Monday, April 12, 2010

Glenn Beck spews hatespeak?


Who is Glenn Beck? 


Glenn Beck is a syndicated radio talk show host, and host of a program on Fox that bears his name.  Many call him a religious zealot.  Many call him a hate monger.  Many call him conservative.  Many call him a Republican.  I call him nothing like that.  I call him an educator, I call him an entertainer.


Many years ago I was a broadcast student.  I was psyched about learning a new profession that had intrigued me for so long.  I was sitting near the rear of the classroom listening to my instructor give his 'opening monologue' if you will. 


The message that day resonated in me.  It still lives in me today as I write this trivial blog.  At the end of the day, your program you are working the board on, producing, directing, hosting, or contributing should answer 2 questions.  Did you learn something?  Were you entertained?


At the end of every class he asked those 2 questions before he dismissed us. 
I believe Glenn Beck has the same meeting with his production staff.  I want to entertain as well as educate America.  Thus the tag line of his show, 'the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment'. 


Do I think Glenn Beck is right all the time?  No.  Do I think he is more right than I want to believe?  Sometimes.  Am I entertained by the character that is Glenn Beck? Absolutely. 
This week I saw a bunch of tweets that talked about why Glenn Beck must be stopped.  Why Glenn Beck spews hate.  Why Glenn Beck's advertizers should not buy ad space on his program.  Then they seemed flaborgasted when he came out and said, ' I'm just an entertainer.'


See! Everything he said is bullshit! He knows nothing! Some of these tweets said. 
I'm just surprised all these people thought of him as anything other than an entertainer.  He doesn't have a party affiiliation, although he leaned a bit liberal prior to 9/11.  He is not a Republican, Democrat, or Green Party, or whatever party there might be.  He is what I would call a Constitutional Traditionalist.  He beleives in the Constitution and he feels many people after the founding fathers corrupted, or maybe prostituted the interpretaition of it.  His program breaks down his views on how they did just that. 


He targets a type of person called a, progressive.  A progressive as they called it was not about progressing America, but retarding it and restoring big government. 


The states gave the Federal Government power, not the reverse.  The progressives, according to Beck want to destroy America.  He uses case study from way back when, to today to prove his point.  This is hard to watch or listen to, or even be told, but in the end, he says if you are trying to hijack this country, you are the enemy. 


I happen to stand in line with that.  If you ARE in fact trying to hijack our government, you are the enemy. 


Beck says he is scared that, if things keep going the way they are, then everything will be government run, and thus end the democratic republic.  He says, look at what they did to healthcare, the financial industry with bailouts, the auto industry with bailouts.  The government just didn't hand over money.  They got a stake in the business. 


People forget that JP Morgan bailed out our country during the Depression.  Now, many years later, it is the government who bailed out JP Morgan.


So why are people so pissed off at Glenn Beck?  


Is it because what he says is true?  Is it that everything he says cannot be refuted?  Is it because he can rally people behind him?  Is it because despite what he says, he can still draw the audience?  Is it because you just hate who ever your neighbor likes?  


Many people forget that people like Glenn Beck, Barrack Obama, and whomever else has 'power' is because we give it to them.  It's either afternoon television ratings, voting for them, or going to their sermons everyday.  People like Glenn Beck would have zero power if we didn't give it to them.  


So how does one amass 'power' as they say?  Well as much as we want to believe, it's the detractors that tend to make television personalities more popular.  Howard Stern didn't become the 'King of all Media' by rallying people that liked him, it was pissing off the people who didn't.  In New York, when he was on WNBC, people who liked him tuned in because they wanted to see what he was going to say.  People who hated him tuned in because they wanted to see what he was going to say.  


Jesus wouldn't be as popular as he is without his crucifixion.  His detractors raised such a stink, they put him to the cross.  He died, then he showed off and rose from the dead.  Criss Angel only wishes he could do that trick.


Glenn Beck is no different than Jesus, Howard Stern, or even Barrack Obama.  He says what he says because he can get a reaction.  Either take it or leave it.  For you to assume Beck is anything other than an entertainer, you my friend are the idiot.  You are going to let what an entertainer says get your panties in a twist?  He doesn't make policy.  He doesn't run the country.  


For the record.  Glenn Beck had the same message when George W. Bush was in office.  His message hasn't changed.  


For the record.  I voted AGAINST George W. Bush the first time.  I voted FOR George W. Bush the 2nd time.  I voted AGAINST Obama.  

4 comments:

lerrnst said...

can you please explain tomorrow if and why are you still against Obama, independently of who got your vote?

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

I agree! I think "even bad press is good press" is so true! If you think about it Glenn Beck spouts just enough for people to love or hate it! He's excellent at what he does! :)

Lernst...really? Economy? Government run Healthcare? Bailouts...tripling our nations debt? Ring any bells?

Just sayin. But I would also like to know what you think Adam!

Chef P-Daddy said...

Adam, yes, I must say you do make valid points on all ends and I don't know what exactly to say. I feel that as Americans we all do have the right to say what we wish, but we also need to be held accountable for everything we say. Even most importantly if we are a public figure. I think that as a radio and tv show personality we really need to be careful what we say because too many people can take some things the wrong way. Glenn Beck and Michael Moore both need to shut up with all the shit they talk about our nations leaders. I admit I talk about our nations leaders too from time to time but I am not a public person like them and we can say what we wish since we don't get large crowds of people listening to what we say. I as one who voted for W both times he ran for president hated hearing Moore talk crap because he would make the liberals hate Bush more and make it sound like he was always doing wrong. Now that Obama is in office it is Beck talking crap about Obama and I don't like that either. Both presidents came in after a previous person who left office with our country not doing so well. Bush changed a lot for the good of our country yes but we have also suffered a lot from when he was in office. Obama is changing a lot for our country trying to make changes that sounds great for our country. Yes, not all are what we need for our country. What our country honestly needs is what I hoped that Obama would do for our country and that is bring about changes that we as a nation need. He is trying to change our country for the better yes. Is it working maybe, but we will not really know until after his term. I think as a nation we need someone in office who has never served a public office and feels and knows what exactly we need in this country. Someone maybe like you or me or anyone else like us. We know what we want and what can help this country. So America does need a wake up and Obama is trying to help. Just like Bush tried. We can't fault a president for trying and we can fault them after they leave office and made us worse off than before they took on the office. I liked Bush as President but I did not like that he did not do more to try and help pull us out of the recession and was caused while he was in. I don't like how he did not end our presence in Iraq or Afganistan before he left like he said he was going to. I don't like that Obama has said he would fix the recession problem but he is trying and we are getting very slowly out of it but there is still hope. I like that he is saying we will be out of Iraq next year. But time will tell and if he fails on that I will not like that. I Also like that Obama wants a better plan for Health Care and I do admit that I don't like that it will not go into full effect until after this term. I also don't like that its going to cost us all but I like knowing that we all can get Health Care but I am nervous about exactly what is it going to cost. So I guess what I am trying to say is those in a public eye need to be careful what they say. I also have opinions on what our leaders should do but I am just one voice just like you.

Leah said...

Ain't America Grand?!?!?! We have the FREEDOM to speak our minds!!

I liken Glen Beck to the awful Value City commercials on TV. They have those ridiculous people dancing around (proving once again that white people can't dance) and everyone hates the commercials, but they have accomplished the goal...they have gotten consumers attention whether good or bad!!