Archive for April 11, 2009

Becktionary: “Disenfranchise” and “Slavery”

Major points to anyone to get the Futurama reference…

Anyways, we all know Glenn Beck is crazy, marking a new departure from sanity and responsibility for the Fox network. What you may not know is that he’s also a chronic abuser of the English language. Take this latest clip, headlined by both “Media Matters” and “Wonkette,” and think about this: pretending to set a guy on fire is the least crazy thing he does in this five-minute sketch:

The most crazy thing, in fact, is his complete disregard for the meanings of words. Let’s take some examples.  The problem words are underlined.

“How much more can he disenfranchise us!?” (0:50):

• By context, Beck thinks “disenfranchise” means: “do things we don’t like in order to infuriate…”
• It actually means: forcible removal one’s right to vote in a democratic election; otherwise forcibly stifle one’s voice in the democratic process.
• The problem is: nobody “disenfranchised” Beck, or his rabid followers. Sure, they lost an election, through a fair & democratic process, but as Jon Stewart explained last week, the natural result of losing an election is that you have to endure some things you don’t like. Arguably, you shouldn’t have to endure a whole lot of that. Presidents should generally govern with an eye towards healing rather than dividing the nation. But when you’re on the far right – like Beck – even the center looks radical.

“You’re spending money that leads only to slavery!” (4:20):

• By context, Beck thinks “slavery” means: “debt.”
• It actually means: complete subjugation of one individual to the will of another; the condition of being forced to work without pay for someone else, without hope of escape.
• The problem is: the man is a demagogue, who decided to start caring about runaway spending after January 20, 2009. Nevermind the Iraq War, or the bailout process that the last Republican President started. Selective anger at government spending is partisan; equating spending with the sin of slavery is irresponsible.

Lord knows Glenn Beck is a veritable gold-mine of bizarre, rodeo-clownesque quotations (including repeated, bizarre references to America as the next Weimar Republic, @ 5:30). Here’s hoping, though, that the Becktionary doesn’t have to become a regular feature.