Note to Glenn Beck: Context Matters
First: We are not trying to portray Mr. Beck in a false light, rather this clip is being highlighted to demonstrate a point. In it, he was talking about Woodrow Wilson.
Glenn Beck is an artful and willful deceiver. To this end, he often plays short clips of his foes wildly out of context. Beck not only overuses this tactic, but he takes it to some pretty egregious extremes (like the time he portrayed Barack Obama as a constitution hater for criticizing the 3/5 Compromise…yea…just let that one soak in for a moment).
Well, this clip from today’s Glenn Beck program struck me because it vividly conveys how easy and deceitful Beck’s oft used tactic really is:
To be clear: in the above clip, Beck was talking about Woodrow Wilson. He was not saying anything condemnable, so don’t freak out. Unlike Mr. Beck often does, we are not trying to distort his own words with an out of context clip. We’re simply trying to illustrate the irresponsibility of this tactic in hopes that Beck reconsiders his reliance on it.
Here’s the clip in context:
See why context matters, Glenn?
Onward we go…
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about 1 year ago
I am so sick of Glen Beck and I will not watch Fox Network anymore and we should let him know he is a racist pig
about 1 year ago
Beck does this all the time. I doubt anything will change this. He is beyond contempt. I only hope someone who believes his crap will see this.
about 1 year ago
Context does matter, but in this case, I think the truth is actually with the out of context clip.
about 1 year ago
Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, etc. aren't the problem.
They're entertainers, paid many millions of $$ to play a role. Since most of us earn about $1 million in our entire lifetimes, there will always be someone willing to prostitute their soul for that kind of cash.
The unfortunate part is that their viewers think their scripted roles are REAL. Sadly, this displays the critical need for better funding for schools in America.
If Bill Maher made a joke about Clinton having sex with everyone in the White House, we'd laugh.
If Beck or Limbaugh said the same thing, their viewers would wonder why no other news source is carrying this “important story.”
about 1 year ago
I agree with content matter but America is doing that more and more now but i will not be fool. I know Glen Beck might have not said that but he has said so many stupid thing before that why every stupid thing seem to follower him stupid is what stupid does.
about 1 year ago
Glenn Beck deceitful? You betcha. Just ask all the viewers he got to use goldline. Becks show at fox is unwatchable. I liked his show on cnn when he actually had guests on who were experts. At fox he portrays himself as the expert, he just reads a teleprompter for an hour. He must have a huge ego. The last two days his show has gotten beat by shepard smith, the guy the neocons love to mock for low ratings. When beck had high numbers he would talk about it and show the chart now that he's lost over thirty five percent of his audience hes gone silent which is to be expected by a paid shill neocon.
about 1 year ago
This man lies so often I dont think he even knows the truth when he sees it. Folks who listen to him I implore you to check out what he says independently. You will find 8/10 he is wrong with some or all of his facts. Hate 24/7 takes a lot out of you. He will destroy his health before too long. Mark my words.
about 1 year ago
I realize the left does not view history as other Americans do. I learned in high school, forty years ago, that Woodrow Wilson was a lousy President. He campaigned against the US entering WWI and after he was re-elected he declared war on Germany. Woodrow Wilson did allow segregation which ultimately led to the firing of blacks from federal jobs. His father, a minister, owned slaves and defended slave ownership. I found this at http://www.woodrowwilsonfacts.com.
about 1 year ago
Glenn isn't the problem. His audience is the problem.
He's an ENTERTAINER, not a journalist. There's a big difference between “investigation” and “fabrication.” He makes stuff up to please a specific audience, and it works. The unfortunate part is they want to believe it so badly, they actually believe it. He doesn't tell bald-faced lies, he tells jokes. We would be laughing, but, sadly, he's a poor comic. He tries to be as inflammatory, outrageous and excited as possible in order to get your blood boiling to give you an emotional response. Everybody likes to get their juices flowing. It's only human.
Glenn and his fairy-tale skits aren't the problem; the problem is that people believe he's bringing them “facts” no one else is talking about. He's an ENTERTAINER, and a fairly good one, judging by the millions of dollars he makes.
Ditto for Ann Coulter. And Rush Limbaugh. The list goes on and on.
about 1 year ago
Really? Because I learned in high school, one year ago, from my left-leaning history teacher all of that.
about 1 year ago
Not only does Glenn Beck use video clips out of context but he clearly enjoys judging history out of context too. By today's standards is Woodrow Wilson a scumbag? Without a doubt. I'm not saying he was right for believing what he did but we must understand that the man was a product of his time. He was from the south (Virginia or one of the Carolinas) and believed the Beck-like propaganda and lies about blacks that were rampant in the region at the time.
Was he a racist by today's standards? No doubt.
Was he the worst racist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? Not by a long shot.
about 1 year ago
“You and this website are such incredible hypocrites it makes my blood boil.”
I'd say the same about every teabagger website.
“Obviously you do not believe in the first amendment and that includes Glenn Beck's right to speech as well.”
Do you know anything about the first amendment? It doesn't cover hate speech.
“Not speech as you would have him say, but HIS speech. Obviously he has a lot of followers and your trying to silence him is totally against our free speech in the USA. “
And you're trying to cover up StopBeck's free speech. It goes both ways.
“Spoken like a true liberal – IF you agree with ME – you can speak.”
Raelly? I've seen that attitude more in conservatives.
“IF you don't then you need to be silenced! Hate speech you say? I have never seen such hate speech in my days against George Bush from the libs and the press!”
Except that we didn't accuse him of not being a REAL American and throw hissy fits when he got elected.
“If you libs have your way, America will cease to exist! There will be no more liberty, and guess what, it is going to be disastrous for you and your family as well as the rest of us.”
lolwhut? You do realize that liberalism is about social liberty, and conservatism is about less social liberty? What planet do you hail from?
“Liberalism IS a mental disorder of the first order and certainly does not reflect the majority of this great country even if they do have the press on their side and the gang in Congress and the White House.”
Is it? My DSM-IV doesn't have it listed. Maybe it'll come out in the DSM-V? Also, watch what you say about the majority- Obama and Kerry won the popular vote for their respective elections.
“How many people do you think you can silence? ALL of us that don't think like you do. Good Luck with your endeavor.”
Again, I see that attitude with conservatives more than liberals. I think you need a reality check.
about 1 year ago
“If Bill Maher made a joke about Clinton having sex with everyone in the White House, we’d laugh.
If Beck or Limbaugh said the same thing, their viewers would wonder why no other news source is carrying this “important story.”"
I’m stealing that.
about 1 year ago
….except for all the lying he does. As to your greater point, yes, it’s proper to hold all media accountable–but that includes Glenn Beck by (at least his) definition.
Personally, I’d like to see some fine print at the top, bumpers, and end of his show: “For entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to actual facts presented on this show is entirely coincidental.”
about 1 year ago
You’re reading a lot of stuff into StopBeck that just isn’t there. How exactly is StopBeck trying to suppress Beck’s freedom of speech? By expressing opinions about his show? No sale. By trying to get his advertisers to drop him? Still no sale. His advertisers are voluntarily dropping his show, as is their right. Beck can still do his show as long as FOX “News” lets him. And if they end up dropping him due to low ad revenue, it’s their right as well. At that point, he would still have a right to buy a computer and a microphone and make a podcast, just like anyone else.
about 1 year ago
I agree with you overall, but I think the reason people mistake him for a journalist is that he’s really pretty awful as an entertainer.
about 1 year ago
I think it is a shame for Foxes News and Glen Beck and Russ Limbaugh to have television problem and confuse people who is already have racist idea in there head and uneducated white who think they are better than black people and people of color. I t is so sad that America is going backward instead going forward. I will not watch foxes news and people like Glen Beck Russ Limbaugh Sarah Palin’s and the rest of you racist out there. I love America and would not want to live anywhere else but we still do have problem with racist and the big money is still in the hands of white racist and they will do anything to hurt President Obama and that why I am glad there is a God up above.
about 1 year ago
“If you have to lie to make a point, you don’t have a point.”
If you don’t believe Beck is a liar, don’t worry. You’ll grow up someday.
Don’t expect him to stop. He makes $$millions$$ with this act.
If you believe him, you’re the idiot, not him.
about 1 year ago
” . . . he may be the only media person who IS telling the truth.”
You’re joking, right? You really have to stop getting your “news” from FOX unless you’ve forgotten that there’s a pretty clear line between fiction and reality, though FOX does their best to blur it. “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.” (Daniel Patrick Moynihan)
Check out csmonitor.com or bbc.co.uk to find out what’s actually happening out there. If you still believe FOX over those sources, you’re beyond help, you like it that way, and you deserve to be lied to by people you trust.
Beck has a simple agenda: scare the living bejeezus out of anybody who will buy from his sponsors by telling them anything he thinks they’re stupid enough to swallow. And they actually like it, because it’s exciting.
Reality takes a back seat to Glen’s paycheck. If you were making his kind of cash you’d do the same thing.
about 1 year ago
Except for Albert Einstein, if there’s only one guy on the planet telling you an important story, it’s just that. A story. It may be a lot of fun and get you all worked up, but it’s fiction. It’s made up. It’s Orson Welles and “War of the Worlds.” If you want to believe it’s true, no one can stop you.
Mental health professionals have classifications for people who believe fairy tales are true: you’re delusional. But if you’re $$$filthy rich$$$ and can convince other people to be delusional, you can get a show on FOX.