I have made this observation about Glenn Beck.
“Thirty-five years ago, a guy ranting about conspiracy theories would’ve been picked up by the local police. He would be escorted to the local mental hospital, placed in 72-hour committal custody, given some medication, and sent on his way. Today, the same guy would be picked up and dropped off at the local Fox station. Within the hour, he will have his own program.”
That point was made explicitly in one paragraph at the bottom of page 116 of the book Common Nonsense when discussing Beck’s tenure at CNN.
Mainstream-media reporters were perplexed by the arrival of the odd duck on the scene. Previously, grown men who traded in emotional caprice and apocalyptic harangues had been relegated to street corners and local public access programming. But Beck was playing this routine on international cable. In the still young world of cable news, he was a mutant among mutants.
The book not only explores the life and rise of Glenn Beck from a boozing, pot smoking, cocaine snorting, Top 40 morning DJ to the “voice” of the current day conservative movement but also touches on issues such as:
1. How Clear Channel Communications and other radio company conglomerates were able to take advantage of deregulation in the early 1980s and again in the mid 1990s. A regular pattern discussed again and again.
2. Glenn Beck claiming that he was Bob Hope during his cross country rallies for the troops in 2003 (Bob Hope visited troops in the field, Glenn Beck NEVER left the country) and how Clear Channel backed him during his tour
3. The radio zoo culture of the 1980s
4. Two events played a key role in saving Glenn Beck’s radio career: Election Night in America, 2000 and 9/11
5. Glenn Beck’s stunts from his radio days are no different than what he does today
6. In Chapter 4, the book talks about how Beck got into the business of Beck such as the formation of his “university” and his books. The chapter talks about Beck’s book The Real America. There is a paragraph on page 95, where he dedicated a chapter equating incest to gay sex when discussing a romantic encounter he had with his sister on a Ferris wheel. Creepy… no? Listen to this.
7. Glenn Beck’s main influence is Orson Welles. His company, Mercury Radio Arts, is a reference to Orson Welles’ career.
8. Examples of Beck’s race baiting prior to him becoming this media personality
9. Exploring his claim that he is the next Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his rally at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 2010. Huh… there is something significant about that date. If those two were contemporaries… well… read the book. You can check it out from your local library.
I continue to scratch my head about why does Glenn Beck get credibility. Here was a guy who was a shock jock in the 1980s and 1990s. He did not finish college. He dabbles in conspiracy theories. Similar to Professor Harold Hill he gets the populace up in arms about nothing. He does not contribute ANYTHING positive to our nation’s political discussion and yet… he is regarded as a credible source of news and information.
Glenn Beck is closer to Lonesome Rhodes than he is Professor Harold Hill. Yes, Harold Hill does try to sell a message but in the end of The Music Man it all works out be accident. As shown in this clip for the trailer for the movie A Face In The Crowd, the character Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes portrayed by Andy Griffith (yes… a totally different role from the Sheriff of Mayberry and Matlock) puts on the public façade that he is of the people, but in private Mr. Rhodes shows a total disdain of the people who support him.
Glenn Beck has the fear mongering market cornered. His primary purpose, as he has shown in the last thirty years in the entertainment business, is to make money by any means possible. And fear sells very well.
Making money by any means possible has been a trait of Beck, Inc. He did it while bouncing around radio stations in the 1980s and 1990s. He did it as he went from a local program to a television show in 2000s. And now he is doing it as having this sudden religious conversion in the early 2010s. What will he do next to re-invent his message is anyone’s guess?
I have come to this conclusion that Glenn Beck is POSSIBLY some twisted genius. Maybe in his mind he knows that he can say anything and it gets followers. Glenn Beck is a fool… but I ask this question from a great movie…
"Who's the more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows him?"
-Obi Wan Kenobi, Star Wars
No comments:
Post a Comment