The danger of Glenn Beck

Let me give you a portrait of Glenn Beck. Most famously known for his Fox News political commentary show, his on-air crying fits and conspiracy theories about the Obama administration have been the subject of liberal-minded ridicule since 2009. On the other side, he is a Republican’s wet dream for the exact same reasons.

In my opening paragraph I have loaded my prose with liberal bias. Inescapable, perhaps, because I am liberal-minded.

Since we’re all so bloody postmodernised, there is no question of absolute, objective truth and most of us have come to read these sorts of newspaper sections with an ounce of cynicism. The Times is more right, the Guardian is more left. This is, in essence, harmless. It is even a good thing that one can colour the news into entertaining narratives. I know many people that wouldn’t have a clue what was going on if they didn’t read Charlie Brooker.

But there is a very thin line between commenting on news and manipulating news. Glenn Beck is perhaps the most profound example of the latter. YouTube it, if you haven’t already. It’s insane that this man is on the air.

The main thrust of his fear-mongering seems to be centred around his connection of Obama’s presidency to current and historical totalitarian regimes. He manages to accuse the President of fascist, communist, Maoist and Marxist views simultaneously – as if they were all the same thing.

This is laughable. But really take a listen to what he says. His rhetoric is loaded with death-imagery and downright lies. This all culminates to a massively disturbing agenda. The subtext often takes the shape of: ‘Obama and his “Czars” are coming to kill us.’

In the same year he claimed that Obama harbours “a deep-seated hatred for white people”, his ratings soared to the most popular 5 pm slot show in America. Beck’s sheer popularity amongst Americans in 2009 is disturbing. Sure, there will always be the inevitable ‘ironic viewers’, but his popularity at live talks demonstrates that a man with such little base in reality actually did accomplish frightening mainstream success.

Two months ago, Fox News announced that they had “transitioned” Glenn Beck, and he would no longer be working on the network. Although initially disappointed that I would no longer be able to watch his insane tirades, I was relieved to hear that someone had finally made the right decision.

Can free speech become a brainwashing tool that manipulates your audience? Where is the line drawn between a commentator and a corruptor? By posing these questions, am I befouling one of our most sacred political values: free speech itself?