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Russia, Glenn Beck agree: Google fomenting actual revolutions

12 points by abraham 16y ago

mgrouchy 16y ago
I'm just gonna throw this out there. Glenn Beck is a fucking crackpot. Other crazy shit Glenn Beck has said: "I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today." –on why people who lost their homes in forest fires in California had it coming, "The Glenn Beck Program," Oct. 22, 2007 "Al Gore's not going to be rounding up Jews and exterminating them. It is the same tactic, however. The goal is different. The goal is globalization...And you must silence all dissenting voices. That's what Hitler did. That's what Al Gore, the U.N., and everybody on the global warming bandwagon [are doing]." –"The Glenn Beck Program," May 1, 2007 Edit: I can't comment on whether Vladimir Putin's is a Crackpot.
- jswinghammer 16y ago
  He's so frustrating to me as a libertarian. He sometimes says things I agree with so I want to believe he's not a complete lunatic but then he wears those glasses and starts writing on a chalkboard... He did a show on one of my favorite books (The Road to Serfdom) and got people buying it which I think is a good thing. I've only seen his show from clips on the Daily Show though. I have no interest in wasting my life watching his show.
- shaunxcode 16y ago
  [meta]This is precisely why hn needs a special (limited to maybe twice a year?) +5 upvote button.[/meta] Mcluhan forgive me if I misconstrue - but what we are seeing across the world right now is the "message" of the "medium" of the internet finally being heard. The fact that beck attempts to paint this as anything else is disgusting. How can any "freedom loving" human essentially decry liberation and the will to democracy?
sophacles 16y ago
What I just can't wrap my head around is this: I thought that the whole point of Beck et. al. was the we should give more freedoms to Companies (and business). So why is it a problem when a company decides to start influencing people?
- JamieEi 16y ago
  That only applies to companies that are paying Beck. This is a company that is not paying Beck allowing it's worker to harm the interests of companies who do. Intellectual consistency is not a big priority here.
- abrown28 16y ago
  He could be for more freedom and still be opposed to what they do with that freedom. I'm for freedom of speech but feel some of you all should just shut up. I'm not, however, saying there should be a law preventing you from speaking. I have no opinion on whether google is behind the protests. I suspect they didn't have a big hand in it at all.
- phren0logy 16y ago
  The "whole point" is to sell advertising and books. Having a coherent set of ideas is not necessary.
JamieEi 16y ago
This is about defending crony capitalism. The patrons of the radical right make lots of money cooperating with authoritarian regimes in oil-rich countries, so lapdogs like Beck do what they can to move popular opinion in their favor.
- abrown28 16y ago
  Do you believe the radical left is on your side?
  - JamieEi 16y ago
    Who is this radical left you speak of? Do you mean Comedy Central? I don't think that there is a left-wing analogue of the radical right with anything approaching the same level of organization, funding or popular impact. I would think that as Americans we would all be on the side of people overthrowing repressive, autocratic, even murderous regimes. It saddens me that Beck et al are not.
    - abrown28 16y ago
      I'm for the overthrow of repressive, autocratic and murderous regimes as long as there is some hope of replacing it with something better. I'm not sure that's the case in Egypt but I hope it is. Egypt will not be better off if the muslim brotherhood takes over and institute sharia law.
      - cleverjake 16y ago
        Just to be clear - unless there is a certain better replacement the murderous regimes should be left in power?

12 points by abraham 16y ago

I'm just gonna throw this out there. Glenn Beck is a fucking crackpot. Other crazy shit Glenn Beck has said: "I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today." –on why people who lost their homes in forest fires in California had it coming, "The Glenn Beck Program," Oct. 22, 2007 "Al Gore's not going to be rounding up Jews and exterminating them. It is the same tactic, however. The goal is different. The goal is globalization...And you must silence all dissenting voices. That's what Hitler did. That's what Al Gore, the U.N., and everybody on the global warming bandwagon [are doing]." –"The Glenn Beck Program," May 1, 2007 Edit: I can't comment on whether Vladimir Putin's is a Crackpot.

jswinghammer 16y ago
He's so frustrating to me as a libertarian. He sometimes says things I agree with so I want to believe he's not a complete lunatic but then he wears those glasses and starts writing on a chalkboard... He did a show on one of my favorite books (The Road to Serfdom) and got people buying it which I think is a good thing. I've only seen his show from clips on the Daily Show though. I have no interest in wasting my life watching his show.
shaunxcode 16y ago
[meta]This is precisely why hn needs a special (limited to maybe twice a year?) +5 upvote button.[/meta] Mcluhan forgive me if I misconstrue - but what we are seeing across the world right now is the "message" of the "medium" of the internet finally being heard. The fact that beck attempts to paint this as anything else is disgusting. How can any "freedom loving" human essentially decry liberation and the will to democracy?

sophacles 16y ago

What I just can't wrap my head around is this: I thought that the whole point of Beck et. al. was the we should give more freedoms to Companies (and business). So why is it a problem when a company decides to start influencing people?

JamieEi 16y ago
That only applies to companies that are paying Beck. This is a company that is not paying Beck allowing it's worker to harm the interests of companies who do. Intellectual consistency is not a big priority here.
abrown28 16y ago
He could be for more freedom and still be opposed to what they do with that freedom. I'm for freedom of speech but feel some of you all should just shut up. I'm not, however, saying there should be a law preventing you from speaking. I have no opinion on whether google is behind the protests. I suspect they didn't have a big hand in it at all.
phren0logy 16y ago
The "whole point" is to sell advertising and books. Having a coherent set of ideas is not necessary.

JamieEi 16y ago

This is about defending crony capitalism. The patrons of the radical right make lots of money cooperating with authoritarian regimes in oil-rich countries, so lapdogs like Beck do what they can to move popular opinion in their favor.

abrown28 16y ago
Do you believe the radical left is on your side?
- JamieEi 16y ago
  Who is this radical left you speak of? Do you mean Comedy Central? I don't think that there is a left-wing analogue of the radical right with anything approaching the same level of organization, funding or popular impact. I would think that as Americans we would all be on the side of people overthrowing repressive, autocratic, even murderous regimes. It saddens me that Beck et al are not.
  - abrown28 16y ago
    I'm for the overthrow of repressive, autocratic and murderous regimes as long as there is some hope of replacing it with something better. I'm not sure that's the case in Egypt but I hope it is. Egypt will not be better off if the muslim brotherhood takes over and institute sharia law.
    - cleverjake 16y ago
      Just to be clear - unless there is a certain better replacement the murderous regimes should be left in power?