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Glenn Beck Compares Tiger Woods to OJ, References Poisoning Women

by Tommy Christopher | 1:57 pm, December 10th, 2009

» 24 comments

beck The latest Glenn Beck outburst to garner big media attention is a bizarre segment of his radio show in which he compares Tiger Woods to OJ Simpson. Beck’s comments have people accusing Beck of bigotry (buttressed by the fact that he went on to reference another black athlete, Kobe Bryant, whose offense was also not comparable to Woods’), but at least equally disturbing was his return to the “poisoning women” well. Check it out.

It may be an overreach to label Beck a racist for this clip, but it’s tough to argue that his only real basis for comparison isn’t that Woods and Simpson are both prominent black athletes, with white women in common as well. When someone on the show points out that “the thing with OJ was the murders,” Beck replies that a woman was ambulanced away from Woods’ home. Strikeout, Glenn. There was no ambulance involved in Simpson’s crime.

He then goes on to reference Kobe Bryant, who was accused of rape, rather than a more sensible comparison like Eliot Spitzer.

Does all of this make Beck a racist, or simply the product of a culture that has long viewed accomplished black people through the prism of race first, and everything else second? Was Beck deliberately baiting a trap in a landscape where accusing someone of being a racist is more radioactive than actually being one?

What I found especially bizarre was Beck’s reference, later in the clip, to poisoning women. When rattling off things that Woods could leak and then deny, he says “(Woods) just needs to say ‘My gosh! I tried to poison a woman in my house last night.’ And when it turns out she was…she just slipped and broke her hip, or whatever it was, you can say ‘My gosh, thank goodness he’s not an attempted murderer.”

It’s a little odd to conjure poisoning a woman as a hypothetical, it’s not the first thing that leaps to mind, but it’s downright creepy when you put that next to this:

Maybe he’s just a big Bell Biv Devoe fan.

eliot spitzer, Glenn Beck, Kobe Bryant, Nancy Pelosi, OJ Simpson, poison, Tiger Woods, Tommy Christopher

germ

>>(buttressed by the fact that he went on to reference another black athlete, Kobe Bryant, whose offense was also not comparable to Woods’)

Kobe was acquitted of rape, but admitted to cheating, which if I am following correctly is what Tiger has admitted. Both are prominent black athletes. Spitzer is a white politician. How is Spitzer more comparible than Kobe?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

OJ was acquitted of murder and was later convicted of armed robbery, which if Im thinking correctly has nothing to do with getting laid a lot as Tiger has admitted. Both are prominent black athletes. Sptizer is a white politician. How is Spitzer is less comparable than OJ?

Jeezus keerist!! Beck is a fucking idiot. Don’t like the eff word, tough – it’s what applies to Beckerhead.
germ

Hey Bill Adkins, “Attorney at Law”, is that what you do when you are in front of a jury? Take someones words, insert your own, and pass it off as what someone said?

You are a fucking imbecile. No wonder most lawyers are Democrats if they think and act like you.
germ

“The problem with our liberal friends isn’t that they’re ignorant, it’s that they know so much that isn’t so.” – Ronald Reagan
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Hey, germ – I’m making fun of two idiots, you and Beck. I took your words and demonstrated to the world how stupid you are. No wonder most idiots are republicans and beck fans if they think and act like you.
germ

Bill Adkins, I am curious, why do you think I am an idiot? In fact I would presume that your only reason for suggesting that I am an “idiot” is because I do not agree with your views. Actually, I doubt you even know what my views are, I only questioned the liberal authority that wrote this article because he tried to make a point that was disingenuous to his readers.

I guess everyone that does not agree with our liberal overloads must be “idiots”. Thanks Bill Adkins, Attorney at Law. It amazes me how lawyers lack such simple common sense, yet pass the bar exam.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Why do I think you’re an idiot? Because of your first post and your twisted point set in illogical thought. I took your own words, used them in the same sequence with Eliot Spitzer, Wood and OJ instead of Kobe, woods and Spitzer and proved your equation to be ridiculous.

And then you called me an imbecile. Down hilll from there, wasn’t it? Ever take a bar exam, germ, or are you just good at avoiding antiseptics?
Papa Ray

Interesting conversation both here and on Beck’s show. It is also interesting that since our half black new president got involved in presidential politics and then elected how race has jumped from the back burner on low to the front burner on high.

I thought Obama was supposed to bring everybody together and have the most friendly, transparent administration ever.

Did that hope and change fail to materialize like so many other things since have?

Papa Ray
germ

Bill,

So you admit that I am an “idiot” only because I do not agree with your views. Wow, Olbermann would be so proud of you. You are such a good little “openminded” liberal.

The logic you used in your first post would have to presume that I would have thought that the OJ comparison to Tiger Woods was sound. The fact that I did not mention the OJ comparison in my original post does not mean that I agree with that statement. Although Beck could have been making the same argument that many Black authors have been writing about (as referenced in the Limaugh thread), I do not know, as I have not heard the full segment.

I was simply pointing out that the Kobe to Tiger Woods comparison was sound, and the injunction of Spitzer (although correct) was unneeded. For that matter, you could compare Woods with President Clinton or any other male that cheated on their wife regardless of race. But I believe the reason Beck used the comparisons he did was because of the “sports star” attribute in which they all had in common.
Jim R

Thanks, Mediaite. for watching and listening to these charlatans and demogogues so I don’t have to (messes with my karma!).

It’s becoming a real arms race out there amongst the right wing hate talkers, seeing who can out-demonize and out-shock in the relentless search for ratings.

I don’t think hardly any of the spouters actually believe in what they’re saying beyond the gold standard of ratings, always falling back as they do innocently when justifiably attacked for their bile.

Half black? Is that the new oreo slur?
timzank

JimR…sez “Half black? Is that the new oreo slur?” How would YOU describe his ethnicity if his mother was white and his father was black?
JunkJunk

Republicons have become so good at defending bullshit it’s second nature.

Beck’s comments here are indefensible. How do you defend the indefensible? Ask a republicon.
marquis

little trickass junk junk at it again. Dude do you even watch Beck, you don’t know what the F you’re talking about, go back to your little KosKK website. 2010 & 2012 dude, watch, wait, you clowns are done, libs are gonna get worked harder than one of them Tiger Woods girls.
Papa Ray

“Half black? Is that the new oreo slur?”

Actually I got it wrong anyway. His father was an alcoholic Arab with just a smiggen of African Black. His mother was a white hippy socialist eco-terrorist tramp.

Thanks for setting me straight.

Papa Ray
germ

“Half black? Is that the new oreo slur?”

Why don’t you ask your progressive friends?

“Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.

…During the 2002 campaign, Democratic supporters pelted Mr. Steele with Oreo cookies during a gubernatorial debate at Morgan State University in Baltimore.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/nov/01/20051101-104932-4054r/
ImNotBlue

Jim R says:
December 10, 2009 at 4:57 pm

Half black? Is that the new oreo slur?

Let’s ask Michael Steele… remember him? The Black Republican who was insulted by the “Orea” slander. Now, I wonder who did that. Was it the Republican’s who supported him… or was it the Democrats who thought he was a traitor. Hmmm. I wonder…

germ says:
December 10, 2009 at 4:37 pm

Come on, you know better than to argue with Bill. He knows everything about everything! That’s why he can be an unapologetic anti-Semite… and still think his nastiness has value.
Jim R

timzank,

“JimR…sez “Half black? Is that the new oreo slur?” How would YOU describe his ethnicity if his mother was white and his father was black?”

I start with human being, just like me. If you righties ever tire of the Neanderthal label try it sometime.

ImNotBlue,

Any racial slurs by any party are by definition despicable and more demonstrative of the purveyor’s character than the victim’s. My consistency conscience is clear, that’s what makes me a proud liberal – I love everyone in the best Humanist sense and call out hatefulness against my brothers and sisters regardless.

Oh, and by the by, it is intellectual laziness to resort to childish schoolyard name-calling and false equivalencies folks, “waaah, he did it too!!!”. It seems to work brilliantly on the TV – on the intertubes, not so much.
marquis

I have it on good authority that this Jim R dude might be, let me stress…might be, a massive, flapping, wet, bag of douche.
Jim R

I rest my case, too easy.
marquis

Word!
ImNotBlue

Jim R says:
December 10, 2009 at 10:58 pm

My consistency conscience is clear, that’s what makes me a proud liberal – I love everyone in the best Humanist sense and call out hatefulness against my brothers and sisters regardless.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

YOU LOVE EVERYONE! Oh man, that’s a good one! You “love everyone” who thinks like you… unless part of your definition of “love” does not include “respect.”

You’re consistent alright… but in your case, I don’t know if that’s something to be proud of.

Oh, and by the by, it is intellectual laziness to resort to childish schoolyard name-calling and false equivalencies folks…

Really? So when you said this, earlier today:

Jim R says:
December 10, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Anytime these underpaid Fox staffers get all fired up and start spewing nonsense it makes great entertainment!

That wasn’t you “resorting to schoolyard name-calling”? Okay… I’ll make sure to hold your feet to the fire on that claim.

As for the second part… it isn’t a false equivalency. The point is the left likes to make a big deal out of anything remotely racial said by someone on the right. However, when it comes to “one of their own,” they mind it less, or somehow deem it “acceptable.” That show’s hypocrisy and a manipulation of “racism,” an actual and serious problem, for political gains. My reference to Michael Steele is one that shows the hypocrisy on this issue… it’s okay to attack someone who’s Black on the right, but not someone who’s Black on the left… and ignoring of course, the undeniable racial motivation behind the Steele attack, and the debatable racial motivations behind the Beck comment. Not a false equivalency… but an example of overt hypocrisy.

marquis says:
December 10, 2009 at 11:39 pm

Dumb. Jim R’s arguments are really flawed… but being that over-the-top goofy in response, doesn’t help or prove anything.
Jim R

Busted, ImNotBlue, guilty as charged. But then I don’t have to be perfect to be right either, as long as the targets are irresistible and I’m fallible.

There’s no comparison whatsoever between the attacks on Steele and Obama, the former being a virtual snafu machine suffering legitimate, mostly reasoned criticism for them.

The latter being frustratingly composed and centrist, suffering all manner of vitriolic, specious, fallacious mouth-foaming attacks that completely misrepresent the facts and his much too milquetoast middle of the road positions.

What’s race got to do with either?
Scum

Why do people pretend they are disturbed by this? Beck is a goofy guy with a goofy sense of humour who says goofy things. This doesn’t even get near mattering.
ImNotBlue

Jim R says:
December 11, 2009 at 1:48 am
There’s no comparison whatsoever between the attacks on Steele and Obama, the former being a virtual snafu machine suffering legitimate, mostly reasoned criticism for them.

The latter being frustratingly composed and centrist, suffering all manner of vitriolic, specious, fallacious mouth-foaming attacks that completely misrepresent the facts and his much too milquetoast middle of the road positions.

Well, you’re right that there’s no comparison. One attack was CLEARLY racial… the other, at best, debatable.

That says nothing about the persons involved, so I won’t get into the comments like “virtual snafu machine” because it’s irrelevant.

The only things I will say are, (1) what part of the Orea incident represented “mostly reasoned criticism? And (2) how is your characterizations of the attacks on Obama any different than the attacks on Bush, Cheney, FOX, or anyone else on the right?