The majority does not rule in America, but the minority shouldn’t hijack it. And it’s because we’re afraid. They have isolated us and made us feel as though we’re alone. We’re not. Glenn Beck
That is, BY FAR, the most lucid quote I could find from Glenn Beck. Coming from almost anyone else I would agree. We value majority opinion, and rightly so, but the majority is not always right. The minority often uses these failings to take over an issue and cripple honest majority rule. And Glenn Beck is a master of that game, which is what makes this quote so duplicitous. What is Glenn Beck? A journalist? A TV personality? Is he a carnival barker or a snake oil salesman? He is definitely popular. His TV show and radio program draws huge ratings. He commands high dollar from advertisers on radio and TV. His radio program is the highest rated broadcast on many different stations all across America. His TV program is consistently one of the highest rated TV show, not just on FOX, but on all cable news channels. He is a multiple time best seller, with 3 different books enjoying time on top of the New York Times best seller list. He has deals with companies to sell all manner of items from gold to survival kits. Glenn Beck has become a small enterprise with a single recipient , Glenn Beck. Lately, though, there has been news of unrest in Beck’s world. Some sponsors have dropped his radio program and talk of him “transitioning out of” his TV program, which has seen decreasing ratings over the last year and a half. Is this the beginning of the end of Beck, or just a road bump on his way to whatever destiny he envisions for himself? Those questions are still to be answered but we can take a look at Beck’ s beginnings. What made him the media force he appears to be today?
This is the least "smarmy" photo I could find of Glenn Beck. And you can still see it all over his face!
Beck’s personal history is one of sadness and hope, believe it or not. He has overcome the tragic loss of his mother as a child, divorces racked with consequences both serious and grim, and more than one occasion of drug addiction and alcoholism. Maybe some of his personal demons explain much of his public outbursts but, to me at least, the resolve he had to pull out of that is admirable. Such things have driven many a man to ponder taking his own life(including Beck, by his own admission). So I won’t get into all that. Feel free ot read up on it though. It may give you a different view of him. But probably not. Let’s be serious, he’s still a crazy asshole. We’ll begin at the cusp of his meteoric rise to fame and infamy.
Beck’s career had the most unassuming, Howard Sternish beginnings a star could have. Bouncing from station to station in the southwest Beck couldn’t seem to keep any long term job. Eventually he was hired away to the Midwest and a stint in Louisville, Kentucky in 1983 ended after a fight with management and a third place finish in the ratings. Beck’s show was largely nonpolitical and mirrored most of the programs of the time, with juvenile humor, phone pranks, and plenty of fart jokes. Beck moved back to the Southwest and began operating out of a Phoenix based station and began a rivalry with a local DJ that culminated with Beck calling the DJ’s wife on air and mocking her recent miscarriage. Beck resigned immediately afterward and continued touring the southwest. At one point, while working in Texas, he was arrested and jailed for speeding in a DeLorean. I shit you not.
Obviously he couldn't get it up to 88 MPH.
Anyways, after some wacky adventures with racism, Beck ended up in Tampa,Florida in 2000. Within a year of it’s debut, The Glenn Beck Show went to number one in the ratings. Thinly veiled racism and far right political commentary were a hit with Floridians. In January of 2002 Premiere Radio Networks syndicated Beck’s show to 47 stations nationwide. Premeire appears to be a right wing corporate radio entity but really, like any medium, they just want what is selling and, on radio, right wing foolishness is the big ticket item. Personally I have always attributed it to something I call the “Howard Stern Syndrome”. People who like Beck, Limbaugh, and the like are going to listen to the show. But that’s not what gives them such high ratings. It’s the people who absolutely hate them but listen anyways to know what they should be hating next, that boost these people’s ratings so high. There was an actual survey conducted by NBC radio to find out why people listen to Howard Stern and they found that a big chunk of the audience hated the guy, but they listened anyways to “hear what he said next”. That’s human. Sure it’s a terrible train wreck, but you can’t stop looking. There is also that “water cooler” mentality of not wanting to miss out on something. What insane thing will this guy say next!
"Hey, I'm not saying they're lying! I'm not even saying they're misrepresenting themselves. I'm just saying, the M&M melted in my hand. And that didn't happen until Obama was elected!"
By 2008, the Glenn Beck show was the 4th most syndicated show on radio and the third highest in the ratings behind Limbaugh and Hannity. As of today, Beck is still a top rated radio host but some sponsors have backed away form his program in the last few years, including AT&T, Applebee’s, Capital One, and Geico. An endless parade of petitions have appeared online trying to persuade companies to stop sponsoring what they term, “an obviously racist and bigoted program.” But even after the success of his radio program,Beck did not become a national figure until someone, somewhere on the CNN payroll said, “I have an idea.” Beck’s first TV show, simply titled “Glenn Beck”, began airing weeknights on the CNN Headline News channel. By the end of it’s run, Beck’s program was second on the network in ratings behind mythical Kraken/former prosecutor Nancy Grace’s show. Beck’s tenure on CNN was light on controversy. While he did offer a rather right wing view on many things, he was coherent. Measured. Soft spoken. None of the things we actually associate with Glenn Beck. I can’t remember a single time I was ever offended watching his CNN show. That would all change in the fall of 2008 when Beck left CNN for the soylent green pastures of FOX News. It was Beck time.
Beck was warmly greeted upon his arrival to the Murdoch conglomerate. His show began January of 2009 and he nabbed Sarah Palin for an interview early on when people were still interested in Sarah Plain interviews. Papa Bear(O’Reilly) gave him a little segment on his show called “At Your Beck And Call”. See what they did there? His last name is Beck but it is also a word meaning something else. Clever. Clever indeed. Anyways, things seemed great. But there was a problem. A grave problem that no one was seeing and Beck felt personally compelled to bring to our attention. Of course it was terrible enough that a black man had been elected President. I believe Beck would agree with that, as most of us would. But that wasn’t the problem Beck was referring to. In July of that year, Beck began his crusade to uncover our President’s terrible secret. During a friendly early morning visit to the set of FOX & Friends(WARNING!: FOX is not actually your friend.) Beck let it slip out that Obama might possibly be a racist. Specifically that he hates white people. Never mind the fact Obama was born of a white mother and raised by white grandparents whom he loves very much, dude just seems racist. He tried to clarify his remarks by saying that he didn’t think Obama “hated” white people,he just thought he was racist. Apparently you can be racist without hating now.
"Look, I'm not saying he likes to have sex with other men. I'm just saying he's gay."
That same month Beck began a series on his show that would come to define his TV persona. A look into the conspiratorial underpinnings of the Obama White House. He began openly targeting Presidential Adviser Anthony “Van” Jones. Van Jones was a target for many Republicans as his green energy initiatives looked to lighten the pockets of some of their friends in energy. Beck began by “highlighting”a tie between van Jones and a left wing organization called STORM and his support for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal . Constantly streaming video of Jones insulting Republicans and a petition signed by Jones stating that Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks, Van Jones became a singular distraction in the press room. In September Jones resigned. Beck chalked it up as a victory and REALLY let it go to his head. His GIANT head. That September Beck went after ACORN. Broadcasting a series of videos filmed by 2 huge douche bags, it appeared as though ACORN was giving tax advice for prostitution. The videos were later proved to be edited for bias but the damage had been done. In the spring of 2010, ACORN disbanded. Beck was on a roll. His ratings were high enough to allow casual controversy to pass him right by and he was becoming a household name. But with revolution on the horizon in the Middle East, Beck pulled out his big guns to tackle the biggest conspiracy of his career, the Secret Obama Caliphate.
You can just see the wheels turning and genius beiong created!
In late 2010 rumblings of revolution began spreading across many Middle Eastern countries. December 2010, Tunisia struck a blow for freedom and Glenn Beck saw the fires of war being lit. When Egypt joined a month later in January, Beck’s alarm bells went off. For many months he had been endlessly scrawling Obama’s plan for a Mao like Communist America across his blackboards but now he saw the great truth. Could it be possible that Obama, in conjunction with “elements of the State Department”, is preparing America to join a worldwide Muslim caliphate? It’s obviously going to happen! Why else would these people revolt?! Americans had to be warned. they had to prepare for possible war and, worse, the possible end of the world! Beginning in late January, Beck started openly wondering if this was all leading to another great world war. He envisioned a scenario in which extreme hard line factions take control of the governments of “key Arab states” and begin an intense terrorist campaign against the West. Buoyed by support from China, Iran and Egypt invade Saudi Arabia and lure America and Israel into a long war that eventually could end in a nuclear exchange. The end of the world.
GODDAMN YOU OBAMA!!!!
Well, needless to say, the ‘End of the World” isn’t good for business. Unless you have money invested in companies that profit from such ridiculous fears as the collapse of society. Which Beck does. At the beginning of March 2011, rumbling around FOX News seemed to point to Beck being replaced. Ideological splits in the republican Party were carrying over to the on air personalities and Beck was right in the middle of it. Appealing to a hard line that Republicans looked to minimize until they needed the votes, Beck begins to become more trouble than he is worth. And his worth is quickly declining. Barely a year ago Beck was the biggest name in cable “news”. Now it is reported that he is going to be “transitioning out of his TV show”. His quickly forgotten “Rally to Restore America” and endless pandering to the fringe has won him more enemies than friends. He’s basically getting the Ted Koppel deal. Just go away and they’ll give you a special here and there. Beck may represent the true FOX viewer but FOX doesn’t need that thrown in everyone’s face everyday.
"Why is doom is quotation marks?! Is it an ironic doom?"
Is this the end of Glenn Beck? He still commands a sizable audience on the radio but his career never took off til he made it on TV. Will smaller doses of him cause the public to forget him?(Oh GOD please let it be that one!) With further division among the Tea Party and establishment Republicans, will Beck be further marginalized by mainstream right wing media? Limbaugh basically owns the radio and Hannity is waiting to replace him. Both like Palin and the Tea Party but only when it suits their interests. Beck LOVES them. I don’t think it’s the last we’ll hear from him though. If anything he is a showman. That pulls people in and someone is always looking for a guy like that. Regardless I think he has been lessened dramatically and done real damage to the Republican Party and their chances for the Presidency. So, he’s got that going for him.
Khirad, thank you. I was hoping someone would get that reference. I would have been satisfied being the only one amused by it, but it’s funner to share.
**EDIT**
That’s right, I said funner! Come and get me word police! You’ll never take me alive.
I believe Glenn Beck to be what is known as a “dry drunk” They are people who although they have quit drinking and doing drugs,have not dealt with the underlying problems that caused their addiction.This can lead to emotional and behavioral problems.I am not an expert,but having known people like this,in my family,I have made it my business to try and find these things out.I do not have a link handy,but a google search will lead to several sites that have more info.I think that it is a plausible explanation as to why he is the way he is.That or he is just a crazy A-Hole…(‘-)
Actually Khirad, a dual diagnosis pertains to people who are addicts, AND have a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or manic depression…etc. There are two illnesses at once.
I don’t think Beck is crazy or has any real emotional illness. He does what he does, to make money, one of the oldest motivations there are. He is playing the same game as Ann Coulter, Limbaugh, Breitbart and others. He knows there is money in controversy, and money in feeding the paranoia of the right. He has made millions by doing what he does.
Watch a movie named “A Face In The Crowd,” and you will get a good example of where Beck is coming from.
Beck is very good at speaking in length without really saying anything. He’s great at making claims, but his claims are never qualified. He can SOUND like he knows what he is talking about, without really knowing what he is talking about.
“The majority does not rule in America, but the minority shouldn’t hijack it. And it’s because we’re afraid. They have isolated us and made us feel as though we’re alone. We’re not.”
The above quote you used is a perfect example. He doesn’t go into what majority he refers to or what minority he speaks of. He sets up opposites, but gives no instances or examples as to what he means. Who is afraid and why are they supposedly afraid? THEY have isolated us….! Who is they and how have they “isolated US?” Who is US?
Beck knows his audience all too well. He knows his regular viewers will never ask for any qualifications. He knows they will automatically ASSUME who and what he refers to. That’s all they are looking for. A cheerleader who constantly yells, hooray for our side.
KT, Most definitely. He is a modern day carnival barker.
But, do you ever get the feeling that a lot of people are, i don’t wanna say rooting for something terrible to happen, but maybe anticipating it a bit too much?
The world has always been a dangerous place and life itself, on a basic level is mean. But with the advent of radio, television, and now the internet, the world can seem more dangerous than ever.
I noticed, when I was considerably younger that people who watched too much news have a more negative outlook on life. And those who were moderate in their news viewing have a more positive outlook on life.
Having said this, and applying it to your question, I think there are those that want something terrible to happen so they can justify certain beliefs or ideas that they have. Mostly political.
Then there are the prophets of doom, and they have been around, most likely since the advent of language among humans.
Member
M Cubed
Another thing,what people really liked about Beck’s show was the positive message–or so they said. His revisionings of American History were some of his most highly rated shows, and of course the Rally to get On-her was all about his positive vibes. Then he started getting into the more complex theological musings.And yet, I don’t think his most dedicated viewers wanted the complex stuff of conspiracy theories. As long as he kept his message to the simplistic progressives=fascists simplified Jonah Goldberg nonsense, his audience followed. The islamo-fascist/protesters/progressive/Soros stuff just left them confused.
And has anyone noticed what fresh breath Adonai has? 😉
That is a fantastic point, M. I do have outstanding breath.
Member
M Cubed
Nicely said, Adonai! I have been wondering why his popularity is slipping–and I like your explanation. His message is so remarkably transparent, and so are his motives. Even a blind pig could find his truffles! And the end of the world meme gets old very quickly. Since he was not able to point at a day and a time, I really think people just lost interest. Even the Bolsheviks realized they could not depend on “war communism” to sustain the revolutionary fervor.
Sometimes people need to crawl into bed, close their eyes, and get a good night sleep. And Beck’s nonsense would not let them do that.
Boy, you have to be pretty bad to spook Fox News, and I think that’s what happened to him. He spooked them. Losing 300 to 400 advertisers got their attention.
I keep thinking he CAN’T be for real; it must be an act. He says things that are just so over-the-top and outrageous that he can’t actually believe it. And the crying. I keep thinking it CAN’T be real … can it? 😉
But, who knows.
I think he says some genuinely dangerous things with his creepy “end times” talk. He’s been going further and further over the edge with that stuff. He’s speaking to some dangerous people with that talk …. and I think he knows that. But, he has a right to do it. And we have a right to call him on the carpet.
I just wish so many people didn’t take him seriously.
It’s almost hard to believe he hasn’t been around in the public eye for as long as Limbaugh has…it seems like he has been around longer.
I personally think Glenn Beck only cares about Glenn Beck and as such he will use whatever is at his disposal to promote himself and to enrich himself. If he causes real trouble with real consequences,…so be it, as long as HE benefits.
I think he is a dangerous person and although he has figured out HOW to enrich himself, even though he had a very troubled past…that doesn’t make him someone to idolize.
There is an old saying….that I believe applies to people like Beck…”it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game”…he doesn’t play the game honestly or with the betterment of all players in mind.
The very fact of his popularity and rise should be not only prof but clear warning that the world and its people are slipping into madness.
The human species is on a trajectory of destruction and not becasue of all the crap this lunatic says But becasue the people believe the crap and will act out on it….Insanity has become the new norm and as such no more thought of as insane but accepted as a normal cultural and social condition.. majority does rule even when fully insane… I bare witness to the decline of man……
Glenn Beck is an American I believe, he certainly doesn’t speak for the rest of us living on this planet. America is not the beginning or end of our world as we know it, so I hardly see this person as being responsible for “the decline of man”, he would be laughed off the air in most countries.
You are correct…My perceptions are completely skewed from living amongst these Neanderthal morons..I need to beat feet out of hear but fast before my brain rots too.
Still there is a lot of similar nuttiness going on in other countries…seems neoconservativisam in all forms is infecting many many modern cultures…its the trickle down effect i assume.. look at the uprisings alone…it took people in the streets to even address the growing Oligarchs abuse of people to make anyone notice..
I see a clear decline of intellect of the mass population of all countries..
look at the coordinated beat down of Wikileaks by all sorts of governments and institutions around the globe for daring to expose the Abuse of these nation states..
No the sickness is evident the devolving is apparent…Choosing Pollyanna attitudes changes nun of that
Yes you are correct that there is enough nuttiness going around in other countries, I just meant that in the country I was born in, and later the country I grew up in, this business with Beck would be regarded as outlandish comedy, no one in their right mind would take him seriously. I’m sorry that you have so many of these arseholes to go around, and even sorrier when I hear people call Beck their “teacher”. 😯 Good Lord,where is that darned head spin from “The Exorcist” when you need it?
As a great way to share this experience, PlanetPOV is hosting a live chat (live typed comments) tonight to discuss the night's results as they come in along with everything else this election will bring and what folks think it will mean for the future.
It is long past time to stop playing Trump’s game of racism, hate, misogyny, and abject greed. If Trump is elected, he will end democracy as we know it. Harris will preserve it and work to make it better and far more inclusive so we can have it, as Lincoln said, a more perfect union. It will only happen if you vote.
The majority does not rule in America, but the minority shouldn’t hijack it. And it’s because we’re afraid. They have isolated us and made us feel as though we’re alone. We’re not.
Okay, I’ll be honest. I haven’t read it yet.
But cheers on Murderface nod!
Khirad, thank you. I was hoping someone would get that reference. I would have been satisfied being the only one amused by it, but it’s funner to share.
**EDIT**
That’s right, I said funner! Come and get me word police! You’ll never take me alive.
I thought his name was Killface?
Good catch HH. I think our late night animated comedies are running together.
I like his son, Simon.
I believe Glenn Beck to be what is known as a “dry drunk” They are people who although they have quit drinking and doing drugs,have not dealt with the underlying problems that caused their addiction.This can lead to emotional and behavioral problems.I am not an expert,but having known people like this,in my family,I have made it my business to try and find these things out.I do not have a link handy,but a google search will lead to several sites that have more info.I think that it is a plausible explanation as to why he is the way he is.That or he is just a crazy A-Hole…(‘-)
He’s a classic dual diagnosis dry drunk who exchanged one crutch (drink) with another (Mormonism).
Actually Khirad, a dual diagnosis pertains to people who are addicts, AND have a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or manic depression…etc. There are two illnesses at once.
I know exactly what I said KT. And I mean it.
I was a dual diagnosis case.
He should have been too.
I, no hyperbole, do think he is untreated for some disorder or another. And without being condescending, do hope he gets help.
No one but those close to him can know for sure, but call it my intuition. It takes one to know one.
“He’s a classic dual diagnosis dry drunk who exchanged one crutch (drink) with another (Mormonism).”
This is what you wrote. This is not a case of dual diagnosis. Unless you consider Mormonism to be a mental illness.
I don’t think Beck is crazy or has any real emotional illness. He does what he does, to make money, one of the oldest motivations there are. He is playing the same game as Ann Coulter, Limbaugh, Breitbart and others. He knows there is money in controversy, and money in feeding the paranoia of the right. He has made millions by doing what he does.
Watch a movie named “A Face In The Crowd,” and you will get a good example of where Beck is coming from.
Beck is very good at speaking in length without really saying anything. He’s great at making claims, but his claims are never qualified. He can SOUND like he knows what he is talking about, without really knowing what he is talking about.
“The majority does not rule in America, but the minority shouldn’t hijack it. And it’s because we’re afraid. They have isolated us and made us feel as though we’re alone. We’re not.”
The above quote you used is a perfect example. He doesn’t go into what majority he refers to or what minority he speaks of. He sets up opposites, but gives no instances or examples as to what he means. Who is afraid and why are they supposedly afraid? THEY have isolated us….! Who is they and how have they “isolated US?” Who is US?
Beck knows his audience all too well. He knows his regular viewers will never ask for any qualifications. He knows they will automatically ASSUME who and what he refers to. That’s all they are looking for. A cheerleader who constantly yells, hooray for our side.
KT, Most definitely. He is a modern day carnival barker.
But, do you ever get the feeling that a lot of people are, i don’t wanna say rooting for something terrible to happen, but maybe anticipating it a bit too much?
The world has always been a dangerous place and life itself, on a basic level is mean. But with the advent of radio, television, and now the internet, the world can seem more dangerous than ever.
I noticed, when I was considerably younger that people who watched too much news have a more negative outlook on life. And those who were moderate in their news viewing have a more positive outlook on life.
Having said this, and applying it to your question, I think there are those that want something terrible to happen so they can justify certain beliefs or ideas that they have. Mostly political.
Then there are the prophets of doom, and they have been around, most likely since the advent of language among humans.
Another thing,what people really liked about Beck’s show was the positive message–or so they said. His revisionings of American History were some of his most highly rated shows, and of course the Rally to get On-her was all about his positive vibes. Then he started getting into the more complex theological musings.And yet, I don’t think his most dedicated viewers wanted the complex stuff of conspiracy theories. As long as he kept his message to the simplistic progressives=fascists simplified Jonah Goldberg nonsense, his audience followed. The islamo-fascist/protesters/progressive/Soros stuff just left them confused.
And has anyone noticed what fresh breath Adonai has? 😉
That is a fantastic point, M. I do have outstanding breath.
Nicely said, Adonai! I have been wondering why his popularity is slipping–and I like your explanation. His message is so remarkably transparent, and so are his motives. Even a blind pig could find his truffles! And the end of the world meme gets old very quickly. Since he was not able to point at a day and a time, I really think people just lost interest. Even the Bolsheviks realized they could not depend on “war communism” to sustain the revolutionary fervor.
Sometimes people need to crawl into bed, close their eyes, and get a good night sleep. And Beck’s nonsense would not let them do that.
Boy, you have to be pretty bad to spook Fox News, and I think that’s what happened to him. He spooked them. Losing 300 to 400 advertisers got their attention.
I keep thinking he CAN’T be for real; it must be an act. He says things that are just so over-the-top and outrageous that he can’t actually believe it. And the crying. I keep thinking it CAN’T be real … can it? 😉
But, who knows.
I think he says some genuinely dangerous things with his creepy “end times” talk. He’s been going further and further over the edge with that stuff. He’s speaking to some dangerous people with that talk …. and I think he knows that. But, he has a right to do it. And we have a right to call him on the carpet.
I just wish so many people didn’t take him seriously.
It’s almost hard to believe he hasn’t been around in the public eye for as long as Limbaugh has…it seems like he has been around longer.
I personally think Glenn Beck only cares about Glenn Beck and as such he will use whatever is at his disposal to promote himself and to enrich himself. If he causes real trouble with real consequences,…so be it, as long as HE benefits.
I think he is a dangerous person and although he has figured out HOW to enrich himself, even though he had a very troubled past…that doesn’t make him someone to idolize.
There is an old saying….that I believe applies to people like Beck…”it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game”…he doesn’t play the game honestly or with the betterment of all players in mind.
The very fact of his popularity and rise should be not only prof but clear warning that the world and its people are slipping into madness.
The human species is on a trajectory of destruction and not becasue of all the crap this lunatic says But becasue the people believe the crap and will act out on it….Insanity has become the new norm and as such no more thought of as insane but accepted as a normal cultural and social condition.. majority does rule even when fully insane… I bare witness to the decline of man……
Glenn Beck is an American I believe, he certainly doesn’t speak for the rest of us living on this planet. America is not the beginning or end of our world as we know it, so I hardly see this person as being responsible for “the decline of man”, he would be laughed off the air in most countries.
You are correct…My perceptions are completely skewed from living amongst these Neanderthal morons..I need to beat feet out of hear but fast before my brain rots too.
Still there is a lot of similar nuttiness going on in other countries…seems neoconservativisam in all forms is infecting many many modern cultures…its the trickle down effect i assume.. look at the uprisings alone…it took people in the streets to even address the growing Oligarchs abuse of people to make anyone notice..
I see a clear decline of intellect of the mass population of all countries..
look at the coordinated beat down of Wikileaks by all sorts of governments and institutions around the globe for daring to expose the Abuse of these nation states..
No the sickness is evident the devolving is apparent…Choosing Pollyanna attitudes changes nun of that
Yes you are correct that there is enough nuttiness going around in other countries, I just meant that in the country I was born in, and later the country I grew up in, this business with Beck would be regarded as outlandish comedy, no one in their right mind would take him seriously. I’m sorry that you have so many of these arseholes to go around, and even sorrier when I hear people call Beck their “teacher”. 😯 Good Lord,where is that darned head spin from “The Exorcist” when you need it?
😆
I agree, Kalima. Beck is as good as any Monty Python sketch or even “Keeping up Appearances.”
😆 bito. I had to watch it peeking from behind half closed fingers. That was gross!
Or he would be fodder for the team on Radio 4’s “Friday Comedy Hour – The News Quiz”.