Did Glenn Beck rape and murder a girl in 1990?

[Lemur]

I'm more than a little surprised that a mod posted this, when at Paradox most ordinary members were shocked and asking to have it taken down (and most of them aren't exactly right-wing). I was hoping that people here would have a little more decency. I guess not.

I'm more like half a mod. Ask anyone, they'll tell you it's true.

Yes, this is broad, over-the-top satire. It's also derivative, based on a routine by Gilbert Gottfried.

However, I think the outrageousness of the meme is one of its saving graces. Nobody sane believes that Glenn beck actually raped and murdered a girl in 1990, in much the same way that nobody in their right mind believes that President Obama is a crypto-muslim who was secreted into the country in 1961. Both claims are absurd.

[naut]

Hmmm. I'm not completely sure why this has got you so wound up EMFM. I agree maybe the rape part was a little over the top, asking whether he murdered someone probably would have been fine. But, for anonymous nothing is sacred and nothing works better than shock value, so it's hardly surprising. To your statement: "nasty and bordering on cruel", I think Hosa's post sums it up "What goes around comes around".

Also it feels slightly troll-ish, they want a reaction, they want you to feel disgusted and horrified and angry, etc. Because that's the way any sane person feels after watching Glenn Beck. But, Glenn Beck isn't worth getting bothered about, and neither is this really.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Hmmm. I'm not completely sure why this has got you so wound up EMFM.

I hate rapists. Hate them. They're worse than almost any other criminal in my book. And Glenn Beck, an irrational pundit though he may be, is not one of them and has done nothing to deserve the comparison.

To your statement: "nasty and bordering on cruel", I think Hosa's post sums it up "What goes around comes around".

There is cruel and there is cruel. Making some silly and unfounded statements is one thing (like truthers or birthers). I don't think you can compare an inane conspiracy theory about Obama to this.

[Lemur]

Making some silly and unfounded statements is one thing (like truthers or birthers). I don't think you can compare an inane conspiracy theory about Obama to this.

Ummm ... birthers are proclaiming that our President is an illegitimate traitor who intends to destroy America. Rapists get prison terms; traitors get the death penalty. And let's not go too deeply into the racial context of declaring that a black man doesn't have his papers; the birther take on Obama has a deep, sympathetic resonance with Jim Crow. I guess you'd have to not be an American to call that "inane," EMFM. It's specific, targeted, and it blows a dog whistle on a frequency that evokes a particular response from its intended audience.

If you think Anonymous has crossed the line of good taste, that's well and good, but to then say that the falsehoods and hysteria whipped up about President 44 are "inane" cuts the legs out from under your argument.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Ummm ... birthers are proclaiming that our President is an illegitimate traitor who intends to destroy America. Rapists get prison terms; traitors get the death penalty.

Truthers and birthers are similar in accusations of treason, and yet you'll notice I don't find them as despicable as rapists. And why would that be?

And let's not go too deeply into the racial context of declaring that a black man doesn't have his papers; the birther take on Obama has a deep, sympathetic resonance with Jim Crow.

I don't think it's because he's black. I think that a lot of people jump on the bandwagon for that reason, but I don't think that's why it started. Regardless, the birther movement is silly. Which, incidentally...

If you think Anonymous has crossed the line of good taste, that's well and good, but to then say that the falsehoods and hysteria whipped up about President 44 are "inane" cuts the legs out from under your argument.

in⋅ane [i-neyn] Show IPA

–adjective 1. lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly: inane questions.
2. empty; void.

I don't know how you can say that birther and truther positions aren't inane. They fit the definition quite well...

[Lemur]

I don't think it's because he's black. I think that a lot of people jump on the bandwagon for that reason, but I don't think that's why it started.

I don't think you really understand American politics. Now, there are a multitude of reasons why one might oppose President 44, and most of them are legit. There are ideological reasons, practical reasons, legal reasons, constitutional reasons, etc., and I'm not disputing any of them.

But when people start inventing stuff out of whole cloth, and a (almost entirely) white group of (mostly) Southern people buy into it, I'm put in mind of Lee Atwater's quote:

You start out in 1954 by saying, “*****, *****, *****.” By 1968 you can't say “*****”—that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff.”

And even that is watered down compared to the birther insanity.

When Beck panders to the birthers, he is explicitly endorsing a racist perspective. When he "asks questions" about the president's legitimacy, he is throwing gasoline on a long-smoldering fire.

As for "inane," as a non-native speaker you are probably unaware of its finer implications, that the subject is "silly and pointless." There's nothing silly about a movement that motivates a small but vocal part of the electorate to declare that a democratic election should be overturned because the black man doesn't have his papers. It's nasty and hateful, actually, qualities that you would never describe as inane. Seinfeld was inane, because it's a show about nothing. Inanity implies a certain fluffy meaninglessness, not malignant delusion.

If we want to take this much further we should probably spin it off into its own thread ...

[Xiahou]

I don't think it's because he's black. I think that a lot of people jump on the bandwagon for that reason, but I don't think that's why it started. Regardless, the birther movement is silly. Which, incidentally...

Lemur's convinced himself that anyone who is angry at Obama must have racial motivations. I don't think you're going to change his mind.

It's worth pointing out that natural born citizen challenges are not unique to Obama. People speculated about whether McCain was a natural born citizen and, yes, there were even lawsuits filed by fringe leftists to challenge his eligibility. Of course, McCain lost, so that kind of put an end to the craziness on his account. We'll never know whether or not we'd still have small bands of kooks running around complaining about his citizenship had he won.

"Birthers" aren't even new to this election cycle. People like George Romney, Barry Goldwater, and (iirc) even Chester A. Arthur had questions raised about their eligibility for office. If someone thinks that this time it's different and they can see into the "birthers" hearts and pronounce them all racists.... well, what can you say? Some even think that all the people who are angrily protesting health care reform are really doing so because they don't like blacks.

Is Glen Beck even a birther? Seriously- I don't know. A search on Youtube for "glen beck birther" yields, among other things, this clip from his radio show where he's speaking rather dismissively of them and even seems to suggest that birthers are counter productive.

Regardless, I don't think that claiming he's ineligible for the presidency based on a technicality adds up to treason.

As to the rest of the topic, I think Beck sets himself up for ridicule and deserves it. But I also think frivolously claiming he raped and murdered a girl is in pretty poor taste. I don't know that the best way to paint Beck as an ass is for people to make asses of themselves as well.

[CountArach]

Surely I'm not the only left-winger who would laugh if they did this to Michael Moore as well?

[miotas]

If a joke is funny I will laugh, no matter what it's about or who it's aimed at, myself included.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Fascinating. In my view the reverse applies. Democracy is the means (and the only acceptable means) by which we control polarisation in society and make it manageable. If it were not for democracy, we would witness civil strife and violence throughout our societies every day. And it requires that we bring or keep contentious issues and differences of opinion out in the open so we can find some mode of accommodation for them lest they become too explosive to handle.

I don't disagree with your argument, but my point is that this only works constructively when civil society has the ability to distinguish between contentious issues based on reasoned evaluation. Satire most certainly has its place in an educated electorate, but there are increasing signs that democracy is being undermined by manipulative demagogues who take advantage of the short attention span currently possessed by voters. This trend increases polarisation in society to the point where contentiousness is the sole point - and nations become fractured.

Without preserving a sense of respect for the opposition whilst countering their arguments with reasoned debate, we become Yahoos. And that lets men take us to wars on the basis of lies and abridge our rights using vacuous slogans.

However, I think the outrageousness of the meme is one of its saving graces. Nobody sane believes that Glenn beck actually raped and murdered a girl in 1990, in much the same way that nobody in their right mind believes that President Obama is a crypto-muslim who was secreted into the country in 1961. Both claims are absurd.

To you, these views are absurd. But how many of your countrymen show the same discernment - or will do in several months' time when this meme has taken hold. Maybe not a huge percentage, but enough to have screaming fits at town hall meetings or, God forbid, take violent action against a well-known celebrity.

I know the world is thus, and I rail pointlessly. I wish it were otherwise though.

[Husar]

There are indeed some whackos out there who dream of fighting FBI agents as they come to drag them away for reeducation... but then there are also people who form discussion groups that worship trees and ask their forgiveness for the lumber business.

I find them almost equally funny.

Xiahou has a point in people making asses of themselves by using his donkey ways. But then I thought being asses is what anonymous is all about...

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Lemur's convinced himself that anyone who is angry at Obama must have racial motivations. I don't think you're going to change his mind.

It's worth pointing out that natural born citizen challenges are not unique to Obama. People speculated about whether McCain was a natural born citizen and, yes, there were even lawsuits filed by fringe leftists to challenge his eligibility. Of course, McCain lost, so that kind of put an end to the craziness on his account. We'll never know whether or not we'd still have small bands of kooks running around complaining about his citizenship had he won.

"Birthers" aren't even new to this election cycle. People like George Romney, Barry Goldwater, and (iirc) even Chester A. Arthur had questions raised about their eligibility for office. If someone thinks that this time it's different and they can see into the "birthers" hearts and pronounce them all racists.... well, what can you say? Some even think that all the people who are angrily protesting health care reform are really doing so because they don't like blacks.

Is Glen Beck even a birther? Seriously- I don't know. A search on Youtube for "glen beck birther" yields, among other things, this clip from his radio show where he's speaking rather dismissively of them and even seems to suggest that birthers are counter productive.

Regardless, I don't think that claiming he's ineligible for the presidency based on a technicality adds up to treason.

As to the rest of the topic, I think Beck sets himself up for ridicule and deserves it. But I also think frivolously claiming he raped and murdered a girl is in pretty poor taste. I don't know that the best way to paint Beck as an ass is for people to make asses of themselves as well.

Lemur, I don't think I can write a better response to you than this. All I can add is that I defend my use of inane, because the birther movement fits every definition of it. It's silly. It lacks sense. And honestly, in the grand course of things, it appears to lack significance as well.

[Beskar]

Surely I'm not the only left-winger who would laugh if they did this to Michael Moore as well?

No, I would be terribly upset!!! because he is left-side and I am only looking through my evil right-wing goggles!!!

If I am honest, it is only funny because it is a parody of Beck's style, however, making a parody of Michael Moore's style would be amusing as well, if done correctly.

[naut]

Surely I'm not the only left-winger who would laugh if they did this to Michael Moore as well?

It'd be twice as funny to parody Moore! The man's an easy target though.

[seireikhaan]

The intended humor would be a bit more effective, in my opinion, if they had not decided upon such an allegation. Perhaps something a bit more bizarre, such as consuming a whole infant for breakfast each day, or something along those lines. Rape and murder are not impossible to believe. They happen. Perhaps more than most here at the .org realize. As such, I find the whole thing rather distasteful.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

The intended humor would be a bit more effective, in my opinion, if they had not decided upon such an allegation. Perhaps something a bit more bizarre, such as consuming a whole infant for breakfast each day, or something along those lines. Rape and murder are not impossible to believe. They happen. Perhaps more than most here at the .org realize. As such, I find the whole thing rather distasteful.

Exactly.

[Lemur]

Lemur, I don't think I can write a better response to you than this.

Oh, I think you could do much, much better. Xiahou's response is typical of his posture when defending the well-defended and championing the enfranchised. If he were unable to ignore what I actually wrote and re-phrase it into broad, meaningless generalities, he'd have to work much harder, and actual communication might occur. Note how he is completely incapable of correctly reading the way I used the word "treason," twisting it to apply to people whom I never referenced. But what's a the difference between subject and object when you're batting for your team, eh?

Note how he re-phrases my argument to suit his purposes, rather than making even the slightest attempt to understand what I am writing. His reading comprehension drops precipitously when parsing an argument with which he disagrees. Convenient.

On the other hand, I'm more than happy to debate people who are capable of arguing in good faith.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

The dastardly deeds of Xiahou exposed.

[Louis VI the Fat]

I heard Xiahou murdered this girl in 1990...

[Beskar]

I heard Loius was a Socialist...

[Reenk Roink]

All these ******* Glenn beck threads made me google who Glenn Beck was...

[Megas Methuselah]

I heard Xiahou murdered this girl in 1990...

[Ironside]

The intended humor would be a bit more effective, in my opinion, if they had not decided upon such an allegation. Perhaps something a bit more bizarre, such as consuming a whole infant for breakfast each day, or something along those lines. Rape and murder are not impossible to believe. They happen. Perhaps more than most here at the .org realize. As such, I find the whole thing rather distasteful.

I suspect that part of this satire is about the more dangerous part of the stuff Glenn Beck pulls. That people might actually believe him. For that effect you cannot really have a bizzare case.

[lars573]

The intended humor would be a bit more effective, in my opinion, if they had not decided upon such an allegation. Perhaps something a bit more bizarre, such as consuming a whole infant for breakfast each day, or something along those lines. Rape and murder are not impossible to believe. They happen. Perhaps more than most here at the .org realize. As such, I find the whole thing rather distasteful.

They stole it from Gilbert Gottfried's segement of the Roast of Bob Saget. Through out his whole piece he kept repeating "Bob Saget DID NOT rape and murder a 14 yearold girl in 1990." Which was shockingly not the most offensive thing he said. That I doubt I could repeat. But the whole thing was overflowing with lulz.

[KukriKhan]

Kinneson, Goldwaith, Gottfried... now we know who's running political campaigns: all their evil spawn!.

[Husar]

I suspect that part of this satire is about the more dangerous part of the stuff Glenn Beck pulls. That people might actually believe him. For that effect you cannot really have a bizzare case.

There ARE people who actually believe him...

[Vuk]

Lemur's response to Xiahou (I will not quote such rude material) was not made with even an attempt of civility. I am sorry Lemur, but I cringed when I read that. An intelligent and civilized person would try to counter Xiahou's arguments and show him where he erred rather than flinging childish insults around. If one cannot control their temper, maybe better not to post at all. Why try to make an unwelcoming and hostile environment because someone does not agree with you? No wonder some choose not to check the Backroom.

As far as the matter of the thread, I think it is low class and irreverant to make any jokes about rape, but esp when you could damage someone's reputation like that. I hate to say it, but it is typical of left wing media.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Shall we get back to topic and forego being beastly to one another?

Thank you kindly.

[Tribesman]

Did Banquo murder a kitten in 1990?

[Husar]

Well yeah, of course you...charming irishman.

So what's worse? Some guys believe Anonymous and think Glenn Beck is a rapist(and stop watching his show) or some guys believe Glenn Beck and think the President and the government want to get rid of them to establish some New World Order(and start to buy weapons to shoot government agents/the president)?

At least with anonymous you have an "organization" that is known by it's followers to be just messing around while it appears that there are people who think Glenn Beck is stating serious facts...