Why I Can't Stand Glenn Beck

I have been a long-time fan of Glenn Beck - long before his show on Fox News, or even his now defunkt show on Headline News.  I even recently wrote a column defending his stance on Social Justice.

I want to be a Glenn Beck fan...but I can't.

I've never really cared to watch Glenn Beck on television - he's always come across as scripted and insincere.  I was always a fan of his radio show, where he shared honest, sincere viewpoints and, for the most part, lived up to the show's tagline, "The fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment."  Over time, though, the show's emphasis shifted much more towards enlightenment than entertainment, making it much less enjoyable to listen to, but Beck tended to be right on the issues, and he offered a historical perspective you just couldn't find anywhere else.

Take away the microphone, and Beck is what many conservatives strive to be: someone who started out in a hard-working, middle-class family, worked hard, started his own business, and grew it into a massive success.  Throw the microphone back in, and you've got the nation-wide sensation that conservatives love and liberals love to hate.

And even though I used to love listening to Glenn Beck and the unique perspective he brings to conservative media, I just can't stand him anymore, for a couple of reasons.

To preface this, I first realized that I couldn't handle The Glenn Beck Program anymore when I turned my radio back on after giving up on talk radio for a couple of weeks.  I was stressed enough at home and at work; I didn't need the extra aggravation of hearing each day how the liberal progressives were screwing America.

But when I turned the radio back on, the Glenn Beck Program seemed different.  There was no "fusion of entertainment and enlightenment."  The show wasn't entertaining, and frankly, wasn't all that enlightening anymore.  The show consisted primarily of two things: Glenn Beck preaching religious conservatism, and Glenn Beck bemoaning the fact that liberals were out to get him.

I'll cover the first point just by saying this: when I want to hear a sermon, I go to church.  Beck used to use logic and history to argue his points, but more and more it seems that he's using his religious views more than logic or history, which in the end just makes him easier to dismiss as a right-wing religious wacko.  Conservatism doesn't need that, especially from as popular a media figure as Glenn Beck.

The other point is a little more touchy, because it deals with finding a happy medium.  I think just about every talk show host that gets criticized spends some time going over the critics and the criticism, offering counter-arguments, etc.  But for talk show hosts, it is very important that they not take that too far.  If they're constantly talking about themselves and how they're under attack, they end up coming across as egotistical and self-important, and that turns a lot of listeners off.  And that is what Beck is doing.  Ever since he started taking on the Obama administration by pointing out the numerous Communists, socialists, and otherwise leftist wackos in Obama's cabinet, the administration has fired back in various ways...and Glenn Beck took it personally...and it was all he talked about (when he wasn't quoting the Bible).

I've given the Glenn Beck Program a few tries since I stopped listening, and the results weren't pretty.  The first time, as soon as I turned the radio on I heard Beck quoting Deuteronomy.  I immediately turned the radio off.  The second time, he was in an uproar about how the White House was attacking him.  I gave him a little leeway this time, but after a couple of minutes I just couldn't take it anymore.  The third time, if I remember correctly, he was quoting Revelation, and the fourth time he spent several minutes talking about how his program did so much more research than anyone else.  I haven't tried again since then.

So, I would like to offer this piece of advice to Glenn Beck (who, in all likelihood will never read this):  Bring back the fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment.  Listening to your program used to be fun.  Yeah, you took the issues seriously, but then you would do More On Trivia every Friday and lighten things up.  Frankly, I don't remember a whole lot about your show from when you were talking about the issues, but I do remember the first time I found your program on the dial and you were making fun of how fat you were.  As a fat guy, I found that very funny, and that's why I tuned in again the next day.  I remember the bit you did where you threatened to kill a puppy if people didn't buy enough copies of your book - that was a very funny bit.  I remember looking forward to More On Trivia on Fridays, and your "Revised Scholastic Films" bits.

And furthermore, use logic and history to argue against liberal progressivism.  That is, after all, how you rose to the heights in conservative media.  I'm not a Mormon, but I do agree with a lot of your religious views.  The problem is, when you're offering counterpoints to people who don't believe, they'll automatically disregard you when you use religion as an argument.  It's a great way to marginalize yourself, but doesn't do much more than that.

As I said before, I want to be a Glenn Beck fan, but when I have to wrap my head in duct tape before turning my radio on, not because of the issues of the day, but because of the host of the program, maybe it's time for me to say goodbye for good.  I'll give Glenn another chance after a while, but I'm not holding out a lot of hope that his show will get better...not with the current administration in power, anyway.

Ann Coulter: Hillary over McCain

In an interview on Glenn Beck's show on Headline News, Ann Coulter stated that she'd rather have Hillary Clinton in the White House than John McCain.



I'm not sure I totally agree - just hearing Hillary's voice gives me a headache, so just listening to the State of the Union every year would become a major undertaking.

Coulter definitely has a point, though: of the three candidates, Hillary looks to be the most conservative. It's a close call (and a bit frightening to any conservative who may be wondering what the U.S. will look like in 2012), but there it is.

John McCain has tried pandering to the conservative base of the Republican party, but in doing so, he seems to have forgotten that conservatives aren't fools - real conservatives aren't mind-numbed Republican robots - we remember McCain-Fiengold. We remember McCain-Kennedy. We remember the "Gang of Fourteen." And we know that's not who we want in the White House.

One other important point that Coulter brings up in her column: one of the things that has endeared McCain to Republicans is the fact that he's a Vietnam Vet. So is Duncan Hunter, and he would've made a much, much better choice for president.

Personally, I can't say that I'd rather have Hillary than McCain - any of the big three (Clinton, McCain & Obama) would be horrible choices for America, and I wouldn't vote for any of them.

At this point, given the choice of Clinton vs. McCain or Obama vs. McCain, I think I'll probably write in Ann Coulter.

GI Joe: It's just a movie based on a cartoon based on an action figure, right?

Wrong.

Glenn Beck has come under attack in the lefty blogosphere over his comments about the upcoming GI Joe movie, where Hollywood takes an American icon and turns him into an international travesty. The reports started with Media Matters and spread from there (because, rather than actually listening to conservatives, liberals just get on Media Matters' web site & parrot whatever they say).

The most interesting of these attacks that I could find came from The Huffington Post which, ironically enough, has a page dedicated to attacking Glenn Beck (which it calls "Beckwatch").

The liberal argument: it's just a movie.

And once again, the left, in reducing itself to mindless attacks, misses the whole point.

As an avid listener to Glenn Beck's radio program, I heard Beck's argument from his own mouth. He's not just talking about this movie. He's talking about the amount of anti-American propaganda coming out of Hollywood that is marketed to our children. The examples that he points out: Superman Returns, where "Truth, Justice and The American Way" was intentionally changed to "Truth, Justice...all that stuff" because the producers of the film didn't think it would be right to promote "The American Way" (despite the fact that America, despite liberals' aspirations, is still the freest, most honorable nation on the planet). Next example: Happy Feet, which was basically global warming propaganda with a pro-UN message thrown in for good measure. Now, Government Issue Joe, the Real American Hero is being turned into the "Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity." Why? Because movie producers are embarrassed of the nation that gives them the freedom to succeed like they have thus far.

Americans are tired of message movies. This is one of the main reasons that box-office figures have been down lately. Unfortunately, Hollywood just doesn't get it...they keep on churning out message movies. This is why the vast majority of my movie collection consists of films made before 1980.



There is another report out about Glenn Beck today, this one from the New York Times, criticizing Beck for his new multi-million-dollar contract ($50 million over 5 years). Beck presents himself as an average guy, but according to the New York Times, this contract makes that claim null and void.

I've listened to Glenn Beck's program for a long time...I started listening shortly after he went national back in 2001. The truth is, Glenn Beck is an average guy...he's an average guy who dreamed of getting into radio, got into the radio business very young, got successful, had some hard times, and then changed his life and turned it into a massive success. He runs his own company, does a daily radio program and a daily TV show on Headline News, and produces a monthly magazine. Beck has earned his success, and he is a testament to the greatness of America, where a regular schlub can work hard, make a success of himself, and eventually land a $50 million contract.