Tucker Carlson Denounces Changing U.S. Racial Makeup

Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson is getting dragged for a segment on his Tuesday broadcast in which he said some demographic charges in the U.S. -- specifically, the influx of Latinos -- constitute "more change than human beings are designed to digest."

The segment on Tucker Carlson Tonight (watch below) focused on the former coal-mining town of Hazleton, Pa., which is profiled in the April issue of National Geographic. The story notes that the town went from less than 5 percent Latino in 2000 to 52 percent Latino in 2016, and that some white residents feel displaced.

"That's a lot of change," Carlson said. "It's happening all over the country. No nation, no society has ever changed this much, this fast." He allowed that the town's Latino immigrants are most likely nice people, but he said people are not equipped to deal with such great change.

He added, "Before you call anyone bigoted, consider -- and be honest -- how would you feel if that happened in your neighborhood?" He also contended that most U.S. leaders live in neighborhoods that look like they did in 1960. Several media outlets pointed out that Carlson lives in just such a neighborhood, a section of Washington, D.C., that he has described as looking "exactly like it did in 1955."

Carlson, who has been accused of promoting racism on other occasions, has been getting plenty of blowback for the Tuesday segment. "Carlson's entire argument is based on the fact that he doesn't want to live around brown people," Michael Harriot wrote on The Root. "More pointedly, he doesn't want to be a minority. But if -- like Tucker often claims -- he's not a bigot and racism is overblown, why would he have any problem being a minority? After all, he'd still be white."

There were also several tweets about the segment, including one from former White House communications director (under President Obama) Dan Pfeiffer:

Rolling Stone senior editor Jamil Smith:

And more: