Dear me. Nowadays in this economy where unemployment is high and the economic ground is shaky even dangerous demagogues are not immune. Sagging ratings and loss of critical commercial sponsorship have forced Fox Network and news pundit Glenn Beck to come to an agreement for Glenn to “transition off” the news channel and pursue other “creative avenues” at the network. For clarification, the English translation for the media-speak term “transition off” is plain old fired.
Glenn is a special case. At the height of his popularity in the aftermath of the 2008 election, Beck was a rare bird of roughly the same species as Sarah Palin. We can never seem to bring ourselves to look away from them, no matter what they’re doing. Nor can the media or the pundits. To this day, both Mrs. Palin and Mr. Beck have this magical ability to make utter nonsense plausible; attractive, even. Look at his tears, look at the writing on her hand. Listen to the kind of words that come out of their mouths: race-baiting, incendiary, divisive, violent and untrue. They are both a kind of dangerous mind candy. You know they’re bad for you, but you can’t get enough, even when you can’t stand them.
I remember Beck’s famous blackboard lectures that Jon Stewart satirized brilliantly — they looked a lot like a diagram for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride; perhaps the blueprint for Mr. Beck’s mind. Beck used arcane history, exaggerations and fill-in-the-blank theory that often demonized President Obama as a Nazi and his health care reform proposals as Socialist, stirred up suspicion against Muslims and brought the Tea Bag Party enthusiasts to their feet. His specialty was conspiracy — mostly anti left-wing and anti-government, with a heightened paranoia about how FEMA camps were part of a government plot to subvert America into a totalitarian regime.
Beck has the soft look of a seemingly bright man in trouble. His vocal conviction conveyed intelligence and authority. Glenn was often so convincing in the hogwash he spurted that I think some people wanted to believe him, even when he would change his position or wild conspiracy theory days or weeks later. He was a consummate actor, even when using glycerin tears to make him appear like he was weeping for America. How could he not be a star on Fox News?
But all things end. Yesterday morning, the day of the Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Aries, Glenn Beck announced his “transition from” Fox News at the end of the year.
But this column is really not all about Glenn Beck. It’s about why he is in the process of evolving to his ‘non-job’ on Fox. It all started in July of 2009, when the political action group Color of Change vigorously circulated a petition to the public, which was then sent to all network sponsors of the Glenn Beck show to urge them to stop buying air time there. During the summer of the health care reform debate, Beck was again in the process of wildly accusing the President, that time for harboring hatred against all white people. One by one, big name commercial sponsors dropped away, until all that were left were C-level marketing shares in gold and silver futures and seeds for “survival gardens” in the event of a holocaust. By the end of last year, The Glenn Beck Show had become a checkbook millstone around the neck of Rupert Murdoch, billionaire owner of Newscorp and Fox news. If you know me, you can probably tell I’m not unhappy about this news.
But there’s a deeper joy I feel, and it’s not just at the expense of Mr. Beck, though he is a part of it. It’s because this is a huge victory for the people who refused to get sucked into the soul vortex that has been the Fox News Network and all the networks that have tried to mimic them for profit for the last twelve years. It’s a victory for the active rebellion taking place on the ground against forces that have a lot more public exposure, control over opinion, power and money than we will ever have as individuals.
It’s a victory because those with this power have been hurt by it enough that they need to euphemize Mr. Beck’s Fox network demise to make it appear like it’s a normal transition when it’s actually a career execution. I’m sure there will be other Glenn Becks on other networks to fill that void when it comes. Nature and ratings seem to abhor vacuums. And Glenn Beck himself will probably continue in another iteration on TV or radio on the same network. But the Glenn Beck Show is soon to be no more.
Please remember this: we won. We won because we used the very thing all television networks crave — commercial dollar profit — against them. That is their weak spot. Mr. Beck and Fox News Network were squeezed at the pili breves. And that, my loves, is how we’re going to win this revolution: one day at a time, one demagogue at a time.
So please — let’s pause, take a moment and say this with glee, because I know you want to — goodnight, Glenn. Don’t let it hit ya where the Good Lord split ya’!
Yours & truly,
Fe Bongolan
San Francisco
Brendan and Co.,
I wish I had the room here; it is a LOT cooler up here in Flagstaff (threatening snow and have dusting on the ground as I type).
As to the rest:
Haven’t I been saying (writing, screaming) all along that if we stop spending or even threaten to stop spending THEY will do what WE want?
I am very glad “we the people” have found this to be a great way to get the money-folks to do what we want. Think “A Bug’s Life;” we ants have POWER because there are so many of us against those greedy grasshoppers. Take away their money and they scramble to please us.
Brendan and Rob:
Naughty naughty. Guys, one day I’m going to have to write you both to tell you to knock it off in about ten or fifty years.
Rob –
I like your sequence just fine. Lots of pharmaceuticals in there, and we all know how the R’s feel about big Pharma…
As for GB, I think he’s been undergoing a relapse. He’s admitted to past problems of course, but he comes across as so unhinged these days, he’s gotta be back on something. Methinks his ‘transition’ may be swifter than he planned.
Brendan, your speculation on GOP intake content and sequence strikes me as valid. Still, I wouldn’t rule out a three-day ether binge followed by a solid hour of huffing gasoline from doubled paper bags. Top it off with some Darvocet mixed with a wormwood toddy, and you’ve got yourself a budget plan. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Muchas gracias, Fe!
B-R: sounds like a plan. My brother has 20 acres, we could probably have the party out on the back portion. Excellent sky viewing out there at night, no close neighbors, and only nature to harmonize with.
Of course, we’re entering snake season, so we have to watch for those critters. 🙂 We’ve already hit 85, but it’s cooling down a bit, today we only reached 72.
Brendan! I’ve got it. We will all convene on Cochise County (* I think you mentioned that) and use whatever you have figured out they are using, AND we will all be wearing YOUR T-shirt with your wording on the front, and Fuck-Off, Fuck-Wits on the back and “PWers” on our foreheads!
Deal?
Brendan:
The whole comment — Priceless!!!!!
on a substantially different note: Fe! I have discovered you are Right!: “Use it or Lose it”!
Sigh.
Does practice bring it all back? Too much focus on kids the last three years, too little on self, now paying consequences…..
xoxo
And Good Bye Beck – a swift kick in your ass out the door. Miss you we will not/never.
Several things here: as a native of the northwest corner of the state of Washington, I want to emphasize that GB is in no way representative of the majority of folk there. Certainly there are fans of his around there, but most people in the area would probably rather forget about him altogether. A poor student in high school, he was most known by his teachers (some of whom are still working…) as disinterested in anything but drama and art, which tells you quite a bit right there. They were interviewed by the local paper when he went national, and they also recalled thinking that he probably wouldn’t amount to much either. Good teachers that they are, their opinions of him had not changed an iota.
I’m glad to see him off the teevee, but let us not forget that he’s still going to have his radio program spewing forth. Everyone should now start working on those radio sponsors to drop him, or see they can’t get their local stations to cancel him. To forget radio is to ignore the unfortunate heritage that Rush has created out of that media.
As a general political comment, I personally want some of whatever the Republican Party is smoking these days. Whatever it is, and I’m leaning towards opium, they all seem to be on a hallucinogenic binge worthy of some fairly strong stuff. Ryan’s budget (brought to you by the Heritage Foundation) is so full of flying unicorns and rainbows as to be the product of some of Owsley’s finest. Even the HF is now backing down on some of their own numbers (2.8% unemployment? Acid, that’s all I’ll say). Or, they’re all doing a modern version of speedballing: smoking crack for breakfast and then switching to opium to calm down and keep the buzz going for the rest of the day.
Time for a beer or three!
Jude:
This is going to be just one in a series of battles for the next few years. We need to not only keep up the pace, but be smart, funny and energized in the process. Got to get ‘er done!!
I’m thrilled! Too many reasonable people poo-poo’d his influence. Some of the best advice I ever got was … if you see Crazy walking down the sidewalk, cross the street. Many different groups set out to cross this street and keep The Crazy contained. With 400 advertisers pulling out on Beck, News Corp [FOX News] was footing a gigantic bill and they don’t do anything for charity. Here’s a sampling of why it’s a huge blessing to see him off-air for an hour each day: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/06/in-honor-of-his-pending-departure-the-top-10-craziest-things-glenn-beck-ever-said/
Much like the Wisconsin Supreme Court election that trounced Scott Walker and his supporters — 19 counties flipping to embrace a progressive candidate — it appears that the nation is weary of the scare-mongers. And even Obama’s refusal to take a third short-term budget extension, announced a few minutes ago. Feels like we’re finally getting our feet under us and that’s Good News indeed.
Never will a blowhard of such magnitude get the sabbatical he so deserves.
“He’ll be missed; he’ll be sorely missed.” – Monty Python skit
I love the swiftness of your writing (thought). Rejuvenating.
Brilliant, Fe. Bravo! What a beautiful piece with a wonderful message of hope and empowerment.