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Glenn Beck likes stuff
Fox News rodeo clown Glenn Beck thinks "The Story of Stuff" is just downright un-American.
Fri, Oct 02 2009 at 9:51 AM
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Plastics, Glenn Beck

Photo: The Story of Stuff

At this point in Glenn Beck's career, it's getting harder to muster the proper shocked outrage (‽) his antics would normally raise in any sane individual. The guy is captain of the U.S.S. Wingnut, leader of a scared and angry constituency that puts conspiratorial bluster above truth and reality. The self described "rodeo clown" recently called President Obama a racist (and lost half of his advertisers in the process), rallied his army to take down Van Jones, and blamed Atheists for all of America's problems.
 
Glenn Beck thinks the excellent movie "The Story of Stuff" in un-American. He interviewed a father outraged that his son was exposed in school to the idea that maybe we don't need to be completely surrounded by material goods to find happiness, especially when those material goods create as much environmental damage as our stuff does now.
 
Mr. Beck links to a page of bullet pointed facts (PDF file from Beck's 9/12 Project) from the Story of Stuff, here are a few:
 
• In the past three decades, one-third of the planet's natrual resources base has been consumed.
 
• Forty percent of waterways in the US have become undrinkable.
 
• The US has 5% of the world's population but consumers 30% of the worlds resources and creates 30% of the world's waste.
 
• Only a handful of synthetic chemicals have ever been tested for human health impacts and NONE have been tested for synergistic health impacts.
 
Glenn Beck is outraged that these facts are being taught to children.
 
I'm outraged at the contents of the facts. The American society is living above its planetary means. We're all doing it. If everyone on the planet lived the same lifestyle as a middle class American, we'd use up everything in a year or so and settle down into killing one another over waterholes.
 
I believe that the First World owes it to both ourselves and the rest of humanity to figure out a way to raise every else up to living a safe, healthy, productive life in a way that's fully sustainable and that doesn't destroy the environment. Why doesn't a kid in Mongolia, or India, the Congo, or East St. Louis have every right as I did to grow up in a nice home with a means to get around town to shop, eat, visit, and live?
 
In Glenn Beck's universe, America just needs to pray more, screw the rest of the world. We need to keep buying stuff, especially his books, and just squeeze our little eyes shut and pray for all we're worth. Then we can go back to the glorious days of the 50's, when the women and minorities knew their place and life as an employed, church going, white, straight American male was kick ass.
 
 
Here is the big bad scary video that has Glenn Beck and his fans cowering in fear.
 
 
May we continue to live in interesting times.
 
 
 
 
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Comments: 14
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anonymous
CL Oct 05 2009 at 9:07 AM

I really love that Story of Stuff video! We definitely have a major consumption problem that affects SO many things on SO many levels.

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jhoesterey's picture
JHoesterey Oct 04 2009 at 9:57 PM

Glenn Beck and company are only paid mouth pieces for the corporate machinery that depends on the status quo. We need to continue to focus a message of progress and sustainable prosperity that Annie Leonard so aptly expresses in the Story of Stuff. This is the message that is increasingly resonating with "We the People". Beck will eventually crumble under the weight of his own ignorance and Beck, Limbaugh, Hannety, etc. will absolutely find themselves on the wrong side of history.

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MNN Alumni
MMN Alumni Oct 03 2009 at 6:03 PM

I don't think any of us that jump on MNN are really all that shocked to hear that Glenn Beck is upset about this. But somehow his antics continue to surprise us.

It's just too bad that Glenn Beck doesn't get as equally outraged about something like the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" and put his energy into interviewing somebody (an expert) about that.

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anonymous
Liz Oct 03 2009 at 11:41 AM
This is coming from the same guy that blamed a kid getting beat up to an increase in godless Americans who are all supposedly filling "the void" with STUFF -- and not singing enough Christmas carols. You'd think that guy would be supporting The Story of Stuff as an example of "Christian" morality. Ironically, this godless American is a minimalist (I fill "the void" with space, fancy that) and I even sing Christmas carols in chorus. But watch out -- they might be the only thing holding me back from
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becoming a cold-hearted killer. We'll see in January ;)
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anonymous
Bill Oct 03 2009 at 10:40 AM

If Government did not impose morality on it citizens we would be lawless. Take, for example, that is against the law to kill someone. Isn't that a moral issue? Yet the Government has mandated that it is against the law to kill someone. There are certain "moral behaviors" that have to be kept in check or we would not have an orderly society.

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anonymous
Liz Oct 04 2009 at 7:21 PM
Government job isn't to impose morals -- nor should it. While some laws may be based in part on moral views, the job of government isn't to protect one's soul, it's to protect life, liberty, property, and other earthly things like that. There is a difference between laws and morals (and ethics for that matter). Not everything illegal is immoral, not everything moral is legal. And despite what some people may thing, making things legal does not mean that the government endorses them as moral -- whether
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we're talking gay marriage or health insurance companies denying coverage to the sick. Killing isn't against the law just because it's immoral (and one could argue that some types of immoral killing are still legal). Murder is against the law because as a whole we've agreed as a society, regardless of our religious beliefs, that it sucks to live in a society where people are just allowed to kill each other without fear of earthly consequences.
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sgunther's picture
Shea Gunther Oct 03 2009 at 4:16 PM

So the only thing holding you back from killing people is the law that says you can't kill people?

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anonymous
Dallas Oct 02 2009 at 9:40 PM
The problem he and many American's would have with this is its extremely un-capatilistic view. Yes Americans use a lot of materials, we know, but the reason we use this is because even our poorest are rich compared to other places. And for the record, the lady in this video doesn't exactly look like she's wearing homemade eco-friendly burlap. Being the betting man I am I bet the clothes on her back were assembled in the third-world by child. But I guess all this talk about consuming less is for the
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listner, not the teacher.
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anonymous
Guest Oct 02 2009 at 8:06 PM
"In Glenn Beck's universe, America just needs to pray more, screw the rest of the world. We need to keep buying stuff, especially his books, and just squeeze our little eyes shut and pray for all we're worth. Then we can go back to the glorious days of the 50's, when the women and minorities knew their place and life as an employed, church going, white, straight American male was kick ***." EXACTLY! This is exactly what our family life became when we converted to Mormonism in 1972. It was turn
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back the clock, leave your friends behind (that you could not convert), and focus your life on the cult that focuses on old America, antebellum folk magic, and right wing, apacolyptic endtimes fear. Beck's schtick has a large dose of Joseph Smith in there. His view is anti-government because Mormons say the US government will collapse and the LDS church is ready and waiting (and has been sicne the 1850s) to be the next government that will supposedly uphold the constitution--as a theocracy of course-Jesus will be president. (This is no joke, this is a church belief-and Beck is spewing aspects and tone of it).
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anonymous
Guest Oct 02 2009 at 12:12 PM
"If you don't think people should have 'stuff,' then teach that to your children at home." No one is saying people shouldn't have stuff. They're saying we should be aware of what it takes for us to get the stuff we have. We can educate ourselves and then make our own decisions based upon what we've learned, instead of living in ignorance and complacency. That's why "The Story of Stuff" was made. "None of this has to do with race or religion... why would you even bring that into it?" Glenn Beck brought
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religion into it. I agree with you that religion is totally irrelevant in this discussion. But here is what Beck concluded: "...it has nothing to do with exploiting the planet and has everything to do with losing faith in God." Wait, what? Distract people from reality (the facts listed above) and mention God (or lack of faith in God) and then spin it so it's about God-fearing people being oppressed. That's all Beck ever has to do to get people riled up. I'm glad you acknowledge that religion is irrelevant. Maybe you could tell Glenn Beck that?
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anonymous
Jennifer Oct 02 2009 at 11:31 AM
What Glenn Beck doesn't approve of is school's teaching children what should be taught at home. If you don't think people should have "stuff," then teach that to your children at home. It's no place for schools to teach these types of supposed moralities (and many, many others) to children. Just as it is not the government's place to mandate these same types of supposed moralities onto its citizens. None of this has to do with race or religion... why would you even bring that into it? And how is
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praying any different than the "hope" all of you had for "change" when you voted in November? "A government large enough to give you everything you want, is large enough to take everything you have." - Thomas Jefferson And how is praying any worse than the "hope" all of you had for "change" when you voted in November?
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anonymous
Brian Oct 03 2009 at 3:08 AM
Oh one other thing, you asked how is prayer any worse than hope. The difference is that hope is a secular phenomenon that doesn't require a belief in a higher power beyond that of goodness of man, whereas prayer implicitly implies a system of belief that has been purposefully excluded from government to protect both parties. With all the diffrent belief systems, it's extremely difficult to keep a neutral playing field for all the different types of prayers that might be had in a school or government.
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Hope, for one thing or another, is a universal sentiment. That is the difference, ma'am.
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sgunther's picture
Shea Gunther Oct 03 2009 at 7:27 AM

Well said sir.

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anonymous
Brian Hatch Oct 03 2009 at 3:02 AM
You would have a point if what they were teach was anything other than facts. It's not dogma, it's just observations about what has occurred in the past and the costs of what we take for granted today. How in your right mind can you twist facts into an issue of morality? Also, your quote is misattributed to Thomas Jefferson. It was actually Gerald Ford who said "A government large enough to give you everything you want, is large enough to take everything you have." It's a common misconception
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often repeated to give the statement added weight. It is also irrelevant in this case.
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