Tucker Carlson & Gene Baur Talk Veganism on Fox News
Yesterday, Tucker Carlson of Fox News had Farm Sanctuary founder Gene Baur on the show, titling it “Tucker vs. veganism.”
The ‘Tucker Takes On…’ segment had a pretty “click-bait” description, claiming that a “[v]egan activist tries to convince Tucker he shouldn’t be eating meat at all.” Carlson opened the discussion, which is just over six minutes, asking Baur:
“You’ve got your views about what we ought to be eating–I do too, I love burrata. But I’m not trying to force anybody else to eat burrata. It seems to be taking kind of a rather large step to assume you have the right to tell other people what to eat. Why are you doing that?”
Baur responded:
“Well, I’m actually not telling other people what they must or must not eat. I just want people to think more about their food choices and recognize the consequences of those and also to recognize that not eating animals is actually an option we have. We grow up believing we need meat for protein, but in fact, we can live well without it. So it’s a choice we each need to make, but we should make informed choices.”
Carlson stated that he doesn’t “think it’s a crazy idea,” and added that he loves animals and doesn’t “like the way factory farms treat animals,” and as a result is “kind of sympathetic towards” Baur’s overall message.
The two then discussed “fussy vegans,” and Carlson made the all-too-familiar comment about vegans being weak/frail, to which Baur stated:
“Well, we are certainly a passionate group, us vegans. But not all vegans are that skinny. In fact, the only U.S. male weightlifter who qualified for the Olympics in Rio is a vegan. And there are amazing vegan bodybuilders and athletes. Scott Jurek, a legendary ultrarunner…vegan. So, vegans can be very healthy as well.”
Tucker responded:
“Interesting. Well, you make a compelling case.”
They continued to speak about factory farming, the dairy industry, the Yulin Meat Festival, the unlikely scenario of being stranded on a mountain with a goat, as well as the notion of humans having dominion over animals.
While Carlson ended the segment stating he didn’t agree with everything Baur said, he still hopes more conservatives will stand up against cruelty to animals and added:
“You know, I have to say, I started this segment thinking this guy is probably crazy but I think you’re actually reasonable and thoughtful.”
You can watch the entire discussion here.
Photo Credit: Fox News
