A day after M&M’s canceled their “spoke scandies” amid backlash from Fox News hosts who no longer found them sexy, the conservative cable giant found its latest target for outrage: “awakened” video game consoles with energy-saving features.
Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that Xbox would offer “carbon-conscious game downloads and updates” as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions and help fight climate change.
“For example, instead of your Xbox waking up during the nightly maintenance window at a random time between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., your console will wake up at a time when it can use the most renewable energy in your local energy grid,” the company said, adding, “This reduces reliance on fossil fuels and CO2 emissions, and could potentially save you money.”
But because the right-wing outrage machine needs constant feeding, conservative media outlets and Republican politicians took the opportunity to declare this the final battle in a never-ending culture war.
“First gas stoves, then your coffee, now they’re hunting your Xbox,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who seems more interested in being a right-wing entertainer than a legislator, tweeted Monday. (For those blissfully unaware, conservatives have been going crazy lately over possible future gas appliance regulations, urging liberals to “come and get it.”)
Of course, it wasn’t long before Fox News jumped aboard the fake tantrum. To get the ball rolling, the network’s digital newsroom published a piece Monday night promoting conservative critics who had “hunted down” the “awake brigade” for going after video games.
During Tuesday morning’s broadcast of Fox and friends firstFox Business anchor Cheryl Casone grumbled that “an awakened executive at Microsoft thought this was a good idea” before reading a series of tweets from right-wing influencers mocking the initiative.
“Conscious! Is that the best word?!” Fox and friends first exclaimed co-host Todd Piro. “I am really stuck with that language. Carbon conscious?! I have been aware of carbon for most of my adult life. It is a very important element.”
For the next hour, however, Fox News warned viewers that major climate change is coming for their kids because their video game system had a new power-saving feature.
“Xbox also announced they’re going to wake up to climate change as well,” Fox & Friends explained co-host Ainsley Earhardt. “That they add a new feature to their defaults. If you own an Xbox you can upload this new program and it will shut down after such a long time to save the environment.”
Fox News Radio host Jimmy Failla then raised the alarm about children being targeted by left-wing companies to care about the climate.
“We understand what this is,” the conservative comedian declared. “It’s not like it’s actually going to offset the emissions, okay – the level of reduction is infinitely small. But they are trying to recruit your kids into climate politics at a younger age; make them climate aware now.”
“You’re right,” Earhardt agreed. “They’re going after the kids.”
Not to be outdone, Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen reiterated Cruz by lumping Microsoft’s decision with the rest of the right’s recent culture war grievances.
“They want to tell you how to live your life. We’re going to say, ‘No, you’re not going to drive a gas-guzzling truck and no, you’re not going to get a gas stove, you’re going to get an electric stove,'” he blared on Fox News. In minority. “Because every building in New York City can run out of gas, right? This stuff really happens. If the climate radicals want to alienate Gen Z, the best way to do it is to take their Xbox!”
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