TV star Mike Rowe appeared on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Thursday to sound off on the “problem with America today.” The former “Dirty Jobs” host went after the harmful “safe space movement,” as he’s done several times before.
Host Tucker Carlson began the segment by asking Rowe his thoughts on our current culture, highlighting two recent events: Starbucks’ new policy offering their bathrooms and WiFi services without requiring a purchase and the 30-year-old from New York State who recently made news for being sued by his parents after refusing to move out of their home.
“Are these stories connected and do they tell us something bigger about the country?” asked Carlson.
Rowe identified the larger problem by connecting the diminished sense of work ethic he’s witnessed through his work ethic scholarship program to the “safe space movement” and the “idiotic” notion of “safety first.”
He began by explaining that it’s actually become increasingly difficult to give away money via his work ethic scholarships each passing year. Essentially, he can’t find Americans willing to jump through the hoops he asks them to for the scholarships, such as signing a “sweat pledge,” submitting videos, and writing essays.
“When people are often confronted with these hoops through which I ask them to leap, they take … umbrage at that, and I find it fascinating,” said the TV star.
Our culture has become obsessed with a “safety first” mantra, he said, where “safety and feelings” are at “a level of primacy.” This is “the stuff of idiocy,” Rowe said.
“It allows us to begin to believe that somebody other than us might care more about our well-being than we do, and the minute we buy into that nonsense, then we embrace the warm grip of complacency. So no, safety’s not the enemy but if you make it the priority, then let’s just wrap ourselves in bubble pack and drive at speeds approaching 5 miles-per-hour and never assume anything that could ever be confused with risk,” explained Rowe.
The notion of safety above all else is “one of the many unarticulated assumptions that govern our society” yet is free from examination, replied Carlson.
Over the last five years, Rowe has given away over $5 million in scholarships.
WATCH: