During a recent episode of her podcast, Megyn Kelly said the supposedly unthinkable — that the media portrayed the January 6 riots in Washington, D.C. as worse than they were in reality.
“A faction turned,” Kelly said of those who stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. “But there’s no question the media represented this as so much worse than it actually was.”
“We’ve all seen the video of people, like, screaming in the face of cops, being totally disparaging, and defecating on the floor of the U.S. Capitol, and lawmakers were understandably afraid, not like [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying] ‘I need therapy for the rest of my life’ afraid, but I could understand it, and I didn’t like seeing it at all,” Kelly added.
“But that does not mean that’s what the entire crowd was there for,” Kelly continued. “So they got tarred by the actions of some losers who went a different way. And then the media did what it does, which is any bad behavior gets attributed to the entire group of Trump supporters.”
The reaction to Kelly’s fairly uncontroversial statements only added weight to her accusations. For example, Rep. Ted Lieu — not exactly known for nuance — tweeted, “Dear Megyn Kelly: I reviewed a lot of videos and evidence for the second impeachment trial. The most accurate way I can say this is that you have no idea what you are talking about. 140 police officers were injured, some critically. People died. Why are you downplaying Jan 6?”
Dear Megyn Kelly: I reviewed a lot of videos and evidence for the second impeachment trial. The most accurate way I can say this is that you have no idea what you are talking about. 140 police officers were injured, some critically. People died. Why are you downplaying Jan 6? https://t.co/u8Glp2Yp8u
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 13, 2021
Usually, the Left loves “spectrums.” Sex and gender, for example, lie on a spectrum — at least according to their “experts.” Sex isn’t binary, they declare.
Conversely, when it comes to notions that do lie on a spectrum — such as “bad things” compared to other “bad things” — they apply an invalid binary system. Something is either “good” or “bad,” and two “bad things” are equally bad. If you suggest that one “bad thing” isn’t as “bad” as another “bad thing,” you are guilty of arguing that this “bad thing” is actually “good.”
Sounds like nonsense, right?
That’s because it is.
The events which occurred on January 6 were objectively terrible. This statement, in isolation, is unquestionably true. However, questioning alternative interpretations or presentations of this event has no impact on this isolated truth, despite the Left’s protests.
Remember, January 6 is being presented by the Left as a defining moment in modern American history, often in the same breath as 9/11. By applying their binary logic, the Left is trying to force Americans to ignore reality and embrace this absurd hyperbolic rhetoric, else they are labeled as “downplaying” the Capitol riot.
We should refuse, and refuse boldly. Yes, January 6 was terrible, but it exists along a spectrum of “bad-ness.” Some things are better, some things are worse.
Let’s live in this reality, rather than the Left’s cynical binary dream.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
