Tornado Alley (PROG)

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Omega, I certainly haven't seen as much coverage of Glen Beck as you have. I just read the headlines, or watch a few videos on Youtube.

A few of Beck's quotes are summarized here: #msg-42851980

I actually saw the video where he said President Obama has, "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."

How can this be true? Obama was raised by white grandparents, who he loved. He seems to be fighting for legislation that benefits many people who are white, including civil rights for gay men and women, many of whom are white. I see a lot of love, and certainly no hate. Why would Beck try to convince people that Obama has hate? Why would someone say such a thing?

These other quotes are surprisingly polarized:

[Beck] said that Obama is "moving us away from our republic and into a system of fascism," and stated: "We are a country that is headed towards socialism, totalitarianism, beyond your wildest imagination..."

Do you know what it means to be a system of fascism and totalitarianism? These are fearsome words, and if people are assuming these are true, then how do you think they are going to feel? Probably pretty scared, right? Well, what part of Obama's policies fit these descriptions? What is Obama doing that is fascist? If you believe that Glen Beck is honest about these, I'm sure you can give me some examples.

There are more from the first link, but here's another: #msg-42852817

I was particularly horrified by Beck's portrayal of the Obama administration as the mafia from "Untouchables". He shows Al Pacino whacking a guy with a bat, and goes on to make the metaphor of America sitting at the table, while Obama whacks people to death. How is that factual? What is something that you can point to that fits a metaphor of this magnitude?

Omega, all due respect to you and all of Beck's fans, but I find these kinds of comparisons disingenuous, misleading, and worst of all, geared towards inciting fear and violence. You choose to want to talk about situations where Beck is being fairly balanced, but what about the times like these when he uses exaggeration of the most profound kind in order to make a point? What do you think people are going to do after watching this?

I'm happy to agree to disagree with regards to Glen Beck being a trustworthy host, but it won't be easy for you to convince me that this kind of rhetoric is constructive when criticizing the government. Rather, I expect critics to point to specific things they don't like, talk about the alternatives, and call people to action by asking them to phone their Congressmen to pass legislation that will benefit our society.

But Glen Beck doesn't do that. Instead, his words are filled with fear, and make it sound like our government is trying to whack us. I just don't see it that way, and just because I support the legislation that Obama is doing, I don't want one of Glen Beck's fans to take a shot at me. Fear often causes people to do strange and violent things, and I think there are other ways to criticize and call for action in a focused and effective way. The way Beck deals with things, according to the examples I listed, makes me afraid that it's only a matter of time before his fans attempt to assassinate the president, or anyone else who supports it. And that is a big reason why Beck's critics have been so vocal.