Posted on 09/16/2010 7:56:32 PM PDT by flowerplough
Glenn Beck is no stranger to public criticism. Usually, that criticism comes from entrenched critics. But today, Beck was chided by some of his most loyal fans. What’s got everyone so upset?
Beck’s stance on playing dress-up.
Recently, Beck started imploring Tea Party supporters to lose the costumes, and homemade signs, so as not to give detractors ammunition. ( ... )
He repeated the charge on this morning’s radio show, taking umbrage with one costume in particular: “What’s more effective, you as Betsy Ross or you as somebody who looks just like their neighbor, not dressed as Betsy Ross?”
( ... )
“I‘m not saying you can’t go dressed as Betsy Ross or the Statue of Liberty –that would be a totalitarian state … [But] if you want to truly make a difference, it is now time that the Tea Party takes the next step. … And first impressions make all the difference.”
(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...
I agree. Beck is right some of the time but more often than not I am starting to dislike him. I can no longer stand to watch his show or listen to him on the radio.
Now he thinks he can tell the Tea Party what to do! Who the F%$k appointed him boss? Go emote somewhere and let people have their fun taking down the big boys and cleaning out the trash. He is starting to get establishment and before too much longer, it won’t surprise me to see him go Rove!
Glenn can give anyone he wants tactical advice, whether he is a leader or not. Why do you get to tell him what to do but dont like it when he suggests others do something else?
I think one of the issues we have right now is we are reacting emotionally and personally insulted by anyone who has a tactical/strategic opinion that is different from our own. Nobody whens a battle when they are reacting emotionally, because you lose focus. Plus, the emotional reactions lead to everyone calling everyone else a RINO because of 1 thing, and pretty soon you balkanize the movement into groups based on figureheads. You end up with single issue, single politician groups who wont accept anything else.
I was called a Marxist sympathizer because I thought the Tea Party should address the size of government and not deal with social issues. That happened here on FR. It didnt matter that I thought that my reason was to keep the Tea Party focused on its original objective. I offended someone’s “one” issue, and got a label because the argument became emotional.
However, the hand-made home-made signs I believe are critical. They show that the rallies are populated by real people. People who have taken the time to make their own signs. Professional, mass-printed signs (the kind you see at a lot of lib and 'rat rallies) smack of big money backing and "astroturf" - fake support.
Beck is absolutely 100% right. The mainstream media has a mission when it comes to protests and that mission is to make left-wing protesters look normal and mainstream no matter how freaky they really are and make right-wing protesters look freaky no matter how normal they really are.
In the 1980s, I attended the March for Life and the mainstream media would focus in on the people in costume and, memorably, an old woman clutching a huge picture of Mary and holding a crucifix in the air like the Statue of Liberty. While there is nothing really wrong with those people, they let the mainstream media feed the perception that right wing protesters are nuts.
And the reason why I know they do this deliberately and know it's important is that they do the exact opposite at left wing protests. Years ago, there was a thread on Free Republic where a person took a photo at a left-wing protest and then showed the close-in photo that appeared in the local paper of the same group of people. The paper made them normal. The long shot showed them as radical socialists with nutty slogans hanging around people with masked faces. The site zombietime.com contains plenty of raw photos of protesters and their signs at left-wing protests (WARNING: NOT safe for work since left-wing protesters like protesting in the nude) and you'll see none of those people in the mainstream media. In fact, the mainstream media will ignore them to find the hand full of normal people, much as they find the handful of normal-looking homeless families to act as the face of the homeless crisis (well, when Republicans are President, anyway) instead of showing the majority of homeless people, who have mental or substance abuse problems.
But if you want a really great example of how it goes the other way, read the article Did the Networks Sanitize the Gay Rights March? by Alicia C. Shepard in the American Journalism Review from July/August 1993. It describes what happened when America got to see a gay rights march in DC, unedited and uncontrolled, courtesy of C-SPAN, and how what the people saw on C-SPAN and tourists saw in person differed from what the mainstream media showed of the event.
Bottom line: Image matters and the mainstream media will bend and twist the truth as much as possible by focusing on the freaks who show up at right-wing protests and by ignoring the freaks at left-wing protests. Think about how they blew one person shouting "kill him" at the mention of Ayers name at a Palin rally into the face of the hateful right. It's what they do. As a result, being goofy or freaky at a right-wing protest is only feeding the mainstream media's efforts to smear the right, so Beck is correct.
If Beck really wants to blow this open, he should send his own camera crews out and show montages of the crowds, how they really look in long shots, at left-wing and right-wing protests. What the mainstream media shows is almost the exact opposite of reality and all too many people are suckered by it and believe it.
Wrong Wrong Playing nice got us into this mess and Mr Beck start on the Muslims and Liberals with the same vigor.
I think Glenn is “not the boss of me”. I attended both the 9/12 protest last year and this years 8/28. Glenn set the rules for 8/28 and people honored his request but I “know” I trust the individual patriots to follow their own direction in how they want to share their thoughts and feelings. I love the signs and costumes. God Bless the patriots who are driven to produce a sign that expresses their heart and tote it down a street to share with their fellow citizens. God Bless Glenn but I will hitch my star to my fellow citizen who loves this country so much that they will dress up in a Statue of Liberty outfit and shout at the top of their voices that America is worth saving.
Glenn aside, I think wearing costumes does look a little dorky, IMHO. It’s best to look as you do in everyday life. People on the fence can identify with someone that looks like they do. Leave the glitter paint and torches at home.
Dress normally, stand up straight and represent America. I love The Flag and signs.
oh my God, my eyes! Paragraphs are your friend.
Yep. Beck looks awfully silly with the pipe and fake English accent.
The MSM and the left doesn’t seem to like flags either. Should we get rid of those, too?
Not that I am any fan of the costumes, but maybe we can get matching Beck approved uniforms? Little aprons like he wore today on his program might suffice?
Screw Beck on this one.
He is wrong.
MORAL, the MORAL OF THE TROOPS, is something that every true leader needs to consider.
We are not going to be ordered around by any politician.
We ALSO will NOT be ordered around by Glen Beck!
These signs and costumes give us the “grass roots” atmosphere that we need, they make it fun, and they are part of what we are.
BECK IS A TERRIBLE STRATEGIST!
BECK HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TERRIBLE POLITICAL STRATEGIST!
Let Beck do what Beck does best, but ignore Beck when Beck is wrong.
So not dressing up in costumes in order to show seriousness means becoming part of the “RINO” establishment?
I like Glenn Beck... I was an earlier defender ... but Beck is getting caught up with himself ... reading his own headlines ... and on this subject BECK SHOULD JUST SHUT UP...
So many Americans know nothing of their history or heritage... American young and old need to learn about what has gone on before...
Beck is fast becoming a silly GEEK you thinks everyone ought to see the world exactly as he does...
Beck can be useful - I just hope he doesn’t become a useful idiot...
This is one of many reasons I'm not a Beck fan.
“... So, lay off telling them what to do and don’t get too big for your britches...”
I respect Mr. Beck but it would seem he needs to keep his ego in check. I’m with you on this. I hope he listens.
I didn’t realize the HTML links would turn off auto-paragraphing and foolishly didn’t preview my posts. I asked the admins to delete the unparagraphed version.
This is an Alinsky strategy. Those working to change the status quo should have fun doing what they like to do.
Personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the costumes and ( especially) the signs.
The MSM is NEVER going to give us a break, so why worry what the he!! they think anyway. Gutting our side’s fun doesn’t accomplish anything but turn off people.
Beck, go cry somewhere and let “We The People” do what we must (and want to)!
Being told what to do is, so YES!
Based on all of the Tea Party events I’ve seen, 99% of the people dress in everyday clothes. I see far more weird costumes and hats at the Democrat and Republican conventions.
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