On Fox, liberals who complain are called snowflakes. But when Fox’s new resident geniuses, Diamond and Silk objected to their persecution at the hands of evil, conservative "censoring" Facebook, Fox not only created an entire news cycle around them - but anointed them as champions of free speech
On Monday's Fox & Friends, “viral court jesters,” Diamond and Silk took time off from chastising African-Americans who don’t love Donald Trump. Instead, they complained about how Facebook was “censoring” them. Naturally, the curvy couch crew showed lots of love to these (ahem) “social media stars.”
The gals complained about how Facebook blocked some of their content because it was deemed “unsafe.” When Brian Kilmeade noted that Facebook had told Fox & Friends that they were working on resolving the problem, Diamond and Silk claimed that they had heard nothing from Facebook – a statement which Facebook refutes and which appears to be contradicted by newly leaked e-mails.
In what, if the ladies were liberal, might be considered “playing the race card,” the ladies noted that Facebook was being unfair to “two black women" who are "not hoodlums" and don't "lay out on the street." They accused Facebook of engaging in “discrimination” and “a violation of their civil rights.”
They speculated that Facebook is trying to shut down conservative, pro-Trump voices and “that’s not going to work with Diamond and Silk.” There was more ranting about how “Facebook doesn’t get to decide who say what and who don’t say what.” Providing affirmation, Steve Doocy claimed that Facebook was trying “to de-monetize” the ladies so they “can’t make money.” This was followed by more ranting about Facebook’s persecution.
Monday night, Laura Ingraham provided more validation for the claim that Facebook hates them because they’re “black, conservative, you support Trump, and you tell it like it is and you call it like you see it.” She asserted, “That’s offensive to the left because they want to silence people like you." Diamond and Silk ranted about censorship and the awesomeness of Trumpl
Flash forward to Mark Zuckerberg’s appearances before Congress. On Tuesday, GOP Senator Ted Cruz, in echoing Diamond and Silk’s claim that Facebook is trying to silence conservatives, cited them as examples of this so-called censorship.
On Wednesday, GOP Rep. Joe Barton claimed that one of his Facebook followers wanted to know why Diamond and Silk were being “censored.” Other Republicans covered the same ground. And picking up on the ladies’ claim of racial discrimination, GOP Rep. Billy Long (who voted no on the Violence Against Women Act) brought out a large photo of Diamond and Silk and asked what is “unsafe about two black women supporting Donald Trump?”
The duo’s newfound fame did not go unnoticed by Fox. Wednesday, they were back on Laura Ingraham’s show where she described them as “a hot topic” at the hearings. Ingraham was gleeful while playing video of the other GOP pols who referenced the ladies. Diamond and Silk continued to say that Facebook hasn’t been in touch with them – a claim refuted by e-mails which show Facebook apologizing to the women for what was a technical issue not related to their politics.
Ingraham then provided a platform for Diamond and Silk to attack the African-American website, TheGrio. As Newshounds Ellen points out, their claims about TheGrio don't really hold up under scrutiny.
After mentioning Roseanne Barr’s praise of Diamond and Silk’s comedy, there was a brief discussion about whether they are political pundits or comedians. Ingraham said that they can do both and whatever they do, “I love it.” (Funny, in trashing LeBron James, Ingraham cited his bad grammar. Obviously Diamond and Silk are not held to the same standards?)
On Thursday's Fox & Friends reported on the Zuckerberg hearings. After showing video of Diamond and Silk’s Monday whinefest on the show, Ainsley Earhardt said that Diamond and Silk’s “names are being blasted throughout all these congressional hearings and Mark Zuckerberg is being held to a new standard because these ladies are speaking out.”
They also got to pimp their tired spiel on Neil Cavuto's Thursday show.
So who knew that poor, persecuted Diamond and Silk (Joy Reid has dubbed them Cubic Zirconia and Rayon) would become, thanks to their starring role in a Congressional hearing, champions of free speech? Thank you Fox News!
Watch: Fox & Friends, Monday April 9th, Thursday, April 12th and The Ingraham Angle, Monday April 9th, Wednesday, April 11th 2018.
Post and handling extra, obviously.