Glenn Beck & Hitler Youth : Tracking The Story
On Monday 25 July 2011, conservative commentator Glenn Beck compared the Norwegian youth killed on Friday with Hitler’s youth camps.
“As the thing started to unfold and there was a shooting at a political camp, which sounds a little like the Hitler Youth. Who does a camp for kids that”s all about politics? Disturbing,” Beck said. [Listen to the first minute of his show.]
The analogy isn’t new. In 2009, Beck compared former VP Al Gore’s campaign to raise awareness about the environment and climate change to Hitler youth camps. From FOX News video, Beck’s pull-quote from Joseph Goebells:
If such an art of active mass influence through propaganda is joined with the long-term systematic education of a nation, and if both are conducted in a unified and precise way, the relationship between the leadership and the nation will always remain close. – Joseph Goebells
Citizen media immediately began sharing examples of summer camps in the U.S. that are similar to the 60-year-old series in Norway. Ironically, at least one series is sponsored by an organization that Beck reportedly founded in 2009, the “9/12 Project“.
I’m torn between ignoring him and wishing that he would somehow go away and giving him indirect publicity by shining this light on his hypocrisy. I’ve opted for light as a disinfectant.
See Storify for media coverage arranged chronologically.
25 Responses to “Glenn Beck & Hitler Youth : Tracking The Story”
Kathy,
In the Tampa (FL) area, out of Glenn Beck’s “912″ project, there arose a camp for kids that even Fox News likely wouldn’t have concocted.
(Created by volunteers from Glenn Beck’s “912″ project)
http://tampalibertyschool.eventbrite.com/
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22802/
Ignore the snake oil salesman. Attention is what he wants and you are giving it to him.
I wonder if he actually thrives on receiving his own attention in addition to everyone possibly else’s.
Thanks, DLS. That’s in the Storify link.
Ron, I decided that light could be disinfectant and not just attention.
Gee, GC, are you dense? He is a rightie, so that’s all it takes
GC-It wasnt insensitive, it was a statement that makes the victims a possible danger to humanity and therefore maybe a valid though sad target.
Calling them stupid for not running fast enough…that is insensitive. Equating them with Nazis crosses the line even in online debate and he did this to children. Oddly I have not noticed this kind of reaction toward victims of muslim terrorist violence. Why does he feel the need to use it now? Answer that question and you will likely find why this is such a disgusting comment.
Oddly this is the same man that wants pity because he gets screamed at when he goes to a movie. Maybe the world should treat him as he treats those he does not find useful, as fodder. I will not but he proves over and over that if he is living by the golden rule he wants no pity.
Funny thing, I remember not so terribly long ago Beck was receiving a higher frequency of interference running from some of our right leaning brethren. Must be it’s finally sinking in that he’s totally off his nut. Good to see a little progress.
G.C.: The story has two parts. First is the usual leftist hatred of anybody on the right that has accomplished anything and has at least some fame and fortune. Second, he really has seemed at times not only to be big-headed but pushing the boundaries into the odd zone. You have to heavily discount the first (filter the lefty BS), but the second you can see or hear for yourself if you choose.
He’s made a niche, and what can you say? He’s not characteristically, intentionally, professionally provocative (and as cheaply so) as Ann Coulter was (barely is, now), but he’s changed from what he was like (another second-tier righty below Limbaugh, did go successfully into television). You can probably say that he’s not as ugly as Gingrich. Many don’t think Beck was being hateful in this instance, but paranoid-conspiracist style (appealing to social-religious conservatives shifting into the far Right) in this instance, and not necessarily to get attention.
J.H.C.
DLS – given that I am the author of this article, I read your first graph as saying that I “[hate] anybody on the right that has accomplished anything and has at least some fame and fortune.” That’s a sweeping generalization to end all sweeping generalizations — with mind-reading like a cherry on top. Your words, sir, mark you as an idiot.
And the second graph — the apologist graph for Beck — is beyond my understanding. I don’t get into the Beck-is-off-his-rocker debate very often. But the extent of this straight-faced (earnest) diatribe boggles my mind. In this one instance, his rhetorically asking a question that he should know the answer to, since an organization he helped start is running said classes, should help anyone with 3/4 of a brain see that the man is either stupid (which I do not believe) or disingenuous (I do believe) … all the way to the bank.
gcotharn — as to your characterization of his comment as “insentive” — see TMSF’s comments. He’s far more restrained than I would be had he not already responded to your post.
Good night!
(edited because I can’t type straight when I’m this agitated)
Terrorist sympathizers sympathize with child-murdering terrorist. News at 11.
But of course “moderates” such as DLS and dduck are huffy that mean liberals are being disgusted by a disgusting man’s comments. Therefore both sides do it.
Unless of course DLS wishes to defend his terrorist sympathizing friend some more?
Lot of distorting going on here. I don’t think anyone is sympathizing here. We all, including Beck (if I may), abhor these senseless killings just as we do the 9/11 and OKC and others even a one person killing. Understand I don’t like Beck (again), but he made an allusion of a little like a Nazi youth camp (did you see the LITTLE or hear it?), not a direct comparison. Yes, he is a hypocrite with his own “camps”
I criticized Beck and disagreed with dduck/DLS in another thread so I won’t go there. DLS is not and does not deserve to be called, an idiot. Beck is one of the bad guys. DLS, although I disagree with him a lot, is not a bad guy.
Name-calling is an obvious breach of the commenting guidelines here. For some reason that rule is often ignored when it’s a liberal woman attacking a conservative male.
You’re really defending DLS, of all people, from being personally insulted? I mean, after all these years I’ve kind of developed an odd affection for the guy, but you can’t honestly tell me he’s not by far been given the most leverage when it comes to calling people names.
I don’t think any commenter on here should be subjected to name-calling, roro.
Thanks DaGoat, I didn’t get a chance to voice my disapproval of the personal attacks. I second you.
In Kathy’s defense her reaction to GC’s comment may have resulted in blasting DLS when he didnt deserve it. It is something I have done as well. Though I tend to freak out on Logan or dduck, gc has a magical way of unhinging me sometimes depending on topic.
He didnt say anything to be insulted over. Of course DLS uses insults to the left as punctuation generally so I also understand being thin skinned but on this issue he even agrees that Beck has lost his marbles. Of course Beck is one of the screamers that if memory serves DLS has always had an issue with though obviously from threads not as big a problem as mine. Then again he probably takes a more dim view of Al Sharpton than I do and thats pretty impressive since I hate Al.
I just read your entire comment and in no way flipped out nor was horribly offended. That is a rather rare event. I cant say I agree 100% but you made a strong argument and I do nearly agree fully.
Too much kumbaya these days, don’t you guys know we are a reflection of the real world out there.
We used to jump on our partisan positions and ride them into the ground. Missing the emasculated (sorry for the sexist remark)axel, the grinder KK, the reference overloaded Leo and others, shorn but not forgotten.
Trust me, I did not mean a sexist remark for grinder. I’m sure KK could find me and make my life miserable. No, I meant her ability to wear an opponent and whittle him to distraction with semantic cudgels.
And, thanks, I aim to be all over the place.
Baaaaa.
I should leave this alone, but I am not going to.’
DLS wrote that my article (“the story”) reflects “the usual leftist hatred of anybody on the right that has accomplished anything and has at least some fame and fortune.”
In this sweeping generalization, DLS is accusing me of “hating” Glenn Beck and all successful people on the right.
My response:
“That’s a sweeping generalization to end all sweeping generalizations — with mind-reading like a cherry on top. Your words, sir, mark you as an idiot.”
This is not a personal attack: a personal attack is “DLS, you are an idiot.” I made a claim supported by evidence.
dduck — I call bull hockey on your claim of innocence.
Please explain. I am from the city and we have ice hockey (go Rangers). And, innocence is not one of my many virtues, so I would appreciate a clarification.
BTW: You did “mark” DLS as an idiot. That’s the same as calling one an idiot. But that is OK, DLS has been called worse.
This is not a personal attack: a personal attack is “DLS, you are an idiot.” I made a claim supported by evidence.
So if I were to say to someone “your words mark you as an a**hole”, that person should not take offense? The key is to say “your words mark you as”?
Saying something offensive is different than making a personal attack. If being offensive were against the rules of TMV, there’d be no commenters left at all.
Every politician is marked as an idiot and marked as a liar, because they have made a dumb/inaccurate or false remark in the PAST, even though circumstances may have changed enough to justify or because it may NOW be the pragmatic or practical thing to do.