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.