Glenn Beck: Arianna Huffington Is “Media Matters After A Couple Of Drinks” (UPDATED)

Glenn Beck may want to consider some sort of future career as a professor…he’s very good with the pointer stick. Beck set aside a segment of tonight’s show to specifically address the remarks Arianna Huffington made to Roger Ailes on this Sunday’s This Week. (Actually he began with a fun lesson ratings: “how can you kill something [MSNBC] that’s already dead?” SNAP). During the panel segment of This Week Huffington decried the language Beck uses on his show and asked Ailes whether he isn’t “concerned about the language that Glenn Beck is using, which is, after all, inciting the American people?” (Short answer: no.) One of the phrases that particularly bothered Huffington — “slaughtered” which she seems to understand as the slaughtering of actual people — came from this quote from Beck from a show that aired back in November.

“We will thrive — as long as these people are not in control. They are taking you to a place to be slaughtered.”

Professor Beck took to

the instant replay to explain to Arianna — whom he likes to describe as “Media Matters after a couple of drinks” — that what he was actually talking about was the economy, which is somewhat more evident if when read the entire quote below (though the video version is obviously far more entertaining). Two things here. One, I suspect Arianna doesn’t actually watch Beck; this may be an obvious observation, but for all his hyperbole Beck does not ever call for violence. Two, when it comes to hyperbolic statements HuffPo may not exactly be in the same league as Beck, but they are not pillars of objective journalism either…Arianna knows where her shocking headline bread is buttered for sure (also the reason I have no doubt Arianna did ask Beck to write for her…I wouldn’t be surprised if the offer still stands actually UPDATED: please see below). Anyway, full “slaughter” quote below and video lesson after that.

There is one thing you cannot call any of these plans. You can’t call it America. You can’t do it. I told you yesterday buckle up your seatbelt, America. Find the exit. There’s one here, here and here. Find the exit closest to you and prepare for a crash-landing because this plane is coming down because the pilot is intentionally steering it into the trees. Most likely, it will happen sometime after Christmas. You

are going to see this economy come up — we’re already seeing it – – and now it’s going to start coming back down again. And when you see the effects of what they’re doing to the economy, remember these words: we will survive. We know we’ll do better than survive. We will thrive — as long as these people are not in control. They are taking you to a place to be slaughtered.

UPDATE: It has been pointed out to me that I entirely missed two posts on this matter by Arianna, herself, who confirms that she did issue the invitation to blog…and then proceeded to reissue it noting that Beck would have to follow the same rules as everyone else meaning, among other things, no conspiracy theories! Arianna also states that she never believed Beck was using the term “slaughter” literally (whether it be Barack Obama or Andy Stern who is metaphorically flying the plane) and that is the Beck’s language that is a concern:

The crux of the matter was never whether Glenn Beck really believes Barack Obama is planning to actually slaughter Americans. It’s the damage being done by the inflammatory rhetoric and imagery he constantly uses. The crux of the matter was never whether Glenn Beck really believes Barack Obama is planning to actually slaughter Americans. It’s the damage being done by the inflammatory rhetoric and imagery

he constantly uses. The evoking of “slaughter” and “killing sprees” and a president who “has a deep-seated hatred for white people” is meant to play into the public’s legitimate anxiety over the economy — and fan the flames of fear.And that brings us back to the question I originally asked Roger Ailes on This Week: “Aren’t you concerned about the language that Glenn Beck is using — which is, after all, inciting the American people?”

I’m going to hazard a guess that while Beck’s numbers and popularity remain as high as they currently are Ailes’ “concern” will remain muted. In the meantime, you can read both posts here.
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Related:
Roger Ailes Vs. Arianna Huffington On This Week Over “Nasty” Language
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