[Peace-discuss] A strange line of questioning

[David Green]

Subsequent to a recent letter in the DI and threatening phone calls to my place 
of work, I was told by a co-worker that I might have to accept responsiblity of 
something should result from these threats--especially if these actions are 
provoked by perceived insults, rather than--say--the truth. But it's not clear 
to me that either Beck or me should be held to that standard, and made 
responsible for the reactions of others. I tend to think that in other case, 
violence or the threat of violence needs to be explained in the larger context: 
the economy, the wars, the perceived powerlessness of some individuals vis a vis 
the state and the corporations that constitute the centers of power.
 
At any rate, when Goodman plays a "progressive," she loses a lot of clarity and 
credibility, in my opinion.
 
DG
 
>http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/12/progressive_hunter_gunman_cites_glenn_beck
>
> 
> 
>AMY GOODMAN: Can you really hold Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, responsible for 
>this man’s violent actions, who was violent way back?
JOHN HAMILTON: Right. Well, I think we have to ask ourselves that. And again, I 
think we need to return to the—to two major points here. One, many of the 
conspiracy theories and the conspiracism that you find on Glenn Beck’s program 
is simply not true. It’s easily refuted. At Media Matters, you have teams of 
researchers every day debunking many of the things that Glenn Beck says. And, 
for example, the Petrobras conspiracy theory, the idea that George Soros was 
profiting from the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico simply wasn’t true. When 
you couple that with the demonization of people like Soros, who when Glenn Beck 
talks about him, he compares him to a gangster, he affects his accent, he’s even 
insulted the man’s nose hair—I mean, he says that he’s trying to bring—sometimes 
he says socialism, sometimes he says fascism, to the United States. 

GLENN BECK: How about Tides? How about indoctrination? Forget God, it’s “In 
George Soros, we trust.” Oh, he’s going to get his. He is going to get his.
JOHN HAMILTON: So, when you couple the mistruths with the demonization, I think 
it is time that we ask ourselves, do these media figures, do these demagogues, 
bear some responsibility for the actions of their audience?
AMY GOODMAN: John Hamilton is author of the piece "Progressive Hunter." It’s at 
Media Matters, and we’ll link to it here at Democracy Now!


      
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