September 19, 2009 7:54 AM

Sometimes, the real heroes are the ones who stand up for simple human decency

MY NEW HERO #141: James Rucker

In his eight months at Fox, Glenn Beck has repeatedly prophesied the advent of both Socialism and Fascism. He's wished for Osama bin Laden to attack America. He's hosted 911 truther Alex Jones on his show, and helped fan the bizarre conspiracy theory that FEMA plans to imprison dissidents in internment camps. He paces, rants and cries on the air like a crazy person. Once, he pretended to set someone on fire.... But a Color of Change campaign urging advertisers to drop Beck has already been so successful that Fox may have to reconsider whether Beck is worth it, despite his popularity with the right-wing fringe. At last count, 36 advertisers have pulled their advertising from Beck's show. These include: GEICO, Radio Shack, SC Johnson, Progressive Insurance and Sprint. Last Monday Wal Mart - hardly a poster-child for progressive politics - also dropped Beck's program.

Democracy ain't always pretty. That's not exactly news, and it's been part and parcel of our history since the Founding Fathers decided to tell King George to fornicate himself. Civil, dispassionate discourse is a nice concept, but the reality of the American condition is that polite conversation in a public forum is far more the exception than the rule. Hey, it's a free country...and something free speech is offensive, rude, and ill-informed as the day is long. No surprise there, eh?

Having said that, there has to be a point at which good and decent people- regardless of ideology- come together and recognize that enough is enough. Racism, rabble rousing, and trafficking and propaganda are not crimes, but do we need to recognize that those things pollluting our airwaves is a good and acceptable thing? I could cite specific examples, but my focus in this case if Glenn Beck. Of course, I recognize Beck's right to free speech, and I will defend his right to speak freely. Does that mean, however, that Beck has the absolute right to spew whatever meanness happens to pop into his point l'il haid? Does he have the right to lie, make baseless accusations, engage in petty racism? Perhaps so, but that doesn't mean that those of us who refuse to accept that should participate in supporting this sort of slander and hate-filled propaganda.

While I'm very supportive of the advertiser boycott targeted at Beck's lunacy, I'm very aware that this is a double-edged, and one that should be wielded carefully. While I recognize and applaud advertisers with the courage to stand up and do the right thing, it's tool that can also backfire on those advocating a boycott. My employer, for instance, was one of the first companies to pull its advertising from Beck's show. Almost immediately, though, a company spokesperson said that the company's decision had nothing to do with Beck's lunacy. It was merely a corporate decision about where to target their advertising dollars for maximum effect. That's right; loons by our products as well, and you Heaven forbid that you anger anyone who might be making a buying decision. Jeebus, y'all...if you're going to do the right thing, why not have the courage to stand up and tell us why? Why not just say "We made the decision that we didn't want to be associated with hate speech and divisiveness"? Unfortunately, my employer, like so many companies, live by the Michael Jordan Principle: "Republicans buy shoes, too."

It's difficult to know whether or not Beck's show will be impacted by the creeping loss of advertisers and their dollars. As of today, ad buys (in terms of dollars) on Beck's show are down a hair over 50%. For this, those of us who believe in fairness and decency in public discourse should be thanking the folks at Color of Change. It's difficult to know what, if anything, will change, but when good and decent people stand up and demand change, good things can happen. Beck, and those who think like him, deserves to have a forum if he can find one. That doesn't mean that he has the absolute right to engage in character assassination, racism, and hate speech as his coin of the realm. After all, can you imagine the Sturm und Drang that would erupt if, say, Rachel Maddow, was to engage in a similar manner of poor behavior? Yes, the hue and cry, the weeping and gnashing of teeth would be heard from sea to shining sea. Let a Right-wing talking head do the same thing, though, and nary a voice is raised in protest...until now.

Yes, sometimes the real heroes really ARE the ones who take a stand for simple human decency and dignity. What a novel concept....

WE DESERVE BETTER....

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on September 19, 2009 7:54 AM.

Just sayin'.... was the previous entry in this blog.

Yeah, but was the chicken old enought to consent? is the next entry in this blog.

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