My Interview with Tucker Carlson
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My Interview with Tucker Carlson
An Easygoing Introduction to Mass Formation and Totalitarianism
Dear Friends,
It’s been a little over a year now since I was interviewed by Tucker Carlson. The interview covers some of the topics described in my book The Psychology of Totalitarianism. You’ll find it below.
In many ways this interview is special to me. That’s why I hesitated for a long time to share it on my social media. Why is it special? For many reasons.
Every act of speech is the product of both a speaker and a listener. It’s more than just a compliment in return when I say that Tucker truly is a great interviewer and listener. He masters the art of silence, creates a space where words can find their way, from the source of words somewhere hidden in our souls to our mouths, and beyond, to the ears of those who want to hear them. Tucker, if you read this message, thank you for inviting me. After meeting you in person, I think I am pretty much immune to the media’s disinformation and let me tell you: I am grateful for your work.
The interview was also special to me in other ways. It happened in a situation which in many respects was very difficult for me, both at the level of my private life and professionally. The night before the interview, I was unsure whether I was in the right condition to even give an interview, let alone an interview on one of the world’s major channels. Whether we know it or not, as human beings, we are fundamentally indebted to the Other in discovering ourselves and in finding our strength - Jessica, thank you for having the intuition to call me right before the interview. You listened to the murmuring of my soul and then told me I was going to give the best interview of my life. I got up, straightened my back and below is the result.
Mattias
My Interview with Tucker Carlson
Hi, your interview with Tucker was outstanding. Your conclusions are amazing and empowering: crystalizing how essential and powerful it is to speak out against totalitarianism, so we are more emboldened to do so.
The rise of totalitarianism in free societies around the world has split "good people" into several categories: those who recognize it and take action, and those who for some reason are not taking action. I've been trying to figure out what separates us, because the same "good people" I know who are not inspired to discover the truth about important things or take action, would give the shirt off their back to help a child who comes to them asking for help. I think I've finally discovered a formula that explains what separates "good people" and I wanted to share with you:
Compassion + Desire to know the truth + Perceived benefit (personal and societal) + Degree to which the problem is understood to be a problem in your particular social circle - Selfishness - Perceived risk - Personal disempowerment. This formula helps explain what separates us into Heroes, Villains, Good Citizens, or Good Nazi-Era Germans.
*Perceived benefit can include satisfaction resulting from acting in harmony with God's will, so a belief that God cares about our sacrifices for the good is very empowering. This helps explain in part why so many speaking out are Christians or have a deep personal relationship with God. This will also be a big factor when the tipping point about speaking out in society is reached and it becomes socially advantageous to do so.
*Degree to which the problem is understood to be a problem in your circle - this explains why the same people who would rush into a burning building to rescue children are now turning their backs on learning more about the correlation between sudden deaths and injuries after receiving the Covid vaccine, or the heartbreaking expansion of child trafficking - they don't understand it to be a problem, and they don't have enough Desire to know the truth to overcome lack of public acknowledgment of the problem.
* Personal disempowerment (my voice/actions won't be helpful) - you reporting how important it is for people to speak out when totalitarianism is advancing is hugely empowering, so thank you!!!
* Selfishness and perceived risk - the deep state really amped this up by broadcasting how dangerous it can be to not comply with their agenda: death (from Covid-1984), loss of job/income, loss of school opportunities, loss of ability to get organ transplants and treatment in a hospital, loss of custody of your child, jail, persecution, social ridicule/disgust/rejection/ostracism, lost ability to participate in modern life (go to restaurants, concerts, and other public venues). This also includes the risk of speaking out due to perceived or direct threats of retribution or blackmail.
Thanks so much for your incredible research and speaking out. Many around the world are taking it to heart, and it is having a big impact!!!
I agree that Tucker Carlson is a superb interviewer. He listens, supportively and unobtrusively. He doesn’t need to demonstrate how smart he is or how much more he knows about the guest’s area of study than they do. (Looking at you, Bret Weinstein.) Consequently, this is an impressive interview in which Dr. Desmet is able to expansively lay out his complex but logical and insightful analysis. Thank you for making it available again.