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Why is Glen Beck so Popular?

YmirGF

YmirGF

Bodhisattva in Recovery
The Voice of Reason said:
Believe me - you couldn't make up someone as "over the top" as this guy. The sad part is that, there is a small (but highly devoted) contingent that really buy into this pile of dung.
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Agreed, Tvor, but it's not like there are too many "talking heads" on American television that are truly worth taking the time to watch. Heck, even 60 minutes is hardly worth the effort any more, though Andy Rooney still manages to shine from time to time.
 
Just_me_Mike

Just_me_Mike

Well-Known Member
Sunstone said:
Why is Glen Beck so popular? What's his attraction?
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White folks don't have many charismatic players in the capitalistic field called America. Top that off with Christianity to boot, and now you got a good looking white guy and God in your corner. :facepalm:

Truly, I think he is loved because he gives a simple message to simple minded folks, and there are more of them then there are of me :shrug: :yes:
 
The Voice of Reason

The Voice of Reason

Doctor of Thinkology
YmirGF said:
Agreed, Tvor, but it's not like there are too many "talking heads" on American television that are truly worth taking the time to watch. Heck, even 60 minutes is hardly worth the effort any more, though Andy Rooney still manages to shine from time to time.
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You're exactly right, Ymir. What passes for "news" these days is nothing at all like what we grew up on. It has now devolved into sound bites, opinion expressed as fact, and a total absence of journalistic integrity. The days of a reporter doing some investigative work, and corraborating a story prior to publishing it are long gone.

... and our society is much the worse for it.
 
Yerda

Yerda

Veteran Member
I watch Glen Beck at any opportunity. He's hilarious. I suspect his popularity lies in the ability to play to peoples' biases.
 
T

TheVeritableBuddhist

New Member
The way I see it is that Glenn Beck is popular because he promotes fear. Fear is a very powerful motivator in America. It is what drives politics in general. Fear of the immigrant, fear of the differently-coloured, fear of government, fear of difference. If you listen to these guys (and I mean Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, et al), you'll realize all they're peddling is fear. No real solutions to our very real problems.

For the people traditionally in power (white, Christian men), he provides the hysteria to the soundtrack of their power slowly eroding. He is not popular with other ethnicities. He is not popular with Muslims or Buddhists or atheists. He is not popular with those but to whom he represents, the traditional power base of the US.
 
Kilgore Trout

Kilgore Trout

Misanthropic Humanist
People like d-bags. Glen Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Simon Cowell, Cesar Milan, etc. -- so many celebrities now use the same hook of being a d-bag, because it works. For some reason, people give more credence to those who act like d-bags.
 
The Voice of Reason

The Voice of Reason

Doctor of Thinkology
atotalstranger said:
People like d-bags. Glen Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Simon Cowell, Cesar Milan, etc. -- so many celebrities now use the same hook of being a d-bag, because it works. For some reason, people give more credence to those who act like d-bags.
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I "get it" with the rest of them, but how on earth did Cesar Milan get grouped in with the other clowns? He helps people understand how to control their dogs.
 
Kilgore Trout

Kilgore Trout

Misanthropic Humanist
The Voice of Reason said:
I "get it" with the rest of them, but how on earth did Cesar Milan get grouped in with the other clowns? He helps people understand how to control their dogs.
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Apart from his condescending attitude and mysogynistc undertones, his "insight" is rarely based on animal behavioral science, and essentially boils down to punishing your pet and making it fear you, along with coming up with poppycock explantions for the dog's behavior.

I understand how and why people don't see this, as I probably wouldn't notice many things if it wasn't for my wife, who is a professional dog trainer and animal behaviorist, systematically pointing them out.
 
Copernicus

Copernicus

Industrial Strength Linguist
Sunstone said:
Why is Glen Beck so popular? What's his attraction?
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We all like to watch good actors working their material. His audience consists of those who love him and hate him, just as O'Relly's does. I get the impression that Olbermann doesn't attract a lot of conservatives, but Beck and other right wing infotainers seem to draw a lot of liberal rubberneckers along with the conservative fan base. People love to watch the ridicule, the spectacle, and the rants. It helps Beck tremendously that the liberal infotainment media dotes on his every word, because it helps them to play on the emotions of their audience. Beck's latest idiocy always makes great filler material on MSNBC when there is a slow news day. (By way of contrast, Fox infotainers seldom mention their competition by name. That is a clever and deliberate tactic. They do not see themselves as in the business of pumping up MSNBC ratings. MSNBC, on the other hand, has little choice but to go after their dominant competitor with everything they've got.)

It is a mistake to take Glenn Beck as an example of the depths to which American journalism has fallen. His audience is no different from those who watch professional wrestling, knowing that it is coreography, or so-called "reality shows", knowing that they are largely scripted. Cable infotainers are not there primarily to give the news. They are there to react to current events in a way that people find entertaining.
 
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Sunstone

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
Copernicus;1897652It is a mistake to take Glenn Beck as an example of the depths to which American journalism has fallen. His audience is no different from those who watch professional wrestling said:
While I agree with you that at least a certain proportion of the audience for such things as professional wrestling and Glen Beck might see it as theatre, I think that proportion is relatively small. It can be difficult at times to recognize that stupidity exists and that a lot of people are fairly stupid. That Beck's audience contains a lot of stupid people is, I think, evidenced by the fact that so many of them are willing to routinely send death threats to whoever upsets Beck. I assume that sort of behavior is not typical of intelligent people.
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Smoke

Smoke

Done here.
Falvlun said:
I didn't buy it. It was a gift.

A very warm, soft, comfortable gift...
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I bought one for John. I thought it was funny, and he did, too. He never would have bought one for himself, but he wears that thing whenever he watches television.
 
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