A week ago President Barack Obama gave the commencement speech at Hampton College in Virginia, and unleashed a torrent of criticism from the rightist punditry. Most of it centered around his warning that students not let themselves be overcome by the information overload of the Internet Age. But most of the speech, that was ignored by these critics, was uplifting, as was his conclusion:
“A dream of brighter days ahead, a faith in things not seen, a belief that here, in this country, we are the authors of our own destiny. That is what Hampton is all about. And it now falls to you, the Class of 2010, to write the next great chapter in America’s story; to meet the tests of your own time; to take up the ongoing work of fulfilling our founding promise. I’m looking forward to watching.”
I wonder what the reaction will be to Glenn Beck’s commencement speech at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. When Beck’s engagement was announced I noted the good fortune of LU’s student body for having secured an alcoholic, drug-abusing, rodeo clown, college dropout to inspire the graduates by advising them on how to succeed in life by making goofy faces on TV while lying about your political adversaries.
Beck did not disappoint. His speech was a litany of cliched platitudes (Turn the other cheek) mixed with attempts at humor (Taxicabs smell worse in the summer). And for someone whose grasp on reality is tenuous, he may have been engaging in a little projection at times (Your job is to remember who you are). But here are a few notable excerpts, presented as advice that he intended to give to his daughter as she entered college (but never did), that are surely going to inspire these young folks for years to come:
Life is hard. And then it gets harder. And then you die.
There are no coincidences in life. Look for them.
Sleep hard, but sleep less.
Only date those who love you as much as I do.
[Weeping] Only date those who will treat you as I have tried.
Anyone who wants to take your choice away is evil.
Shoot to kill.
I’m not quite sure how you go about looking for coincidences that don’t exist. And I’m pretty sure his admonition about those taking away your choice doesn’t apply to his daughter or any other woman. And tonight I will likely stay awake wondering how to sleep harder. But I don’t envy the LU grads who will have to bear with the memory of this spectacular loser sobbing through his embarrassingly bad remarks.
How will these young people evaluate their prospective dates based on the criteria supplied by Beck? This could have been dismissed as a joke except that it brought him to tears as he said it. And of what use is it to a graduating class, who are looking forward to a boundless future, to draw their attention to shooting and killing? This is the same Glenn Beck who bristles whenever he is accused of inciting violence.
A commencement speech is supposed to be the highpoint of one’s academic experience and something that will last as a cherished memory. But this will have the lasting power of a chunk of Limburger that managed to roll unnoticed under the sofa to ferment for a few weeks. I think I would rather ride in a taxicab in the middle of summer than have to sit through Beck’s speech again.
I can see why he never graduated from Clown College. If he would read up on J. P. Morgan he would know he owned International Mercantile Marine that owned White Star which owned the Titanic. He would know Bruce Ismay of White Star rejected the double davit design to add 16 more lifeboats because it cost MONEY. And he would know Captain Smith ran full speed through 2 degrees lattitude of known ice warnings, not slowing a whit, because it would cost the company MONEY to slow down. Might notice the lookout in the crowsnest didn’t have binoculars issued because they cost MONEY. And my personal favorite: the Marconi operator recieved a message at 10:30 that fateful evening from the Californian stopped 10 miles away in pack ice. The terse reply from Titanics radioman was “Shut up! Shut up!” as this was blocking commercial Marconigrams of stock qoutes and the like that make the company MONEY. And for you working class types, the crew pay ended the minute the jackstaff went under the water. You don’t pay MONEY to a crew without a ship now, do you! The only sense I can make of those sinking remarks is he would go off in the first lifeboat dressed as a woman while the rest of us are the steerage who didn’t have the gates unlocked untill 15 minutes to go with all the lifeboats already gone. It was an age where being a millionaire was really something. J.P. was the worlds first billionaire. It’s all about the MONEY.
Perhaps he does know all of that. Maybe that’s why he isn’t concerned about the American ship going down – because he has plenty of MONEY. The sinking of the ship of state isn’t going to hurt him. But it will hurt all of the poor and ethnically diverse people he hates so much.
Wow after reading your review of Beck’s speech you are no better than the “rightists” that you smugly dismiss. Instead of denigrating people’s character get some character of your own. Instead of tearing down a man because you don’t like his message, go after the message. Fight the message with the merits of your own message, but leave the character denigration out of your reply. It is very revealing that when you have to rely on diminishing someone’s character because you don’t like them, it really shows the weakness of your own message. If you are a Collectivist that does not believe in Natural Rights or Indivdualism then debate your position of Collectivism, Preach your message that man can be perfected through social engineering. Be proud that your universal human rights are derived from the State and NOT Nature. Be proud of your position and declare your message with boldness. Leave the character smears out, be refreshing. Name calling is an old game and if you believe in the perfectibility of man; evolve from the base human weakness of calling each other names. That is the foundation of your ideology, I challenge you to live it! In short if you disagree with Beck’s message of Faith Hope and Charity, Beck’s message of Small Limited Government. His message of Natural Law and the importance of our US Constitution. Then go after those things with the merits of your own policies and ideas. Beck is no originator of these ideas, he is only carrying on what others have developed. Go after Cicero, John Lock, Jefferson, Adam Smith, and a host of others. That is the message. If you disagree with those messages then fight it with the merits of your own messengers. It gets ridiculous when all you ever hear about is when the Right goes after Anderson Cooper or when the Left go after the Tea Party people or Rush. Get to the kernel of the matter and fight the ideology and leave out the unimportant personalities that are only repeating what has already been said.
What a bunch of hogwash. Don’t tell me what I should write. Get your own damn blog. If I want to critique Beck’s asinine speech, including his repugnant character, then I will. Most of what I wrote above is just quoting his own words.
And your sanctimonious misinterpretation of my “message” is only surpassed in absurdity by your assertions that Beck is aligned with people like Jefferson or that he cares about the Constitution. If you want to worship at the alter of Beck, that’s your problem, but I have better things to do – like bashing Beck’s so-called character.
I think someone should have pointed out to the author of this blog a long time ago that name calling and finger pointing is absurdly childish. Anyone so bent on tearing down another person simply because they don’t agree (or for that matter understand) their message should not be given the forum to do so or taken seriously at any level.
It would seem like anyone serious about stopping a message could, as was pointed about above, make a logical argument against the message.
Let’s see how it works when you’re on the receiving end of such speech:
I suppose you’re too busy being a hateful progressive to give the effort required to make a logical argument though, and are currently engaged in trying to find colorful things to say about me. Call a friend, get some help, I don’t have all day. Ok, got a stupid name yet…ready to go on?
Do you watch Glenn Beck, or just listen to what a liberal moron interprets it into for you…I realize that his normal shows do include far too much information for you progressive twits, as was pointed out by President Obama…it’s just too much for you.
So, instead of mocking that which you do not understand, try to learn a few things and then post again on something you do understand. Perhaps start by watching just a few minutes, maybe a commercial or two…hopefully that won’t over load your tiny underdeveloped progressive brain.
I suggest you stick to smaller words too, we wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.
So if “name calling and finger pointing is absurdly childish,” why is it the first thing that you resort to? Your hypersensitivity to criticism just makes me laugh. All I did here was quote a few of Beck’s own laughably inappropriate words.
This was not meant to be an in-depth analysis of Beck’s complete political philosophy. I have written extensively on weightier issues concerning Beck that you can find here, if you really care. But this was more of a look at the sideshow aspect of Beck. I know you can’t appreciate it, but no one is forcing you to read this blog.
If you want to uphold the standard you’re asserting than why don’t you make a logical rebuttal to my comments about Beck’s speech? Is that too difficult for you?
It is very revealing how Liberty University would even allow a habitual liar speak to their students. It’s supposed to be a ‘Christian’ college, but they invited a media thug who makes a fortune by bearing false witness against his neighbors. What is sad are the dolts who lap up Beck’s every word without thought, without reason and without question. Beck and the rest of the right wing media depend on their audiences never questioning what they are told. If their audiences did fact checks every right wing radio or television thug would be out of business overnight. But ignorance is a prerequisite to become a right winger.
Conservatives like to tout themselves as family values ‘Christians’ but it is impossible for anyone to be a Christian and a conservative at the same time. They are exact opposites. If Jesus returned conservatives would attack him calling him a communist, socialist, Marxist and all the other ‘ists’ out there. They would also attack him by saying he palled around with terrorists, murderers, thieves, prostitutes and poor people. And if somehow Jesus was taken off the cross just before he died conservative Christians would deny him health care calling Jesus a deadbeat for not having insurance. And they would stand around him and let him die.
One of Beck’s recent crusades was to condemn ‘social justice’ calling it evil, but the ‘Bible’ that Beck hasn’t read or doesn’t understand has over 2,000 positive references to social justice. But again, right wingers lap up his every word without thought.
Conservatives like Beck, Limbaugh and Hannity exploit illiterate and ignorant people using fear, hatred, racism and anger, all of which would be condemned by Jesus. But conservative ‘Christians’ lap up his every dishonest and hate-filled word like the total fools they are.
Marks excellent writing at D/K is the reason, yes I said it, REASON why I put this blog on my list. See Mark, your on a LIST! Reading archive material reveal a wealth of these neocon Troskyites that are going to make you see the error of, whats that, collectivists thought? well, I do have a lot of electric trains and my old stamp album. Mark writes good stuff. And spazBeck does need respect as much as he needs a rubber room.
I knew I was on a list. See? I’m not paranoid.
“Beck’s message of Faith Hope and Charity”
LOL! Stop! Yer killing me!
I tried watching Glenn Beck on Fox News a couple of times. He was so inept and incorrect in much of his information and so-called “conclusions,” he gave me a headache. He consistently took things out of context, ignored important facts altogether, and tried to string unrelated variables together with the intelligence and academic discipline of a narrow-minded child. With all due respect to Mr. Beck, his posturing isn’t entertainment… it is boring, mean-spirited rambling; especially when this “news commentator” is taking himself so seriously. Ironically, none of his bravado has anything to do with God and the Bible, but neither does Glenn Beck. It is not surprising that people (Liberals, Conservatives, Independents, etc.) who think logically, read, have knowledge, objectivity and perception find Mr. Beck to be foolish and uniformed.