The link: http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=352443
The Backstory: Glenn Beck tells a story about meeting Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters on a train. Beck then appears on The View and gets torn up by them, and accused of being a “lying sack of dog mess.”
Let me get this out of the way immediately... I realize that this story doesn't matter, that Glenn Beck isn't a saint, and this whole thing is completely ridiculous. I'm not really concerned with Glenn Beck getting treated fairly. What I am concerned with, is two things:
1) I can't fucking STAND disorganized thought. I can't stand it. Watching that segment of The View is just the most frustrating thing in the world. I don't care what the topic is, I don't care what argument is being made, I cannot stand it when people can't communicate properly, and instead just make assertions at each other in increasing volume.
The View idiots keep telling Beck he's a liar. Ok, what did he lie about? It's never clear. He lied about who approached who? If seats were reserved on a train? Whether or not Barack Obama is a physical manifestation of the divine? It's ridiculous. Don't just blurt out “you're a liar” in different ways, and with differing levels of theatre. Say “you said x, which you know is not true, you are a liar.” They don't do that. They just say he lied. Over and over. Loudly, and especially when Beck tries to talk.
Then, add in Glenn Beck. He's sitting there like an asshole, stammering, letting them attack him, and not forcing them to have any clarity. If somebody says “you're a liar” you should respond by saying “oh? What exactly did I lie about?” You don't just sorta act affable and mildly retarded, and then answer all their questions in the way that most supports their point, and try to apologize for things you didn't say.
2) Logic, consistency, structure and honesty are the keys to a just and fair society. Not “correct“ political views. It infuriates me, especially as we go through a nomination to the SCOTUS, that this country has completely lost track of the value of objectivity. Or even the concept of objectivity.
These View women are (with one carefully selected and token exception) liberals. They're the champions of the “rule of law,” not like Dick Cheney, the waterboarding criminal, for example. But look at how they operate... They accuse Glenn Beck of lying. It's totally unclear what they think he lied about, but they say it repeatedly, and vehemently. It's like some bizzare Kafka-esque court hearing. We don't really know what the charges are, what the evidence is, just that Glenn Beck is guilty.
Now, as it turns out, Beck is not guilty of any of the vague accusations made against him. To be fair to them, I don't necessarily think that The View women did this on purpose. I think they're used to wandering around, having things prepared for them in advance, and never really noticing how many little people are working to make them comfortable. I'm sure they fully believe they didn't ask for special treatment on the Amtrak train. But even so, even if Beck really had lied, notice how little interest they have in making the issue clear. They don't bother to make it clear how Beck lied, what the proof of it is, or structure anything to show the truth of their accusations. They just loudly accuse, and rely on the fact that they're good liberals, and he's an evil conservative, to make the point. They're little better than screaming chimps.
This is a celebration of ignorance. This is what tyranny is made of. We will never agree on politics, that's understood. But during the course of our disagreements the one common ground we do have is logic, and structured reasoning. If we must disagree, let's do it in a clear, consistent, intellectually honest fashion. Let's not just shout louder, and then if that fails, bring more friends to shout louder.
I remember, when I took Philosophy 101 in college, they explained how a series of postulates lead to a conclusion, and the only way to disprove the conclusion was to disprove a postulate, or demonstrate that one postulate didn't lead to another, etc. etc. I can remember wondering how this was not completely obvious, and what sort of moron you had to be to need it explained to you. Apparently, though, these are the sorts of morons that constantly invade our television screen, and lumber around Washington DC like a pack of overdressed mongoloids.
As I said in number 1, I can't even stand to watch illogical, unstructured, ineffective arguments happen. No matter the topic, watching to people communicate ineffectually is frustrating. It ups the ante that The View women are also ideologically disgusting to me, but that aside, it's still offensive to me how little interest they have in making reasoned, supported arguments. This is just another example of the petty tyrant that lives in the heart of the American liberal. Logic and structure are tools that help us assure that the truth is being told. People who love the truth and want to see it served will also love logic and structured thought. They will find it uncomfortable to allow anything of import to be said without a logical foundation, and solid, objective justification. They will not be comfortable with making loud, repeated, baseless accusations.
We, as a nation, spend so much time demonizing those who hold different political views than us. This is (of course) encouraged by the same media assholes who spray The View across our screens. As much as I disagree ideologically with the American left, I am far more scared of stupidity, mob mentality, and general ideological zealotry. Tyranny doesn't arise from any specific political system. It arises from people who have a contempt for logic, truth, honesty and fairness. This is exactly the sort of person that Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters are. The fact that we tolerate, and even celebrate them, is an embarassment to us as a people. By teaching us that truth lies in repetition and volume, rather than in reason and objectivity, they do their small part to deliver us into tyranny.
It's a small thing, but it's a sign of the times. They are the enemy.