12. "...most of the rioting was done by people on the left."

      If you have the mental capacity to believe the mainstream media is liberal, there's nothing to keep you from believing the police are liberals too.

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    13. False equivalency is the currency of the right wing. For DIC this results in preposterous comparisons like Biden=mentally impaired, Trump=underappreciated stand up comedian. The vast majority of Floyd protesters, estimated at 96% were peaceful, and of those 4% or so, not all were left wing, a point , not the point, of my comment. What percent of Trump rally participants went on to trash the capital? Fox can be held $700 million responsible for false statements against a private company and 0 responsible for false statements about public elected officials.Would you like to engage in a debate that Fox=CNN here, another standard right wing talking point, DIC?

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  2. Victor Davis Hanson is not a good decent person.

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  3. Sally Kornbluth, a good decent person, has not resigned.

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  4. "Yes, that's what he actually said! "

    Well, if the shoe was on the other foot, if that was a Democrat-aligned mob on January 6, then obviously the event would've been portrayed as police violence against peaceful (or "civil disobedient"?) protesters.

    And now, by all means, please get back to being outraged, outraged.

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    Replies
    1. Trump expected the left to come out and fight with his 1/6 mob so that he could declare martial law and bring in the Oath Keepers & Proud Boys. The left stayed home, so they tried to blame antifa, but they stayed away too. That’s why Trump & the right owns 1/6. Watch the testimony of those convicted & the 1/6 Committee hearings.

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    2. Do we really need to listen to "the Others", when they blame Trump for making them go to DC to fight for him?

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    3. "if that was a Democrat-aligned mob on January 6"

      But it wasn't. It was the stoopid deplorables paying homage to the lies of the Bellowing Blowhard--a purely Republican phenomenon.

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    4. But, as other commenters noted, there was plenty of Democrat-aligned mob violence in 2020. And it was all portrayed by the Democrat-aligned media as "mostly peaceful".

      So, why don't you take Victor Hanson's comment in the same mob-violence-loving spirit. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

      Just a suggestion. Or, if you prefer, keep being outraged. I don't really care.

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    5. Not outraged by J6--disgusted.

      The GF riots were prompted by outrage at the video of a man's slow and deliberate execution. The J6 riot was prompted by a man's slow and deliberate lying.

      See the difference?

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    6. The media has a natural bias against watching African Americans get assassinated by law enforcement. What are gonna' do?

      Don't worry, Orange Jesus is going to executively declare total immunity for law enforcement. Protect and serve.

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    7. @11:36 AM
      Yes, there is a difference. But most of the others have a completely different view of both situations.

      An overdosed on drugs career criminal dying while resisting arrest vs. the power elites screwing working people, fraudulently installing their presidential candidate. YMMV.

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    8. Okay. Does the fact that these other 'views' are demonstrably false have any bearing?

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    9. I suppose it would, if that was indeed "the fact". But it's only "the fact" inside your head.

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    10. I counted zero good guys with guns in that GF murder video. How many did you count?

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    11. I am so sick of the continuous whining the sore loser crybaby Donald J Chickenshit has forced this country to endure for the past 3 years.

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    12. 12:37,

      GF had stopped resisting arrest several minutes prior to being killed.

      As for 'the stolen election' , it's just adorable that some peope still say they believe in it.

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    13. @2:44 PM
      Sure. Rest assured: you're a good decent person. Don't doubt it. You don't need to prove anything.

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    14. 2:44,

      You're right, I don't. Those asserting a stolen election need to provide evidence for it.

      Your turn.

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    15. @3:50 PM
      Relax already. You give the impression of protesting too much. Know this meme:
      https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls_2x.png
      ? Don't be an idiot.

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    16. So don't take serious things seriously? Sounds like good clown advice.

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  5. Google paid for all online work from home from $ 16,000 to $ 32,000 a month. The younger brother was out of work azs46 for three Qs months and a month ago her check was $ 32475, working at home for 4 hours a day, and earning could be even bigger….
    So I started__________ Www.Smartcareer1.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i think to have this income the next month12, And may be i get growing in other type also. i have small swantz.

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    2. The NRA approves this message.

      Delete
  6. I shouldn't come as any surprise to Somerby that Fox News supplies disinformation. What exactly is Somerby's point today?

    Note that Somerby defended Kyle Rittenhouse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Criticizing the reporting about a person (e.g., Rittenhouse) does not equate to defending that person. Many commenters cannot understand this distinction.

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    2. Somerby defended Rittenhouse.

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    3. Kyle is a good decent person.

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    4. i have small schwantz. and maybe it grow in future like same as income.

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    5. anon 6:52, Rittenhouse (only 17 years old by the way) had a fair trial and was found not guilty by a jury. We don't like it when Trump undermines our court system, but we feel free to do the same thing. Remember the standard for a guilty verdict is "beyond a reasonable doubt." The was ample evidence supporting the jury verdict.

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    6. AC, Tell that to Somerby when he went on and on about how strange the Brock Turner verdict was.

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    7. Rittenhouse used his 2nd Amendment Rights to protect America's racial hierarchy.

      Delete
  7. Quaker in a BasementJanuary 9, 2024 at 10:48 PM

    "This is part of the world which comes into being when we allow ourselves to be super-siloed, red and blue always apart."

    There's an old adage about horses and water that springs to mind. I wonder if Bob has ever heard of it?

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  8. i have small schwantz. and may be it grow in future like same as income.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Amalija Knavs has died.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Giving the police immunity to kill unarmed black people is the Extreme Right position.
    1500 police officers killed is the extreme Left position.
    De-funding the police is the moderate/ centrist/ common sense position.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If there were no police there would be no police shootings. I am Corby.

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    2. Police officer's guns don't kill unarmed black men. Police officers kill unarmed black men.
      I am the NRA.

      Delete
    3. If there were no police, no officers would be shot. I am Korbi.

      Delete
  11. The only people extolling the virtues of riots are Trump and his supporters regarding Jan. 6th.

    ReplyDelete