Hate Speech from Glenn Beck: Likens Criticism of Fox News To Murder Of 6,000,000 Jews

The Obama administration offered some mild criticism of Fox News the other day. It called its reporting opinion, and not news, and labeled it a de facto arm of the GOP. Now Glenn Beck has responded by likening this onslaught to the murder of six million Jews.

Beck said: "When they're done with Fox, and you decide to speak out on something. The old, 'first they came for the Jews, and I wasn't Jewish' {comes to mind}."

Here is the clip.

By now we should all be used to the right's use of the millions of Holocaust victims (Jews, gays, Gypsies, Poles, etc), as political footballs against Democrats, against health care reform, against taxes, against anything the right doesn't like. But, for some of us, getting used to it is hard.

My wife was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany after her Polish Jewish parents survived the Holocaust and made it to the American sector in Germany. My kids -- American born and in their early thirties -- are missing dozens if not hundreds of cousins because of the mass murder Beck trivializes. And our family had it easy compared to most European Jews.

It is, frankly, disgusting that Beck likens this slaughter -- including 1.5 million children -- to criticism of his rolling-in-dough network. I don't care if he apologizes; who needs an apology from the likes of Glenn Beck. I just hope that Jewish and other anti-discrimination organizations (like the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee) condemn Fox and Beck for their use of hate speech against Jews and others. Because, in my book, trivializing the Holocaust, like denying it, is hate speech.

Comments

[jimmy grimm]

Has Anita called Glen on the hotline his show has yet to debunk and correct all or some of his conspiracy theory claims? or is it that they may have some truth to them?

[valboski]

Hate is an emotion, crime is an action and they should not be melded by politicians or courts in order to suppress free speech.

[Jezreel]

Hate is an emotion that when expressed either through speech or actions causes emotional, psychological and in some cases physical harm to its subjects whether they be gay, straight, black, white, brown, male or female.

Although the U.S. has bizarre laws that protect hate mongers and hate speech under the heading of free speech, those laws do not stop people like M. J. Rosenberg and others who are deeply, deeply offended by the likes of Glenn Beck and his ilk.

[Sabrina Messenger]

Glenn Beck just needs to learn the say "better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

[Schmice]

Mark Twain said that. I agree with you.

[SAGMUN]

John Donne said, “Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

No feeling of being diminished for them.

[StevefromStPaul]

I think you are all missing the point. The reason what Beck said was preposterous and dishonest is because no one is "coming for him." No one! Has his phone been tapped? Has he been arrested for anything he's said? Has Roger Ailes or anyone at Fox or in the rightwing media? Of course not--they've been criticized. Criticized! That's all--not one thing more. They are victims of criticism, not of arrest or extermination or even the hint of a threat of those things. How does criticism suppress their free speech? Are they supposed to be immune from others disagreeing with them for some reason?

Many of us think the criticism is completely fair, that Fox is nothing more than the mouthpiece of the Republican Party, a bullhorn for their talking points. But for anyone to claim that saying so is akin to herding them into death camps is insane. Not "hate speech," in my opinion, just insane.

[Jezreel]

Amen, Steve.

[The Professor]

"Mild", interesting how MediaDoesn'tMatter defines as "mild". There has been an onslaught of FNC directly from the WH and MediaDoesn'tMatter considers the criticism of FNC "mild"?

MediaDoesn'tMtater really doesn't.

[Lulubelle1]

Beck is a crybaby. He dishes it out, wraps himself in the flag, climbs up on the cross, claims to be a rugged individualist, and yet here he is again blithering about how persecuted he is. Widdle Baby Gwenn needs to get a clue that you can't go on TV 5+ hours a week running your mouth about over-the-edge conspiracy theories and making utterly unfounded allegations without garnering a little blowback.

Which is it, Glenn? Are you a powerful force, or a victim? A strong man, or a tiny little nobody? Someone who takes care of himself, or someone who hides behind others? An "America, love it or leave it" guy, or a revolutionary in opposition to an oppressive government?

As for this latest whine... Oh puh-leeze.

Are you a man, or just a really, really noisy mouse? Make up your mind. That is, if you even have one.

[Jimboy17]

Abused by money, poor thing. Abused by everyone who doesn't agree with him. Abused by having to use a bully pulpit to mindwarp a few million people daily. What a terrible, horrible life this poor abused white straight man with money and power beyond most people's measure has. Truly a victim in all ways possible. Does anyone believe this crap?

[wallyman]

Yea, there's that free speech thingy again. I missed your article criticizing Pelosi when she said the town hall protesters wore swastikas as if it was to honor Hitler. If Beck parroted you, you would think he was a genius.

[NoFooling]

Is there someone else that the swastikas are intended to represent and/or honor? Who?
Don't even try to suggest that they are wearing them to honor ancient cultures.

[andrew0823]

Wally how can you defend this type of behavior? Certainly you can appreciate folks who lived through that nightmare would take exception to what Mr. Beck said/or better yet attempted to compare his treatment too. This language/behavior does not add anything to our overall debate. As I am confident you are a reasonable individual and as such even though you see equal or similar language from the other side will not or can not defend the indefensable (SP?).

[JeffMaylor]

I think referring to this as "hate speech" is a bit overdone. In fact, if the principal that all "slippery slope" arguments were forms of hate speech, then we would shut down a lot of useful discourse.

[gs-425]

that is the idea of PC and PC speech. Control.

[wizegeye]

I've never watched Glen Beck, so I'm not a fan. However, I watched the clip and taking his comments and saying that he was comparing the attacks on FOX News to the killing of 6M Jews is quite a stretch. He did refer to Jews, but only in that people during the 30's and early 40's saw the Jews as someone else (i.e., it doesn't affect me, so I won't worry about it). However, as people came to realize, it did effect them. Journalists don't care what the White House says about FOX News because it "doesn't affect them." However, time will tell whether the attacks shift to other journalists if they begin to report on the Obama Admin in a more negative light.

[jayrayspicer]

Right. Calling liars liars is oppression. Calling propagandists propagandists is an assault on freedom. This is the kind of paranoid crap that is finally killing the GOP, and good riddance. The White House is absolutely correct to call out Faux News as the dishonest GOP mouthpiece it is. The White House isn't suppressing an organization they disagree with. They are denouncing an organization that consistently distorts reality in order to skew public discourse to benefit them and their pals.

[LMPE]

The Third Reich is the all-purpose comparison to anything that a person doesn't like.

[Nicole Hutches]

That poem is frequently used to remind ppl to stand up for what they believe, and it's seldom (if ever, honestly) used in circumstances that are as dire as what the oppressed faced in the holocaust.

Using that poem doesn't trivialize the holocaust.

Whether you agree with Glenn Beck or not, it is ridiculous to try to call this "hate speech." Like I said, that poem is used to remind people of what we learned from the holocaust, and it doesn't mean that whoever is using it thinks they are being as drastically persecuted as Jews were.

Now, I wouldn't put it past Glenn to suggest that, but just him using this poem is not an example of it, and the OP of this blog didn't say anything that convinced me that someone comparing their suffering to that of the Jewish race trivializes the holocaust AND should be considered hate speech.

Lots of leaps in logic there, and I don't find that one thing leads to another.

[leftorright]

Fox News is part of a large private company. As with any private company, the main incentive is to increase revenue/profit. Murdoch himself believes it is better to entertain, than educate, due to that very reason. Therefore, the fact that many people seem to rely on networks like Fox News for their "informed" news, is quite perplexing. Murdoch has set his sights on a particular market (i.e. "Right Wing" viewers), so the opinions of the hosts reflect that, just as MSNBC seems to tailor their delivery to a different market ("Left Wing" viewers). News Corp. is a business, not a college.

As a result, the news reported by these networks is distorted to tailor to the sentiments of their target audiences. Glen Beck and co. are ultimately Murdoch cash cows, not pundits.

[gs-425]

H8t speech = what you don't like to hear.

[Gidster]

Rubbish.

Likening criticism of his show to the suffering, torment and murder of millions is just revolting. Beck is not smart enough to understand his action, so I do not believe he had malicious intent, but as any other college dropout understands, making light of the millions who suffered and died is just ignorant.

Comparing FOX news' criticism to that is just dishonest.

Or are you saying you agree that criticizing the propaganda arm of the Republican party is the same as destroying 12 million lives? Again...Rubbish.

[Billy02118]

A voice of reason (and facts!). Thank you!

[Berettasskeeter]

He didn't liken his show to the suffering of millions. His comparison is apt, in that great tragedies usually start with small indignities and slanders.
Semper fi

[wizegeye]

Your comment that Beck likened criticism of his show to the suffering, torment and murder of millions is a complete lie. You have totally mispresented what was discussed and it's this type of uninformed commentary that leads to misinformation.

[gs-425]

what the h3ll does that have to do with h8 speech?

[Jezreel]

Co-signed.

[Billy02118]

Wake-up challenged me to come up with one right that Bush took away, and then told me I couldn't without bothering to wait for a response. I can easily start with Bush's illegal wire-tapping, wish violated the right to freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. His bypassing the right of habeas corpus had the same result. How about the right not to be tortured, to be denied due process or a speedy trial. He did all of that. All unconstitutional and un-American. By ignoring the separation of powers, he threatened the whole basis of American rights, the right to be free from dictatorship.

Garybot incorrectly assumed that neither read the entire entry nor listened to Glenn Beck's broadcast. I did both, and I found Glenn Beck's words chilling.

[Berettasskeeter]

What Americans were tortured? What Americans had their Right to habeas corpus invalidated? And the Patriot Act was passed by a large majority of the Congress, so it wasn't Bush that illegally tapped any wires. In fact, under the Patriot Act, that was legal! As for speedy trial, can you name those people in the recent 50 years who have had a speedy trial???
Semper fi

[Billy02118]

Jose Padilla had his right to habeas corpus violated. Actually, no the illegal wire taps were not legal, hence their being called illegal. And I guess it's okay to torture non-American citizens?