Glenn Beck, A Man on a Mission

Glenn Beck, A Man on a Mission

Rhetoric: the art of using language to persuade. But can it be used too much one might ask when listening to Glenn Beck…. Or does he use it just right for what his purpose is? Glenn Beck has been the talk of much controversy. Becks has been on the radio sense he was 13 years old but His TV and radio program has aired for the past 10 years now and especially recently has become very popular whether that be popularity because of liking and agreement or popularity of disgust.

Beck uses many areas of rhetoric on his show! With Beck you either really like him or really don’t like him. He is often found using irony, sarcasm, pathos, which is drawing upon emotion to present and persuade, and logos which means he uses logic with his audience to persuade. The area of controversy is the amount of these literary tools Beck uses. Many will say that he does to much over kill of those literary tools and can come off very annoying or overwhelming, Thus bringing headlines like the image to the left of a TIME magazine. While at the same time many really enjoy not only the news coverage that he gives but also the very entertaining way he presents it. Later we will be looking into a specific episode of Becks and the rhetorical recipe he uses which consist of 6 cups of appeals to Pathos and Logos, A very healthy handful of persuasive irony and sarcasm, 1 cardboard cut out of John McCain, a dash of video clips on the issue, and some strategically placed kairos.

The Glenn Beck show reaches over six and a half million people daily. But his listening audience mostly consists of Conservatives, but even some Conservatives not favoring Beck. So why would He continue to do things the way he does with such overwhelming amounts of rhetoric… Why wouldn’t he gain the favor of those many Conservatives who share his own views…. Because that’s not what Beck cares about. Beck is one who does not care what others say about him. All can agree that he truly believes what he talks about. He is a man on a mission and is not worried about offending people who may be easily offended.

Some times watching Glenn Beck’s show is like sitting down at a very unpredictable restaurant were the main course is different everyday. Like before mentioned Glenn through out his show uses a lot of irony and sarcasm to keep his audience interested and being able to follow him, but he also uses many different new media tools to help. You will often find Beck writing on chalkboards to help him explain by writing information on them like names and numbers, using pictures of political figures, even cardboard cut outs of them at times, he also will use web cams, videos, video conferencing and many other props. But today we will look closely into a main entrée of Glenn’s. One of his particular programs showed on February 13, 2010 entitled “Progressives Are Targeting Your Kids”. This like almost all of Glenn’s “main courses” it’s a recipe that either is a huge hit with or leaves a bitter some times disgusting taste in the consumers mouth. Lets look at the rhetorical recipe for “Progressives are Targeting your Kids”

-Drawing upon Pathos and Sarcasm to draw in your audience

Like almost all of Glenn Becks programs he starts if off with something to connect with his desired audience and here he does that again in “Progressives are targeting your kids”. By drawing upon Pathos and Sarcasm to relate to the older generation of this nation, the parents. He does this by sarcastically saying he sometime feels now like he is becoming like his grandpa. He says in a grandpa voice; “You kids today! You just don't get it. We used to sleep on razor-wire beds and eat nails for breakfast. And we liked it!”. Drawing upon humor and making the program instantly more personal he draws his audience in wondering why Beck brings that up while chuckling to themselves. Another example of Beck using pathos and sarcasm in this episode is when he is introducing Meghan McCain who he refers to as a “Useful Idiot” in talking about Americas “20 something year olds” as Beck refers to that age group. Beck introduces her with this sarcastic introduction; “She's John McCain's like, totally awesome, like, daughter. And she was, like, so waxing like poets about ideas or idealogians or something like U.S. Americans or something, on "The View." It was wicked awesome “. Here Beck talks like a “ditzy 16 year old girl” thus as he does this drawing emotion out of you. For most they think its funny, and entertaining; as were for others this is were Beck can get offensive or annoying. With this particular many young adults could be offended because he generalizes Meghan McCain and many other “20 something year olds” as ditzy and slightly educated, needless to say many feel it is very politically incorrect. Beck shows very strongly right from the get go and through out his episode, his strong appeal to pathos. This is one area were Beck either hits it off with this audience are really turns them away! His very strong (and sometimes over the top) emotion and expression into what he says tends to in return bring strong feelings of opinions in his audience.

-Keeping your Audience Entertained with props and new media while at the same time using Irony and Logos to persuade them

Throughout the text and the show, Beck is constantly spoon-feeding irony and logos to his audience in a very entertaining way…. Although sometimes some feel his spoon is a shovel. It keeps his audience interested and paying attention and many times learning more and understanding something for them self’s. In this program Beck uses video clips to show the audience real life instances were children are being manipulated and after uses a lot of irony as he comments on it to help lead his audience to seeing what he sees. An example of this is seen in the episode as Beck shows a video clip from BarackObama.com, which has a youth talking about how her Parents are “uneducated” in current politics and how she has to teach her parents slowly and persuade to see that Barack Obama is what America needs. Then after Beck comments on the video Clip saying: “That should frighten every parent in America. Why in this video from BarackObama.com, do the children have to explain things to the adults? Well, because parents just don't get it. It's not enough for the kids to disagree on something and discuss it — oh no. Mom and dad are stupid. They believe in that crazy Constitution and stuff. They're so old school. But you — in all your 10th grade wisdom — you get it. And the president says you must educate your dopey parents”. Here Beck uses a new media to show his Audience the actual footage then he uses irony by saying the comment “They're so old school. But you — in all your 10th grade wisdom — you get it.” He also uses logos helping the parents see the logic by saying simply “That should frighten every parent in America.” The things like this help Becks audience more clearly see the point he is trying to make.

Another tools Beck loves to use it props! His props range from dressing up like in the picture to the right to the great and effective example of this is in the episode we are looking at, when he pulls out the card board cut out of John McCain after McCain’s daughter had just previously said in a video clip that old 65 year old people talking about literacy test don’t start revolutions young people do. And Beck makes the ironic and rhetorical question of “Yeah. What do Those 65 year olds know anyway?”. As Beck does this he gets his audience laughing and while doing so they find themselves even subconsciously then agreeing with the things Beck is saying because of the logos he then uses afterwards.

-And now for a little bit of strategically placed kairos.

Beck has always been great at the use of kairos, which is the significance of a moment in which something it presented or the “the opportune moment”. Becks Episode of “Progressives Are Targeting Your Kids” could not have come at a better time. There has been quite a bit of focus in the nation lately on the family and the importance of it! Many of today’s Americans feel very strongly on importance of the family or the role of the family. Some evidence of this is the recent super bowl commercial on the family, which has become one of controversy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BIOTItUwvk. With the raise of interest and opinions in the family, many will be more interested in this episode of “Progressives Are Targeting Your Kids”.

Beck defiantly is a man on a mission! He says what he wants and he says it in many different and creative ways, not worrying what others think about him! And this is very evident in his episode of “Progressives Are Targeting Your Kids”. Over all in my opinion Glenn Beck is he is a mastermind in making sure people know what he feels and believes…. One of his strong points is his conviction in his language… and at the same time it can lead to his loss in audience. Personally sometimes I really enjoy listening to Beck! I can find him entertaining and yet very informative. But every now and then he can turn me off with is extreme appeals to sarcasm and pathos. But all can tell, Glenn doesn’t care, he simple wants people to know! And he does it in a very entertaining way.