Glenn Beck’s Nazi Tourette’s
May 14, 2010, 9:09 pm
Posted by Cathleen Kaveny
From the Daily Show, by the comic Lewis Black. I don’t normally like his segments–he yells too much. And he’s rude. But this segment really exposed the absurdity of overdoing the Nazi analogies.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Back in Black – Glenn Beck’s Nazi Tourette’s | ||||
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The wackos like Beck and their processing as comic fodder on tv shows are not really advancing mature political debate in America. It’s bread and circuses, a dire distraction from the civic education that a functioning democracy requires.
I think the most effective response to people like Beck is ironic mockery.
What I have against Glenn Beck is that in a matter of a few months he went from a rational if stodgy interviewer on the second CNN channel to the wildman from Bonkersville he pretends to be today. It is very obvious that for a pile of filthy lucre this charlatan is stirring up people in the lower quartile of intelligence of the USA by manipulating their ignorance, fears of things both real and unreal, and their inability or unwillingness to think critically. At least Hannity seems to believe what he is saying. Beck is a cynical fake, and without any doubt Rupert MUrdoch hired him knowing it.
Which brings me to my underlying complaint. Murdoch owns a big chunk of the media market and thus has an inordinate influence over the public. No one person or corporation should be allowed to own so vast a viewing audience/ Beck is what we get when we allow it..
Ann is right about Murdoch and also Glenn Beck is a jerk.
But he gets credence from many on the right, which shows how screwed up we’ve let things become.
When Stewart and Co. start devoting segments to Fox News and its on-air personalities, it’s a sure sign that it’s been a slow day in politics.
I agree that Lewis Black, at least his personna on Stewart’s show, has a lot of rough edges. Nevertheless, I find him extremely funny. Same with John Oliver. Aavid Mondvi might be the funniest of all – wish he was on more.
I adore John Oliver –he makes me laugh before he opens his mouth.
Me, too! – my wife rolls her eyes as soon as Stewart introduces Oliver as the “Senior (fill in the blank) Correspondent” because I start laughing. It’s as if Pavlov rang a bell.