<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
<title></title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
It's true. I don't care a lot about Jensen's views. <br>
<br>
I do care about the continued perversion of politics by the two
dominant business parties. <br>
<br>
The Democrat faction currently has the upper hand; (perhaps because)
they're marginally less candid about their positions. (I.e., Obama
& Co. lie more: see last night's speech.) <br>
<br>
But the current stance of them and their epigoni in the press is to
jump up and down and scream that they're being attacked by "racists"
like Beck & Co. - and hence only they can save us from the
red-neck tea-party tide.<br>
<br>
Fuck them if they can't take a joke.<br>
<br>
<br>
On 9/1/10 10:50 AM, Morton K. Brussel wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:6CB15F8D-FC86-46E4-85B1-C561098EEB70@illinois.edu"
type="cite">Here, once again, is a sneaky misrepresentation:
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">If the Democrats can
construct Beck et al. as the enemy, they can sit back and
wait for the votes to roll in. </div>
</blockquote>
<div><br>
</div>
Jensen is/has been no defender of Democrats or Obama, indeed a
committed critic, so the rest of the comments below are totally
irrelevant.] to what he wrote about in his article. <br>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On Aug 31, 2010, at 6:14 PM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> No, it's my
left-wing sympathies. I want to see Obama's
faux-liberalism exposed and his policies reversed.<br>
<br>
If the Democrats can construct Beck et al. as the enemy,
they can sit back and wait for the votes to roll in. <br>
<br>
What the Obamanians fear is the truth - that they're
working for the wealthy, risking the planet and
expanding the war, squeezing the poor and middle-class,
and destroying the constitutional bases for opposition.
<br>
<br>
People who produce a parodic version of that objection -
which is what Beck & Co. do - bring that truth into
ridicule. If they can be made to be the issue, BHO is
home free. Jensen is undoubtedly unwittingly doing
that. <br>
<br>
There are two possibilities: (1) ignore Beck et al. and
construct an authentic opposition hat will reverse the
administration's policies; or (2) convince the Beckians
that what they are objecting to is Republican/Democrat
imperium at home and abroad, in the economy and the
polity. <br>
<br>
The latter may be possible now that two-thirds of
Americans know that Obama is lying about the war, as
they do, even though no one on television suggests
that. <br>
<br>
--CGE<br>
<br>
<br>
On 8/31/10 5:39 PM, Morton K. Brussel wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:19039948-0339-4D12-8DEA-B6B25DDF1CAC@illinois.edu"
type="cite">What's the whining here? I would consider
Jensen's response to listening to beck useful
information, since i don't tune in to people like
Beck. Jensen has been fervently anti-war and
"progressive" consistently (aside from his tendency to
talk about the value of attending church), and written
effectively thereto. To accuse him of deflecting
criticism from the Obama administration is perverse.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Are your right wing sympathies offended? :=)</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>--mkb</div>
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On Aug 31, 2010, at 5:07 PM, C. G. Estabrook
wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> Jensen's
a whiner. <br>
<br>
The White House is delighted to have Beck as a
bogeyman, scaring all the liberals back to
Barack...<br>
<br>
I wonder if they pay him for the act?<br>
<br>
<br>
On 8/31/10 11:12 AM, Morton K. Brussel wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:69C0CF4D-4ADF-423B-9F36-E9D55B429435@illinois.edu"
type="cite">Jensen was impressed with Glenn
Beck, and hence fearful…<br>
<div><br>
<div>Begin forwarded message:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);"><b>From: </b></span><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium;">"Robert Jensen
Updates" <<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:robertjensenupdates@thirdcoastactivist.org">robertjensenupdates@thirdcoastactivist.org</a>><br>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);"><b>Date: </b></span><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium;">August 30, 2010
12:10:18 PM CDT<br>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);"><b>To: </b></span><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium;"><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:brussel@illinois.edu">brussel@illinois.edu</a><br>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium;"><b>Glenn Beck’s
redemption song</b><br>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);"><b>Reply-To: </b></span><span
style="font-family: 'Helvetica';
font-size: medium;">"Robert Jensen
Updates" <<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:robertjensenupdates@thirdcoastactivist.org">robertjensenupdates@thirdcoastactivist.org</a>><br>
</span></div>
<br>
<div><br>
Glenn Beck’s redemption song<br>
<br>
by Robert Jensen<br>
<br>
[A version of this essay appeared on
the Texas Observer website at <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.texasobserver.org/thewholestar/item">http://www.texasobserver.org/thewholestar/item</a>/16898-glenn-becks-redemption-song.]<br>
<br>
About halfway through Saturday’s
“Restoring Honor” rally on the DC
mall, I realized that I was starting
to like Glenn Beck.<br>
<br>
Before any friends of mine initiate
involuntary commitment proceedings,
let me explain. It’s not that I really
liked Beck, but more that I
experienced his likeability. Whether
or not he’s sincere, I came to admire
his ability to project sincerity and
to create coherence out of his
incoherent rambling about religion,
race, and redemption.<br>
<br>
As a result, I’m more afraid for our
political future than ever.<br>
<br>
First, to be clear: Beck is the
embodiment of everything I dislike
about the U.S. politics and
contemporary culture. As a
left/feminist with anti-capitalist and
anti-empire politics, I disagree with
most every policy position he takes.
As a journalist and professor who
values intellectual standards for
political discourse, I find his
willful ignorance and skillful deceit
to be unconscionable.<br>
<br>
So, I’m not looking for a charismatic
leader to follow and I haven’t been
seduced by Beck’s televisual charm,
nor have I given up on radical
politics. Instead, I’m trying to
understand what happened when I sat
down at my computer on Saturday
morning and plugged into the live
stream of the event. Expecting to see
just another right-wing base-building
extravaganza that would speak to a
narrow audience, I planned to watch
for a few minutes before getting onto
other projects. I stayed glued to my
chair for the three-hour event.<br>
<br>
My conclusion: What I saw was the most
rhetorically and visually
sophisticated political spectacle in
recent memory. Beck was able to both
connect to a right-wing base while at
the same time moving beyond the
Republican Party and the Tea Party
movement, potentially creating a new
audience for his politics. It’s
foolish to make a prediction based on
one rally, but I think Beck’s
performance marked his move from
blowhard broadcaster to front man for
a potentially game-changing political
configuration.<br>
<br>
My advice: Liberals, progressive, and
leftists -- who may be tempted to
denounce him as a demagogue and move
on -- should take all this seriously
and try to understand what he’s doing.
Here’s my best attempt to understand
it.<br>
<br>
Religion<br>
There’s nothing new about mixing
Christianity and right-wing politics
in the United States, and Beck put
forward a familiar framework: America
is a Christian nation that honors
religious freedom. Christians lead the
way in the United States, but the way
is open to all who believe in God.
Anyone teaching the “lasting
principles” found in all faiths is
welcome, despite theological
differences. “What they do agree on is
God is the answer,” Beck said in his
call for a central role for religious
institutions, whether they be
churches, synagogues, or mosques.<br>
<br>
But for all the religious rhetoric,
Beck never talked about the hot-button
issues that are important to
conservative Christians. No mention of
abortion or gays and lesbians.
Theologically based arguments against
evolution and global warming were not
on the table. No one bashed Islam as a
devilish faith.<br>
<br>
Instead, Beck concentrated on basics
on which he could easily get
consensus. God has given us the pieces
-- faith, hope, and charity -- and all
we have to do is put them together.
Rather than arrogantly assert that God
is on our side, he said, we have to be
on God’s side.<br>
<br>
Beck may eventually have to voice
clear opposition to abortion and gay
marriage to hold onto conservative
Christian supporters, but on Saturday
it was his apparent religious
sincerity that mattered. I have no way
to know how serious Beck’s faith in a
traditional conception of God really
is, but it doesn’t matter. He sounds
sincere and moves sincere; he creates
a feeling of sincerity. He brings an
emotional candor to public discussion
of religion that is unusual for
someone in his line of work. When
religious people believe that
someone’s profession of faith is real
-- that it’s rooted in a basic decency
and is deeply felt -- then differences
over doctrine become less crucial.<br>
<br>
There has been some discussion of
whether Beck, a convert to Mormonism,
can really connect to Protestants and
Catholics, some of whom view the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints as a cult rather than an
authentic Christian denomination. No
doubt some evangelical/fundamentalist
Christians will reject Beck, but his
personal appeal could overcome those
objections for many others.<br>
<br>
Race<br>
There’s also nothing new in Beck’s
analysis of race. Like most
conservatives, he argues that
America’s racism is mostly a thing of
the past, and that racial justice
means a level playing field that
offers equal opportunity but does not
guarantee equal outcomes. Rather than
come to terms with the way white
supremacy continues to affect those
outcomes through institutionalized
racism and unconscious prejudices,
folks like Beck prefer a simple story
about personal transcendence and the
end of racism.<br>
<br>
What was different about Beck’s
version of this story was the
supporting cast. There were a lot of
non-white people on the stage,
including a significant number of
African Americans. The rally went well
beyond the tokenism that we are used
to seeing, not only in the Republican
Party but also in institutions
throughout society. Beck not only gave
a featured speaking slot to Alveda
King -- one of Martin Luther King,
Jr.’s nieces, no doubt selected to
bolster his claim to be speaking in
the MLK tradition -- but also paid
close attention to race throughout the
day. Take a look at the lineup for the
presenters of the three civilian
badges of merit for faith, hope, and
charity: An American Indian presenting
to an African-American; a white man
presenting to a Dominican; and a
Mexican-American presenting to a white
man, with a black woman accepting on
his behalf.<br>
<br>
Is it all cynical and symbolic? For
those of us who are white, do we have
a right to ask that question in the
presence of so much passion from the
people of color on stage? These
weren’t cardboard cutouts shoved in
front of a camera to add color, but an
eclectic mix of people, all espousing
a fundamental faith that they seemed
to share with Beck.<br>
<br>
Whether a movement rooted in Beck’s
approach can gain wide acceptance in
non-white communities is not the only
question. For white people who are
struggling with how to live (or, at
least, appear to live) a commitment to
racial justice, this kind of space
will be attractive. Tea Party
gatherings are weighed down by an
overt racial ideology that limits
their appeal; Beck may have a strategy
that overcomes that problem, creating
a movement that has a significant
enough non-white component to make
white people feel good about
themselves without really challenging
white dominance.<br>
<br>
Redemption<br>
The key message of the “Restoring
Honor” rally was redemption, personal
and collective, the personal
intertwined with the collective.
Unlike some reactionary right-wingers,
Beck spoke often about America’s
mistakes -- though all of them are set
safely in the past. Rather than try to
downplay slavery, he highlighted it.
It is one of America’s “scars,” a term
he repeated over and over, to
emphasize that our moral and political
failures are from history, not of this
moment.<br>
<br>
“America has been both terribly good
and terribly bad,” leaving us with a
choice, he said. “We either let those
scars crush us or redeem us.” Just as
all individuals sin, so do all
nations. Just as in our personal life
we seek redemption, so do we as a
nation. Framed that way, who would not
want to choose the path of redemption?<br>
<br>
But while on one level America has
sinned, on another level it is beyond
reproach. “It’s not just a country,
it’s an idea, that man can rule
himself,” Beck said. An idea remains
pure, which means we don’t have to
wonder whether there’s something about
our political and economic systems
that leads to failures; injustice must
be the product of individual’s
mistakes, not flaws in the systems in
which they operate.<br>
<br>
This is all standard conservative
ideology as well. The United States is
not just a nation struggling to be
more democratic, but is the essence of
democracy. Our wars are, by
definition, wars of liberation. The
wealth-concentrating capitalist system
is not an impediment to freedom but is
the essence of freedom. How any of
this jibes with the egalitarian and
anti-imperial spirit of the Gospels is
off the table, because the United
States is a Christian country and the
idea of the United States is beyond
reproach.<br>
<br>
But, again, the key to Beck’s success
is not just the ideology but the way
he puts it all together. A nation
whose wealth rests on genocide,
slavery, and ongoing domination of the
Third World is the nation that defines
faith, hope, and charity? Beck
“proves” it by connecting Moses to
George Washington to Abraham Lincoln
to Martin Luther King, Jr. All are
part of the same tradition, the same
striving for freedom.<br>
<br>
Beck is the perfect person to sing
this redemption song. He talks openly
of the alcohol and drug abuse that
ruled his life until he discovered his
faith in God. Unlike George W. Bush,
Beck tells the story with conviction.
Perhaps both Bush and Beck tell the
truth about their experience, but Beck
makes you feel it is the truth in a
way Bush could never pull off.<br>
<br>
Reactions<br>
Wait a minute, you say, none of this
makes a lick of sense. Beck tosses a
confused and confusing word salad that
rewrites history and ignores reality.
Maybe it sounds good, if you throw in
enough energetic music and
inspirational personal stories from
veterans, ministers, philanthropists,
and skillful TV personalities. But
it’s really nothing but old right-wing
ideology, no matter how slick and
heartfelt the presentation.<br>
<br>
What would Beck’s supporters say?
Probably something like this:<br>
<br>
So, you are one of those who wants to
keep picking at the scars. Why do you
lack faith, reject hope, refuse to
offer charity? Why do you turn away
from the values and principles that
made us great? Glenn said it: “We must
advance or perish. I choose, advance.”
Glenn wants to help us advance, and
you want us to perish.<br>
<br>
I agree that Beck is wrong about
almost everything. I agree that given
his record of demagoguery and
deception, he is unfit for work in the
news media or political leadership. I
agree that he may be one of those
people incapable of sincerity, someone
whose “real” personality is
indistinguishable from his stage
persona. I agree that he’s a scary
guy.<br>
<br>
I agree with all that, which is why I
don’t really like Glenn Beck. If I
ever got close to Beck I would
probably like him even less. But after
watching his performance on a screen
over those three hours, I understand
why it’s so easy to like him, at least
on a screen. His convoluted mix of
arrogance and humility is likeable, so
long as one doesn’t look too closely
at the details.<br>
<br>
More than ever, people in the United
States don’t want to look at details,
because the details are bleak. Beck is
on the national stage at a time when
we face real collapse. One need not be
a Revelation-quoting end-timer to
recognize that we are a nation on the
way down, living on a planet that is
no longer able to supply the endless
bounty of our dreams. That’s a
difficult reality to face, one that
many clamor to deny.<br>
<br>
The danger of Beck is not just his
appeal to fellow conservatives, but
rather his appeal to anyone who wants
to deny reality. My fear is not that
he will galvanize a conservative base
and make a bid for leadership of that
part of the political spectrum, but
that his message will resonate with
moderates, maybe even some liberals,
who despair over the future.<br>
<br>
Does worrying about Beck’s appeal
beyond the far right seem far fetched?
The most important rhetorical move
Beck made on Saturday was to claim the
rally “has nothing to do with
politics.” Many people across the
ideological spectrum want desperately
to escape from contemporary politics,
which seems to be a source of endless
frustration and heartbrea<br>
<br>
To those people, Glenn Beck’s
redemption song will be seductive.<br>
<br>
-----------------------<br>
<br>
<br>
Robert Jensen is a journalism
professor at the University of Texas
at Austin and board member of the
Third Coast Activist Resource Center
in Austin. He is the author of All My
Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive
Path to the Prophetic Voice, (Soft
Skull Press, 2009); Getting Off:
Pornography and the End of Masculinity
(South End Press, 2007); The Heart of
Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism
and White Privilege (City Lights,
2005); Citizens of the Empire: The
Struggle to Claim Our Humanity (City
Lights, 2004); and Writing Dissent:
Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins
to the Mainstream (Peter Lang, 2002).
Jensen is also co-producer of the
documentary film “Abe Osheroff: One
Foot in the Grave, the Other Still
Dancing,” which chronicles the life
and philosophy of the longtime radical
activist. Information about the film,
distributed by the Media Education
Foundation, and an extended interview
Jensen conducted with Osheroff are
online at <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://thirdcoastactivist.org/osheroff">http://thirdcoastactivist.org/osheroff</a>.!<br>
html. <br>
<br>
Jensen can be reached at <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu">rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu</a>
and his articles can be found online
at <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/%7Erjensen/index.html">http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/index.html</a>.
To join an email list to receive
articles by Jensen, go to <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.thirdcoastactivist.org/jensenupdates-info.html">http://www.thirdcoastactivist.org/jensenupdates-info.html</a>.
<br>
<br>
<br>
................................................................<br>
To unsubscribe, visit <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.thirdcoastactivist.org/jensenupdates-info.html">http://www.thirdcoastactivist.org/jensenupdates-info.html</a>
and click the "unsubscribe" button.<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
<pre wrap=""><fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
This body part will be downloaded on demand.</pre>
</blockquote>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br>
Peace-discuss mailing list<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss">http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss</a><br>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</body>
</html>