What if Glenn Beck Was Black: A Response

A friend of mine recently wrote a very good article about racism in America, posing the question, "What if Glenn Beck was Black" http://elev8.com/daily-offerings/what-if-glenn-beck-was-a-black-man/ (read the article, its good), however I disagree fully with his hypothesis. His open ended pondering leaned toward the conclusion that advertisers backing out of Glenn Becks show, after calling President Obama a racist who has a deep seated hatred for white people and white culture, were in some way wront and jeopardizing free speech as we know it in America. The notion that if Glenn Beck was white there would not have been such a fiery backlash is frankly a bit proposterous and (to my own delight), shows that my friend doesn't follow Glenn Beck, which in my opinion, no one in their right mind should anyway. What if Glenn Beck was black?

To understand the boycott of Glenn Beck's show you would first have to understand exactly the kind of manipulative journalism Beck's show offers those who watch it. Since the presidential campaign Beck has been one of the many on the right wing fanning the flames of an ever growing racial current in America. Playing to the base fears of white America while all the while toting it as "news" on his show, though stating in interviews that he is not a reporter. He often twists facts that he reports, though more often he just makes them up completely. When you have a fanatical following of people who in all earnest could very well not be openly racist, just very afraid of the unknown, it is dangerous to bait them with racist and extremist rhetoric. For example, although Obama has no gun legislation on his agenda, Glenn Beck spent months cultivating the idea that President Obama was already underway with a national gun ban. Though it wasn't true it sparked a frenzy among those who believe the garbage that falls from Becks lips. In this instance, allowing Beck his airtime cost three Pittsburgh policemen their lives, a direct result of Glenn Beck follower Richard Povlovsky going on a killing spree, convinced of a conspiracy to take his guns away. What if Glenn Beck was BLACK?

More so than that, Glenn Beck has consistently played on the fear from the American public of a black man inthe white house. Like your article suggests, friend, I do not know where rural whites get their information about blacks from. I might guess some oral tradition mixed with horrible tv programming and typecasting with a dash of evening news. Either way, Americans have had 43 white men as president and rightfully there was some apprehension when that changed. It was Glenn Beck and ONLY Glenn Beck who suggested such outrageous things as President Obama is spending money and creating a healthcare bill as REPARATIONS for slavery. What if Gleen BECK was black?

When I think of Glenn Beck and his often amazingly incindiery comments, the man that comes to mind is Jeremiah Wright. They are both controversial figures, they have both spewed questionable hate speech. However, while Jeremiah Wright was villified by both sides of the aisle, Glenn Beck is celebrated and allowed to continue to have air time. What IF Glenn Beck was black?

To insinuate that Glenn Beck's sponsors are wrong in backing out of his show because 45,000 people signed a petition against him is downright ignorant of business practice and current popular culture. Had Glenn Beck been black the reprecussions would have been the exact same. Its true that Kanye West called the president a racist, but he did lose backing because of it. Though he had no television show that sponsored him, there was a racial backlash. Freedom of speech comes at a price. For the Dixie Chicks, who also criticized a white president, it came at the price of their success. To put it bluntly, as a corporation, the price you pay for associating yourself with people who your consumers dislike could very well be your bottom line. While we are a land that should never penalize free speech we are also capitalist.

We can even go further into the racial divide and use examples of bad behavior. Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna and has had his music banned on many stations, lost most of his most lucrative sponsorships and is struggling to make a comeback. Kobe Bryant had an affair with his wife, lost his Mcdonalds sponsorship, lost his Sprite sponsorship, and had to rebuild his image to only 50% of what it was. We all know Michael Vick's story. Meanwhile, Jose Conseco has cashed in on his steriod use. Jason Kidd has been arrested repeatedly for beating his wife without any reprimand from the NBA or loss of sponsorship. Gov. Mark Sandford cheated on his wife and used public money to travel to see his mistress and has yet to see any legal ramifications. I shutter to think the reprecussions of Glenn Beck's constant "stirring of the pot" if he were a black man. WHAT if Glenn Beck was black?

We all realize that the election of our first black president does not catapult us into some post racial America. In fact, just like during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, for every hard fought step forward there will be another setback. Yes, America elected its first black president, but "their" America didn't. We live in a country where a small portion has the loudest voice and right now they are screaming racial epithets at the top of their lungs. As the months wear on mood is getting increasingly nasty and just like the 60s, many fear that this boiling over will end with the life of the President. That last president to live through such praise and suffer through such rural white unrest with his candidacy was John F. Kennedy, and we all know tragic ending of Camelot.

While I will fight for anyones right to free speech, Rachel Maddow's, Keith Olbermann's, Rush Limbaugh's and yes, even Glenn Beck's, I will not tolerate the sort of speech that misleads and puts others in jeopardy. The corporations are right not to reward Glenn Beck's show with their advertising dollars and in some way that is just as American as Beck's speech. We are land of the free and they are free to back whomever it is that they agree with. Millions of men and women have died for the right of free speech, but when given a pulpit such as Glenn Beck, we should not celebrate his ignorance and hatred. Our attorney general was attacked by those on the right for saying that America was afraid to speak about race, but Pat Buchannan was not even heard when he said that America was built on the backs of White Men and that the reason why white men have dominated America is because they were better suited and he never questions why "The United States Track Team and Basketball team are filled with Black men". You are right, my friend, this is a nation that still has idiots and bigots of ALL races. But I can't stand with you in believing that the corporations are wrong or that there exists any double standard that leans TOWARD blacks. Our president is called racist for calling the procedures of a police officer who CLEARLY overstepped his authority stupid. Glenn Beck can go on tv and call our president a racist who DEEPLY hates whites, is paying blacks back their reparations by spending billions of ALL Americans' money, calling him a liar, a thief, and a murderous crook and Glenn only loses a sponsor or two. Now imagine...WHAT IF GLENN BECK WAS BLACK.