Observation About Glen Beck's Numbers

I house sit for a couple who are pretty liberal and have voted Democrat since I have know them. I was watching TV one day and noticed on their DVR they had recorded the Glen Beck show one night. I asked them about it and they said they never miss it. When I pushed further they said it's a train wreck and they just love hearing what crazy things he will say next. They then said many of their friends watch him and can not stand the guy. I can not wrap my brain around this but have to wonder. How many people watch his show just for the comedy? My Dad use to a show in the 80's called the Morton Downey Jr. Show,not because he agreed with him but because of how outrageous it was. My Dad also gets a kick out of the Jerry Springer show and Maurey.

I told these people I house sit for that they are making him more popular and they could care less. So,bottom line is they hate him and what he stands for but think it's fun to watch him.

It's all childish and pathetic to me now. I used to watch Downey too, but were he to be on TV today, I'd feel the same way about him as I feel about Springer.

The thing is NO ONE EVER TOOK THESE GUYS SERIOUSLY. They're circuses, everyone admitted as such.

Beck is different. None of is shit is an act. He actually believes the crazy shit that he's saying.

The man has some serious mental health issues.

What's going with Beck is closer to the movie NETWORK, where a seriously mentally ill man was exploited by his network for the sake of ratings.

It's very much abuse and exploitation of the mentally ill.

Sort of like Jack Van Impe & his wife Rexella.

That's an interesting point and one does wonder what proportion of his viewers despise him.

Maybe I missed something but I've never heard them say a bad thing ever about any politician.

My point is merely that their show should be unwatchable because it is so patently ridiculous, yet for a time I tuned in weekly just for a good laugh.

especially when there is no chance of being caught in the crossfire.

I used to listen to a radio evangelist named Garner Ted Armstrong when I was a kid. I thought it was satire, a program so outrageous it was only put on late at night when I'd be in my room, lights off, listening to stations all over the country*. Really, it was a scream--old Garner Ted would guarantee your entry into heaven for just $3.95, the price of his book and he'd even throw in some kind of tacky plastic premium!

Imagine my shock and horror some time later when I found out the guy was absolutely serious.

I'm sure the same thing is at work with the right wing ranters. Unfortunately, their message is a lot more insidious than Garner Ted's was and some of those folks are going to find themselves sucked into it no matter how resistant they think they are.

*(AM radio signals bounce around like crazy after the sun goes down and I could get all kinds of stations east of the Rockies. Late night radio not only provided the unintentional humor of Garner Ted, it was also where I could hear everything from Jean Shepherd's stories to gut buster blues that nobody had the courage to play during the day. Yes, I was a squirrely kid)

It doesn't mean everyone wants to be involved in a wreck.

he was really a hoot-- the guy we loved to hate. And you just never knew what would happen...


http://www.tvparty.com/empyne.html

<...>
An exchange between Joe and musician Frank Zappa went like this:
Pyne: "So I guess your long hair makes you a woman."
Zappa: "So I guess your wooden leg makes you a table!"
<...>
After Joe got in his licks, he would turn to 'the dock' to give individuals from the now-outraged crowd their chance to grill the guests - and fling their own pious put-downs. Pyne was unapologetic about his approach, "I'm not a nice guy, and I don't want to be. I have no respect for anyone who would come on my show."
<...>

No matter how many of us hate Beck, it would be a mistake to discount him. It is his influence that is causing major trouble for ACORN and thus for president Obama. He is getting more and more exposure and there will undoubtedly be attempts to link president Obama with ACORN and thus portray the idea that president Obama supports child prostitution and a corrupt organization. With the recent overwhelming senate vote against ACORN and the Census Bureau's decision to fire ACORN, Beck has already scored a victory. By the way, regardless of how scummy and possibly illegal it was for those two people to pose as a pimp and prostitute, I do not agree at all with ACORN staff supporting use of 13 year old girls in a prostitution ring. Very few Americans are going to support that nonsense. We shouldn't either. If you do, you certainly don't have my support. That's not what we're about and we never should be. It is also ironic that ACORN supports certain illegal actions such as breaking into houses in the name of justice. Few would object to that sort of illegality when it corrects and injustice. But prostituting 13 year olds goes way over the line, is terribly illegal and is disgusting and immoral on anyone's scale of justice. 13 year olds should be educated and sheltered from harm such as this.

Getting back to Beck. According to the few reports I have seen, his influence caused thousands of Americans to descend on Washington this past weekend. Beck claims 1.7 million. They shouldn't be discounted either. I listen to Beck and Rush Limburger, etc. so that I know what's going on. I do admit that they are funny sometimes, but that's not why I watch. If you do not know your enemy and respect his strengths, you will lose. Every good coach, every good general studies the enemy and learns his strength and weaknesses. Do you remember the movie Patton where after winning a battle Patton yells "Rommel, I read your book!" That was knowing your enemy and using the knowledge to defeat him. Simply crying that Beck is a wacko is useless and very unintelligent. Read his books like Patton read Rommel's. Watch his show. Learn his strengths and weaknesses (for one he is a cry baby, too emotional). And then intelligently use this knowledge.

not a Nielsen family would that even count in his ratings?