19 Comments

I just saw it as a ploy, playing to the Christofascists who make up a good share of his audience. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop - another follow up event in which the demon is a democratic entity that came through the portal from hell above the Biden Whitehouse (alleged by Roger Stone). I don't believe anything else the asshole says, so why would this fantastical account be any different? Each to his own though. I am constantly amazed by the ridiculous things human beings believe.

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This is so fascinating to me - I would not have thought that I would ever hear Carlson speaking without having a certainty that he was lying, but that did feel sincere.

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"That’s an important detail, I think, because it means whatever’s happening is physically inconsequential enough that the person right next to him did not wake. If he were thrashing in his sleep scratching himself, wouldn’t she or the dogs have been aware of it?"

When considering an unknown entity/force of unknown capability, I think the answer has to be: not necessarily.

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The wisdom of ChatGPT

I asked:

Other than actual demonic assault, what are the possible explanations for Tucker Carlson's account of waking up bleeding from what he calls a demonic assault, without having disturbed his partner sleeping next to him?

ChatGPT said:

ChatGPT

Tucker Carlson's account of waking up with bleeding claw marks, which he attributes to a demonic assault, could potentially be explained by several natural phenomena:

Self-inflicted Scratches During Sleep: Individuals sometimes unknowingly scratch themselves during sleep, especially if experiencing intense dreams or sleep disturbances. This can result in visible marks upon waking.

Parasomnias: Conditions such as sleepwalking or REM sleep behavior disorder can lead to physical actions during sleep, including scratching or hitting oneself, without the person being aware.

Skin Conditions: Certain dermatological issues, like eczema or dermatitis, can cause itching and subsequent scratching, leading to skin lesions that might be noticed upon waking.

Environmental Factors: Contact with rough or sharp objects in the sleeping environment, such as bed frames, jewelry, or pet claws, could cause injuries without immediate awareness.

Pets: If pets share the bed, their movements or accidental scratches could result in injuries that go unnoticed during sleep.

Delayed Onset of Symptoms: Minor injuries sustained earlier in the day might not be immediately painful or noticeable but could become apparent later, leading to confusion about their origin.

It's important to consider these natural explanations before attributing such experiences to supernatural causes.

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Maybe the demons were trying to bring him home??

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The conspiracy theorist market has become so saturated as the internet has expanded. Any weirdo can peddle bizarre beliefs into a camera now just as Tucker does. It’s not uncommon for these individuals to pivot to spirituality to expand their audience (marks), and a demonic attack being the source of his shift is a classic.

One can see this in Alex Jones too. He declares himself a prophet chosen by God seemingly every other day. He states that he was eating chicken-fried steak and sipping iced tea when God suddenly hit him with a download for 30 minutes. A janitor supposedly watched in horror as he thought he was seizing (but didn’t call EMS?). The story constantly changes and shifts.

Whether Tucker actually experienced this doesn’t matter because it’s just going to be another tool to bludgeon minority groups for not following God’s will. It’s just not worth exploring this with someone who only seems to ever act in bad faith toward malicious goals.

P.S. Listen to Knowledge Fight

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Brilliant! The conclusion is indeed a tad disappointing. From TC, who would have guessed, eh?

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Tucker's a smart guy? To me, he's nothing more that MTG with a penis.

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Since I detest Tucker and see him as a publicity hog who would sell his soul for clicks and views, his credibility fails on most everything that comes out of his mouth. Does he truly believe his tale? I don't know. Nor do I care. I know there are realities most haven't experienced so they have no reason to take him at his word even if he was one of the good guys. Unless you experience something not explained by known physics you have no reason to believe. As someone who has had an unexplainable incident in my life, I know weird things can happen. But I also know there are those who lie about such things for attention.

Tucker's experience real or not means zero. Even if true, he chose to speak about it now for an audience, the right right evangelical set, that wants to believe in demons. Not last year, not after this election, now. I won't trust this person.

Pasulka's book makes the reader question reality as perceived. I agree there. Who really knows?

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There's overwhelming if not proof positive evidence about dimensions beyond ours, where some form of life seems to exist. But I'm not certain your generous application of 'smart' applies to TC, whose foul rhetoric has soured many a susceptible mind.

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exceptionally believable to me that demons are coming for TC

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The ones from Ghost?

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"I wonder how Tucker (or any of us) might apply the valuable lesson of feeling disbelieved when somebody tells us their lived experience"

True. This reminds me of a Reddit user who was accused of being an astroturf plant after she posted about her entire five pack of Reese’s that had no peanut butter in it. You can read the whole story on Newsweek. How about reviving Mike and Tom Eat Snacks and having her on it?

https://www.newsweek.com/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-viral-1978566

https://www.reddit.com/r/PeanutButter/comments/1ghwngz/reeses_is_launching_a_deconstructed_peanut_butter/lv3rlwq/?context=3

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Nov 3·edited Nov 3

I just finished reading Sebastian Junger's new book "In My Time Of Dying, How I Came Face-To-Face With the Idea of an Afterlife", (and saw him speak and take part in a panel discussion on the topic) and although he remains an atheist after his NDE (during which he encountered his father), he certainly seems to have been profoundly changed in terms of empathy. So although I don't dismiss these types of claims outright, I have a hard time with the TC demon bit, as I sense that TC would say just about anything to remain a celebrity.

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I love Junger’s writing but haven’t read this yet. Thank you for mentioning it and it’s going on my TBR list!

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Sure -- it's a quick read not just because he's enormously talented and it's full of personal stories (it makes me wonder what I've been doing with all my time), but also because it's a relatively short book at 138 pages. Very well worth picking up.

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founding

My cynicism is on red alert. Is it just a coincidence that stories are hitting about Tucker’s same sex escapades? Maybe. But if we could all swallow his family’s (Swanson)’s TV dinners maybe this can be as well.

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My first thought was that he had to explain some scratches he came home with

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I watched that interview twice and had the same reaction. Although I despise TC, I do believe that he believes what he’s saying. And it doesn’t seem that he has much to gain by going public with such a far-out claim. The world is a far stranger place than we know. If I can find myself feeling empathy for a unabashed lying, cynical fear-monger with the laugh of a Batman villain, anything’s possible.

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