Ben Shapiro is a conservative political commentator, media host, and author of several books, including his recent best-seller, How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps. Ostensibly, Shapiro’s philosophy is that rational thought is the antidote to the current political climate. Yet, closer analysis of his self-titled podcast “The Ben Shapiro Show” and publication “The Daily Wire” reveals his hypocrisy: Ben Shapiro’s commitment to right-wing talking points exposes his flawed logic, fear mongering tactics, and dishonest appropriations of the views of the political left. Nevertheless, Shapiro is a leading voice in conservative media across the country. And that makes his inflammatory rhetoric dangerous.
In a recent episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast, Shapiro was critical of The 1619 Project, an initiative developed by the New York Times with the intention of reframing America’s history. Shapiro began by misrepresenting the goals of Nickole Hannah Jones, the project’s creator. “The idea [of The 1619 Project] is that...the principle of all men are created equal–that was a lie when it was written and it’s a lie now. The idea that we have rights that preexist government, that’s a lie. All of these things are lies.” Here, Shapiro elides two contentions in an effort to mischaracterize Jones’ ideas. The 1619 Project does not call into question the value of our country's founding principles. Instead, it argues that, for much of this country’s history, those values weren’t fully realized. In interviews since, Shapiro has asserted that The 1619 Project takes a “neo-Marxist view” of America, and in a conversation with historian Allen Guelzo agreed with the supposition that it would be “the first step of a tyrant” to “turn history upside down.” The 1619 Project challenged its audience to consider a more complete version of American history. Ben Shapiro painted a picture of something menacing. That wasn’t an accident. Whether he is talking about immigration, abortion, the BLM movement or—god-forbid—socialized medicine, Shapiro, and conservative talk show hosts like him, are willing to distort the truth in order to appeal to the fears and prejudices of their audience.
In early September of this year, Shapiro, in Episode 1095 of his podcast, discussed the wildfires that have ravaged much of California, Oregon, and Washington this summer. “The state of California can basically focus on forest management and alleviate this problem over the next few years,” Shapiro maintained. He neglected to inform his viewers that 57% of forest land in California is owned by the federal government. Only 3% of forest land is owned by the state. Shapiro continued: “If you shut down every industry in the United States today, all of them, if Trump had come in and bombed into submission every industry in the United States the day he entered office, you know what still would have happened this summer? A giant wildfire. Because guess what? That’s not how climate change works.” Here, Shapiro describes an outrageous contention, which he attributes to “democrats,” and then refutes it. In doing so, he reveals his unwillingness to engage with the real positions of the opposing party while still emerging as the self-satisfied “victor.” This serves as a distraction from the larger point. According to the BBC, “a recent scientific review of more than 100 studies done since 2013 showed that climate change was driving an increase in the frequency and severity of the type of weather likely to lead to fires.”
The examples above barely scratch the surface of a larger trend. Ben Shapiro, self-proclaimed champion of facts and reason, is involved in a campaign that is purposely misleading. That matters. At the time of writing, “The Ben Shapiro Show” is within the top 6 podcasts on the Apple Podcasts charts. His content is reaching audiences across America. And, with the expansion of the internet, people are increasingly insulated from differing opinions at a time when engaging with differing opinions is so critical.
In addition to his podcasts and appearances in other media, Ben Shapiro is most known for a series of videos in which he “DESTROYS” sputtering college students. But his seemingly innocuous rhetoric might be a vehicle for something incendiary, something sinister, especially when co-opted by radical groups. In 2017, a white nationalist obsessively consumed the content of Shapiro, other right wing pundits, and conspiracy theorists in the weeks leading up to a shooting he staged in a mosque in Quebec. Ben Shapiro is not liable for the deaths of the six Muslim people who were killed. He condemned the shooter and the hate he espoused. But it’s worth asking: what about Ben Shapiro’s content is appealing to a white nationalist? And what does that say, not only about right wing media, but about the future of this country?
Comments