August 27, 2010 at 11:26am
Eugene Robinson got me thinking this morning with his Washington Post column about the Glenn Beck rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
A lot of people are upset about the rally, since it's being held on the very day, at the very spot, that Martin Luther King gave his "I Had a Dream" speech in 1963. Beck has said he is holding the rally to help Americans "reclaim the civil rights movement."
But Robinson says it's just an "all-about-me" event, designed to bring more attention to this publicity lover.
"He just likes to set off little rhetorical firebombs that grab attention - and boost the ratings for his television and radio shows," Robinson writes.
Why, then, asks Robinson, should he even waste his breath writing about it?
In justifying his own focus on the rally, Robinson worries, for example, about the Beck enthusiasts who have legitimate concerns about the economy and their future. "Instead," Robinson writes, "their anxieties are exploited by hucksters who see fear and anger as marketing tools."
So: does media attention to events like Beck's simply bolster the efforts of those hucksters?
Not if we do a good job talking about both the rally-goers' concerns and the hucksters' proposed solutions.
As Robinson says, the concerns are real, and they're based on real problems. It shouldn't be hard to expose the flaws and the lies in Beck-type solutions. Right-wing politicians and pundits will succeed in peddling tax cuts for the rich and trying to reverse health-care reform only if they're allowed to outshout reason.
Nor should we let Beck get away with garbage such as his claim that the civil rights movement has been distorted. Martin Luther King Jr. was clear about the depths of the disease of racism in the United States, and about what he meant when he talked about "equality."
Let Beck shout out his lies, and let the media cover his rally. And then those of us who are deeply troubled by his words need to keep speaking out against them.
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Comments for "Glenn Beck's rally: cover or ignore?" (6)
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Dan H said on Aug. 27, 2010 at 11:38am
It is laughable that Glenn Beck is taken seriously. Worse, that he is even mentioned in the same breath as MLK. If you compare their accomplishments, it's a joke (see what I mean here http://bit.ly/bs5DPm). In truth all Beck is doing is promoting his celebrity and his books, thus building his wealth. And the Tea Partiers? They are willing dupes to help him, and they get nothing but the deserved ridicule and derision from having a frat boy and morning zoo DJ their intellectual and spiritual leader.
john crawford said on Aug. 27, 2010 at 12:05pm
You people in the media are all the same. You claim hatemongering and lies are told by people like Glen Beck, yet you will never be specific about what he has lied about, or what he has said that spurs hate. I also doubt any of you have ever even watched his show. He seems to back up his facts with sources that I can't seem to find any fault with when researched. it seems to me that the liberal media just doesn't want any voices of dissent on their propaganda spin of things. On the other hand there are a multitude of things I've heard said in the so called "main stream media" that have been distortions at best, misleading lies at worse. Watch becks show a few times and then you can judge. I have never EVER heard him say anything remotely racist. I have heard plenty of racist statements out of the people in the current administration, yet all of you are silent about things that need to be at least questioned. What has happened to objective journalism in the USA?
gerry said on Aug. 27, 2010 at 1:59pm
IGNORE - Beck is a huckster just like sister Sarah
Hayden :-D said on Aug. 27, 2010 at 7:49pm
You know, I thing these people are the haters. Glenn Beck is amazing. All he stands for is common sense, not the "right wing nut" stuff that everyone is talking about but no one will explain. Get the facts straight, guys.
Louis Richards said on Aug. 29, 2010 at 7:58pm
I think it is obvious to most people where Glenn Beck is coming from.
However, I don't think I've seen anyone - since Johnnie Ray sang "Cry" in the 1950s - who could turn on the tears at will; why, Beck is nearly as good as Joan Crawford!
ceejayoz said on Aug. 31, 2010 at 4:53pm
Ever hear of Google? Here are some direct Glenn Beck quotes:
"When I see a 9/11 victim family on television, or whatever, I'm just like, 'Oh shut up' I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining."
"Every night I get down on my knees and pray that Dennis Kucinich will burst into flames."
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