I find it interesting how easy it is to castigate Glen Beck based on short clips, many of which are taken out of context. He's an easy target since his each of his shows focus on a particular idea, the facts and supporting information of which are laid out systematically over the course of the hour. Does he go too far at times? Certainly, but no more than his ideological counterparts. Why shouldn't he be provocative? That's his job. He and O'Reilly are the Number 1 & 2 hosts on cable and have been for quite some time, so to chalk his success up to a large following of "loonies" is weak and mentally lazy.
Where Beck is a master is in his ability to weave a good narrative and bookend it with open-ended questions. While I don't necessarily agree with a lot of what he espouses, I do believe there is merit in his approach. He's very clear and openly tells people not to take his word for it, but to research these things for themselves and form their own opinion. At some point, after repeating this directive over and over, one must look to the viewers rather than the speaker regarding the relative conclusions they come up with.
I find it interesting that his is the #1 most DVR'ed show for the 5pm and 1am EST time slots, which means the number of viewers he has every week are actually much larger than those reported by Neilsen (or whoever reports on these things). Obviously, he's saying some things that are resonating with people. Sure, there are those on the left and right coasts that will dismiss his audience as kooks, tea-baggers, and [insert flaming conservative descriptor here], but I believe it is they who may want to take a second look before passing judgment. What's even more interesting still is the Left's inability to mimic Beck's (or any of the conservative radio or TV talk show hosts) success. Point of fact - they cannot and never will.
The reason is simple: Conservatives have a set of values that are specific and easy to articulate. They don't waver with the political tides of the moment or wax & wain based on the sentiment of the day. It is what it is. You don't have to like it, but please respect it. Progressives/Liberals, on the other hand, come across as wishy-washy, emotional, and completely void of any substance - preferring to appear compassionate, understanding, supportive and in favor of what's right. Hmmm...while that's great and all, you cannot lead or govern or even direct an audience based upon such a haphazard approach. Which is why they usually come across as liberal wingnuts chasing their cause celebre and looking for emotional (rather than logical) support and offering lofty solutions that are usually carried out by leveraging other people's money.
Is what he does theater? Sure, it's television. One only need limit one's self to C-span in order to eliminate the majority of theater they receive with their political commentary. Of course, 99% of Americans never even pause when passing C-span as they flip from sit-com to reality show du jure. For that one would be better served by focusing their ire on teachers unions and the crummy American educational system that has produced our current over-abundance of below-average phucktards who make up a significantly larger percentage of the voting public than they should.
Sorry for the rant, but I think picking on Beck is kinda lame and a little short-sighted. It's like picking on Olberman or your local village idiot. I'd like to see liberals stand for something other than some kind of etherial, touchy-feely solution that makes everyone equal in the process. Take a stand and let the American People judge you for who you are and what you believe in. Beck has capitalized on the fact that belief in hope and change wont make it so. Maybe there's a better solution, and if so, I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime, I'll sit back and wait for the barrage of insults, name-calling and other emotionally charged flames that will undoubtedly be flung my way. -StopWhiningAlready Atlanta,GA PS: would love to know how to change my Slashdot user name. hadn't logged in in so long, I couldn't remember.
I neglected to log in, so I'll repost here. I don't wish to be labeled Anonymous Coward....
I find it interesting how easy it is to castigate Glen Beck based on short clips, many of which are taken out of context. He's an easy target since his each of his shows focus on a particular idea, the facts and supporting information of which are laid out systematically over the course of the hour. Does he go too far at times? Certainly, but no more than his ideological counterparts. Why shouldn't he be provocative? That's his job. He and O'Reilly are the Number 1 & 2 hosts on cable and have been for quite some time, so to chalk his success up to a large following of "loonies" is weak and mentally lazy.
Where Beck is a master is in his ability to weave a good narrative and bookend it with open-ended questions. While I don't necessarily agree with a lot of what he espouses, I do believe there is merit in his approach. He's very clear and openly tells people not to take his word for it, but to research these things for themselves and form their own opinion. At some point, after repeating this directive over and over, one must look to the viewers rather than the speaker regarding the relative conclusions they come up with.
I find it interesting that his is the #1 most DVR'ed show for the 5pm and 1am EST time slots, which means the number of viewers he has every week are actually much larger than those reported by Neilsen (or whoever reports on these things). Obviously, he's saying some things that are resonating with people. Sure, there are those on the left and right coasts that will dismiss his audience as kooks, tea-baggers, and [insert flaming conservative descriptor here], but I believe it is they who may want to take a second look before passing judgment.
What's even more interesting still is the Left's inability to mimic Beck's (or any of the conservative radio or TV talk show hosts) success. Point of fact - they cannot and never will. The reason is simple: Conservatives have a set of values that are specific and easy to articulate. They don't waver with the political tides of the moment or wax & wain based on the sentiment of the day. It is what it is. You don't have to like it, but please respect it. Progressives/Liberals, on the other hand, come across as wishy-washy, emotional, and completely void of any substance - preferring to appear compassionate, understanding, supportive and in favor of what's right. Hmmm...while that's great and all, you cannot lead or govern or even direct an audience based upon such a haphazard approach. Which is why they usually come across as liberal wingnuts chasing their cause celebre and looking for emotional (rather than logical) support and offering lofty solutions that are usually carried out by leveraging other people's money.
Is what he does theater? Sure, it's television. One only need limit one's self to C-span in order to eliminate the majority of theater they receive with their political commentary. Of course, 99% of Americans never even pause when passing C-span as they flip from sit-com to reality show du jure. For that one would be better served by focusing their ire on teachers unions and the crummy American educational system that has produced our current over-abundance of below-average phucktards who make up a significantly larger percentage of the voting public than they should.
Sorry for the rant, but I think picking on Beck is kinda lame and a little short-sighted. It's like picking on Olberman or your local village idiot. I'd like to see liberals stand for something other than some kind of etherial, touchy-feely solution that makes everyone equal in the process. Take a stand and let the American People judge you for who you are and what you believe in. Beck has capitalized on the fact that belief in hope and change wont make it so. Maybe there's a better solution, and if so, I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime, I'll sit back and wait for the barrage of insults, name-calling and other emotionally charged flames that will undoubtedly be flung my way.
-StopWhiningAlready
Atlanta,GA
PS: would love to know how to change my Slashdot user name. hadn't logged in in so long, I couldn't remember.
Slashdot Mirror
Where Beck is a master is in his ability to weave a good narrative and bookend it with open-ended questions. While I don't necessarily agree with a lot of what he espouses, I do believe there is merit in his approach. He's very clear and openly tells people not to take his word for it, but to research these things for themselves and form their own opinion. At some point, after repeating this directive over and over, one must look to the viewers rather than the speaker regarding the relative conclusions they come up with.
I find it interesting that his is the #1 most DVR'ed show for the 5pm and 1am EST time slots, which means the number of viewers he has every week are actually much larger than those reported by Neilsen (or whoever reports on these things). Obviously, he's saying some things that are resonating with people. Sure, there are those on the left and right coasts that will dismiss his audience as kooks, tea-baggers, and [insert flaming conservative descriptor here], but I believe it is they who may want to take a second look before passing judgment. What's even more interesting still is the Left's inability to mimic Beck's (or any of the conservative radio or TV talk show hosts) success. Point of fact - they cannot and never will.
The reason is simple: Conservatives have a set of values that are specific and easy to articulate. They don't waver with the political tides of the moment or wax & wain based on the sentiment of the day. It is what it is. You don't have to like it, but please respect it. Progressives/Liberals, on the other hand, come across as wishy-washy, emotional, and completely void of any substance - preferring to appear compassionate, understanding, supportive and in favor of what's right. Hmmm...while that's great and all, you cannot lead or govern or even direct an audience based upon such a haphazard approach. Which is why they usually come across as liberal wingnuts chasing their cause celebre and looking for emotional (rather than logical) support and offering lofty solutions that are usually carried out by leveraging other people's money.
Is what he does theater? Sure, it's television. One only need limit one's self to C-span in order to eliminate the majority of theater they receive with their political commentary. Of course, 99% of Americans never even pause when passing C-span as they flip from sit-com to reality show du jure. For that one would be better served by focusing their ire on teachers unions and the crummy American educational system that has produced our current over-abundance of below-average phucktards who make up a significantly larger percentage of the voting public than they should.
Sorry for the rant, but I think picking on Beck is kinda lame and a little short-sighted. It's like picking on Olberman or your local village idiot. I'd like to see liberals stand for something other than some kind of etherial, touchy-feely solution that makes everyone equal in the process. Take a stand and let the American People judge you for who you are and what you believe in. Beck has capitalized on the fact that belief in hope and change wont make it so. Maybe there's a better solution, and if so, I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime, I'll sit back and wait for the barrage of insults, name-calling and other emotionally charged flames that will undoubtedly be flung my way. -StopWhiningAlready Atlanta,GA PS: would love to know how to change my Slashdot user name. hadn't logged in in so long, I couldn't remember.
StopWhiningAlready, Atlanta, GA
I neglected to log in, so I'll repost here. I don't wish to be labeled Anonymous Coward.... I find it interesting how easy it is to castigate Glen Beck based on short clips, many of which are taken out of context. He's an easy target since his each of his shows focus on a particular idea, the facts and supporting information of which are laid out systematically over the course of the hour. Does he go too far at times? Certainly, but no more than his ideological counterparts. Why shouldn't he be provocative? That's his job. He and O'Reilly are the Number 1 & 2 hosts on cable and have been for quite some time, so to chalk his success up to a large following of "loonies" is weak and mentally lazy. Where Beck is a master is in his ability to weave a good narrative and bookend it with open-ended questions. While I don't necessarily agree with a lot of what he espouses, I do believe there is merit in his approach. He's very clear and openly tells people not to take his word for it, but to research these things for themselves and form their own opinion. At some point, after repeating this directive over and over, one must look to the viewers rather than the speaker regarding the relative conclusions they come up with. I find it interesting that his is the #1 most DVR'ed show for the 5pm and 1am EST time slots, which means the number of viewers he has every week are actually much larger than those reported by Neilsen (or whoever reports on these things). Obviously, he's saying some things that are resonating with people. Sure, there are those on the left and right coasts that will dismiss his audience as kooks, tea-baggers, and [insert flaming conservative descriptor here], but I believe it is they who may want to take a second look before passing judgment. What's even more interesting still is the Left's inability to mimic Beck's (or any of the conservative radio or TV talk show hosts) success. Point of fact - they cannot and never will. The reason is simple: Conservatives have a set of values that are specific and easy to articulate. They don't waver with the political tides of the moment or wax & wain based on the sentiment of the day. It is what it is. You don't have to like it, but please respect it. Progressives/Liberals, on the other hand, come across as wishy-washy, emotional, and completely void of any substance - preferring to appear compassionate, understanding, supportive and in favor of what's right. Hmmm...while that's great and all, you cannot lead or govern or even direct an audience based upon such a haphazard approach. Which is why they usually come across as liberal wingnuts chasing their cause celebre and looking for emotional (rather than logical) support and offering lofty solutions that are usually carried out by leveraging other people's money. Is what he does theater? Sure, it's television. One only need limit one's self to C-span in order to eliminate the majority of theater they receive with their political commentary. Of course, 99% of Americans never even pause when passing C-span as they flip from sit-com to reality show du jure. For that one would be better served by focusing their ire on teachers unions and the crummy American educational system that has produced our current over-abundance of below-average phucktards who make up a significantly larger percentage of the voting public than they should. Sorry for the rant, but I think picking on Beck is kinda lame and a little short-sighted. It's like picking on Olberman or your local village idiot. I'd like to see liberals stand for something other than some kind of etherial, touchy-feely solution that makes everyone equal in the process. Take a stand and let the American People judge you for who you are and what you believe in. Beck has capitalized on the fact that belief in hope and change wont make it so. Maybe there's a better solution, and if so, I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime, I'll sit back and wait for the barrage of insults, name-calling and other emotionally charged flames that will undoubtedly be flung my way. -StopWhiningAlready Atlanta,GA PS: would love to know how to change my Slashdot user name. hadn't logged in in so long, I couldn't remember.