Blaming Bill: O'Reilly Is an Enabler, Not a Perpetrator

Originally published on Youthradio.org, the premier source for youth generated news throughout the globe.

By: King Anyi Howell

When OB/GYN George Tiller was murdered by a pro-life extremist, many people placed the blame on Fox News shout (as opposed to talk) show host Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly not only encourages violence against abortion doctors, he mentioned Dr. Tiller on his show more than a handful of times. But, does that make him responsible for Tiller's murder?

Anyone who watches The O’Reilly Factor or follows current events in the Hip-Hop music genre knows that Bill O’Reilly is a fierce opponent of urban music.

The talk show host has held Hip-Hop responsible for everything from teen-aged pregnancy to murder. The same reason I disagree with O'Reilly about his views of Hip-Hop is also why I have to defend him in this circumstance. Just because he instigates citizens into deciding the mortal fates of abortion doctors does not make him responsible for the knucklehead brazen enough to do it. If I were to instruct someone to kick Mr. O’Reilly in the groin, and someone ACTUALLY did it, I shouldn’t get any calls from O’Reilly’s attorneys seeking damages. And vise versa. I don’t even believe the most uneducated, irresponsible, thoughtless member of the Bill O’Reilly fan club would be compelled by a man on TV to go and commit murder, unless they were already planning or fantasizing about it.

I do believe that if Bill O’Reilly actually feels the way he does about Hip-Hop and its effects on society, he should then feel PERSONALLY responsible for his Dr. Tiller’s death, whether he is ashamed of it or proud. He should begin to acknowledge his effect on American society and crime, hate crime in particular. Bill O’Reilly is to hate crime what Hip-Hop is to urban violence. Just like music with explicit messages come with a parental advisory warning, The O’Reilly Factor shout show should begin with a disclaimer: Don’t Think This At Home.



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Comments

[lunchlady]

Everything people hear and see influences them somehow, but they generally have enough sense to act like decent citizens most of the time.
IMO the violence in all forms of media is staggering, and the realism keeps going up. I do think this makes violence seem less abnormal and abhorrent, and passing out handguns is just asking for trouble.
But we have the First Amendment and the free market, so if people choose to consume violent entertainment so be it. This means I can hardly stand to go to the video store or the comic book store or channel surf, but apparently a lot of people enjoy a steady diet of violence and cruelty and gore. I don't advocate putting any limits on this, but it does give me the creeps.

Do Bill and all other pundits have an influence on people? Sure they do, but people have the right to watch whatever they want and think whatever they want.

The dilemma for me is that I want progressives to have equal say, but their relatively intellectual approach isn't as entertaining somehow. People seem to prefer being emotionally manipulated to having to really think about things.

[mannyfresh]

well said!

[Solomon Hall]

A suit needs to be filed against O'Reily and FOX news for being directly responsible for Dr. Tiller's death.

[arcanepsyche]

You just made the exact point this article was proving wrong. O'Reily didn't kill anyone, he enabled the killers to think what they were doing was right. There's a difference, albeit small.

[Zanti]

Absolutely. Of course, that would mean that both the left and the right would have to put their celebrity worship aside. That's probably not going to happen.

Until it does, we'll continue to see a massive double standard between what you or I can get away with and what someone with a mic can pull off. The rights of celebs will continue to trump ours.

[doctordoubt]

Seems like they got Terry Randall on the same issue. They can prosecute, before the fact, for murder. We have free speech, but you still can't advocate murder in this country, regardless what the hard right thinks.

[Didactic Curveball]

The author of this article is wrong, wrong, wrong. Those who incite violence by encouraging it or instructing others are criminally culpable especially when they have an audience in the millions and they misuse their position of influence in such a hateful and dangerous way. Although it doesn't happen very often because of the difficulty in successfully prosecuting, a person like O'Reilly can be criminally prosecuted.

[Tim303]

No doubt. It's in the Patriot Act.

[Zanti]

Yes, but he won't be--he's an almighty celebrity, after all.

[MaximMaximus]

What a nonsensical rant by BillO. But that is expected I suppose. If BillO has irrevocable proof that some abortion clinics have information about the person of a victim who is seeking an abortion, then why is he not passing it to the authorities and report these abortion clinics as well? Have they done that? If so, what was the outcome? BillO, as usual, asks self-serving and loaded questions for obtaining answers to legitimize his viewpoint, or for demonizing someone belonging to a group which opposes his views. First, If he has such irrevocable proof, I'd wanna see it before I can answer his loaded question. Second, I'd check what the law says about physician-patient privilege. Is the physician entitled to disclose such information is the victim is not willing to go to the authorities? Does a physician have the right to persuade the victim to go to the authorities? There are, unfortunately, so many factors to consider to come to an honest conclusion on such a matter. But, of course, BillO was never into getting to the bottom of any matter in an honest fashion. According to him, this is all entertainment. He might be right on the entertainment thing but it's more like entertainment for the ignorant masses to which he caters. It's indecency in its purest form in my opinion.

[TRYKER]

Bill fancies himself as a leader. When he railed and railed against this man, giving out his address, his clinic's address, that was aiding and abetting a crime. He cruised right up against saying "kill him" by saying "well, I can't kill him myself, but..." implying to his listeners, "You could."
FOX and their announcers are in a conspiracy to incite violence and mayhem, they should be shut down.

[Middleclassvotingbloc]

When will the government take aim at those who incite violence, it is happening on Fox and Rush Limbaugh's show everyday.

[CantStopUsNow]

Oh...yea yea.....Charlie Manson was an enabler too. PFFFT!

[Middleclassvotingbloc]

The answer to your question in this article is yes. It does make him partially responsible.

[Clayton139]

Bill O'Reilly is just an entertainer and commentator just like Glen Beck admitted on The View when they caught him in a lie !!!

[Middleclassvotingbloc]

To the far right wing extremist, these people are more than entertainer. The uneducated and uninformed belive every thing these criminals tell them. They are very dangerous, their words can kill.

[Ron333wood]

There are a lot of people in this country that confuse Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck with actual news programs. Because they tend to agree with the "slant", they don't bother to check the accuracy. Hannity and Beck are in the "entertainment" business and they will spew whatever bile raises their ratings and fattens their wallets. O'Reilly has an agenda and it is definitely NOT "fair and balanced". "NO SPIN" means "MY SPIN" and the captive audiance that has abrogated their desire for the truth will continue to blindly accept their bilge.

[Whatashame]

O'Reilly should be charged to.

[pakaal]

You may already have heard, but just a couple of days ago a talk radio announcer was arrested for inciting violence. I don't know how many people actually blame O'Reilly "as a perpetrator", since as far as far as we know there's no evidence directly connecting him to the crime. But many nations across the world have hate speech laws precisely because words DO have power and CAN be that tipping point for some people.

The idea of a "don't think this at home" disclaimer is actually getting it backwards. Thinking it is your own business, no one can censure you for thinking something. Talking about it on the other hand can sometimes be considered incitement, as in the case of Hal Turner.