Alex Jones is mad as hell
So this little Alex Jones “greatest hits” video I’ve pasted in below — more like a greatest fits video, amirite? — got me thinking. Take a minute (and 34 seconds) to watch it and join me below.
Alex Jones: Master of self-control pic.twitter.com/Le4xL3AC1C
— VICE News (@vicenews) March 6, 2017
Jones has been doing this for years — the yelling, the threats, you name it. Hell, sometimes he literally takes his shirt off and beats his chest like a gorilla. Poke around on Youtube and you can find any number of videos documenting his regular meltdowns. Here’s one of them, in case you haven’t yet reached your Alex Jones limit for the day.
And here’s a loop of Jones yelling for ten minutes.
Thing is, though, “meltdown” isn’t really the right word for what Jones is doing here. These tantrums of his don’t seem to drive viewers away from Jones. If they did, I suspect that Jones — who’s a lot cannier than many people give him credit for — would discover his self control in a big hurry, and the “meltdowns” would cease.
No, these fits seem to be part of Jones’ appeal. Why? What’s appealing about them?
I suspect that a lot of Alex’s fans — especially the men — get a charge out of seeing a man reveling in his own toxic masculinity. Male tantrums aren’t really about men “losing control” over their emotions. Most of these men can control their emotions just fine when they have to. When men throw Alex Jones style fits in real life, it’s often a way to cow and control those around them. If a man throws a fit whenever he doesn’t get what he wants, those around him often realize that the safest course of action is to give him what he wants.
Jones has simply brought this rudimentary “toxic male” tactic to the world of politics. And a lot of men are eating it up.
No wonder he and Trump get along so swimmingly.