Episode 64: Mike Rowe’s Koch-Backed Working Man Affectation
Citations Needed
English - January 30, 2019 17:09 - 1 hour - 77.8 MB - ★★★★★ - 3.7K ratingsNews Society & Culture bias journalism media criticism news politics Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
In recent years, television personality Mike Rowe has amassed a wildly popular following due to alleged working-class straight talk about topics ranging from the affordability of college to reasserting a culture of pride in craftsmanship and labor. From his 5.2 million Facebook followers to his cable programs, his everyman schtick, on its surface, can be very appealing: after all, who doesn’t love a hard day’s work and loathe detached, ivory tower eggheads?
But hiding under his superficially appealing blue-collar façade is dangerous ideology, one funded by the Koch Brothers and other far-right, anti-labor corporate interests and specifically tailored to pick off a certain constituency of Home Depot Democrats while pushing political impotence, anti-union narratives and anti-intellectualism. Through a clever combination of working class affectation and folksy charm – often exploiting real fears about a decline in industrialization – Rowe has cultivated an image that claims to be pro-worker, but primarily exists to line the pockets of their boss.
Our guest is Street Fight Radio's Bryan Quinby.