'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1594:
The key part of the Shakespeare quote is:
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
Here is a basic and relevant question:
Hypothetically, can a cable network named "The TV Food Network" play cartoons all of the time if they wish?
Sadly the answer is "yes they can" and the Fox "political channel" can be called "The Fox News Channel."
I am troubled by the name "Fox News." I am haunted by "... What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;"
In media "prehistoric times" (prior to the early eighties) if there was a newsworthy event viewers went immediately to their local broadcast network to find out what was going on. For a variety of reasons this no longer is the case as viewers "swarm" to the Fox News Channel as well as CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and HLN.
During the recent Ft. Hood tragedy viewers watched mostly Fox, followed by the others, and here are the numbers:
FNC: 3,039,000 in P2+ (837,000 in 25-54)
CNN: 1,576,000 in P2+ (471,000 in 25-54)
MSNBC: 820,000 in P2+ (248,000 in 25-54)
HLN: 428,000 in P2+ (177,000 in 25-54)
FNC nevertheless is an "entertainment" network with "news" in its name. They feature performers masquerading as news people.
One of the best performers is Glen Beck.
Beck is a "very bright demagogue." However, has he ever been or is he now a journalist? Does he work in journalism; the occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business? NO!
Beck is not amongst the better educated among us and that is not a requirement in order to be an "entertainer." Virtually all of the cable networks provide "entertaining" content, and Beck is an outstanding "entertainer," but little more.
Beck graduated from high school in Bellingham, Washington. Beck himself admits that he "spent more time in the parking lot than in class." He never attended college, and he is a recovering alcoholic.
You do not need any experience or a well rounded education to "evaluate" whatever, but it sure helps.
Beck has been quoted as saying: "I consider myself a libertarian. I'm a conservative, but every day that goes by I'm fighting for individual rights."
He in favor of individual gun ownership rights and is against gun control legislation. He has suggested that President Obama's health care reform agenda is a means by which he can effect reparations for slavery.
Beck also believes that there is a lack of evidence that human activity is the main cause of global warming, views the American Clean Energy and Security Act as a form of wealth redistribution, and has promoted a petition rejecting the Kyoto Protocol.
Now remember that you heard it here first.
Glen Beck is a reincarnation of the fictional news reporter Howard Beale. I am sure that Rodger Ailes did indeed model himself after the character in the movie Network played by Faye Dunaway.
Try this link and you will see Howard Beale the Glen Beck role model.
I would expect that Ailes and Dunaway were both looking for RATINGS, Ideologies perhaps, but screw principals, "get me viewers."
Beck has been quoted as saying that: "President Obama has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture, he also has flirted with the idea that FEMA is building detention camps, suggested that President Obama is purposefully 'tanking' the economy to force young people to work for AmeriCorps, he is moving us away from our republic and into a system of fascism, we are a country that is headed towards socialism, totalitarianism, beyond your wildest imagination ...
... Obama wants you to work as a bureaucratic slave to government. ... Obama, why don't you just set us on fire? For the love of Pete, what are you doing? Do you not hear -- do you not hear the cries of people who are saying stop? We would like some sanity in our country for a second! We didn't vote to lose the Republic. Obama promotes one world government including a supposed plot to put us all on a global currency controlled by the New World Order. He has warned his audience about Obama's supposed secret plot to grab our guns, speculated that it is actually liberal 'political correctness' that inspires right-wingers to go on murderous killing rampages..."
Network is a brilliant movie, but it was FICTION.
Fox News pretends to be "Real and real NEWS!"
How depressing.