Beck's "Corruption" - a floating abstraction

[RightJungle]

Keeping in mind that I admire Glenn Beck for his contribution to our understanding of Progressivism - his emphasis on and definition of corruption in "The Overton Window" suddenly took on the characteristics of a Floating Abstraction. Anyone else seeing that?

[9thdoctor]

...characteristics of a Floating Abstraction. Anyone else seeing that?

Is this something you need to read the book to follow? I doubt many on the board have. Could you spell out how you come to this conclusion for the pressed Time Lord and other mortals? Let’s declare this thread a spoiler zone, so people planning to read the book are duly warned.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Mary,

I'm halfway through the book and I have some disappointments, but corruption being a floating abstraction is not one of them. The PR dad is an expert at selling a gloss-over story--and flat-out lies--to the public of when politicians misbehave. Several examples were given.

The existence of a kind of secret police that targets patriots among the loons in the interest of keeping power is another. Also, there's lots of politics-based money flying around all over the place. That's a pretty good concrete.

My biggest disappointment so far is that the first 124 pages only cover about one day and there is no major conflict. Not good for a thriller. A young dude, whose father is a powerful kingmaker kind of PR man, falls for a patriotic chick. He goes to a pro-freedom meeting trying to woo her, gets rained on, etc. on the way. There is a setup at the meeting and everybody gets busted. He uses his influence to get them off. The chick has doubts about him and he has doubts about what his father does. They go back and forth.

I won't go on for spoiler reasons.

I hate to say this about Beck, but I'm yawning so far...

There's some good historical info in it about classic PR folks, though.

Michael

[BaalChatzaf]

From what I have seen (and heard) from Beck, about Beck and by Beck, I find him lacking in gravitas. I simply cannot take him seriously. He is in the same class of T.V. showman as O'Reilly or so he seems to me.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Brant Gaede]

From what I have seen (and heard) from Beck, about Beck and by Beck, I find him lacking in gravitas. I simply cannot take him seriously. He is in the same class of T.V. showman as O'Reilly or so he seems to me.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Actually this is good for it injects ideas into the popular culture.

--Brant

[RightJungle]

My reference to "The Overton Window" as the source of my question about corruption as a floating abstraction was motivated by its being the latest in his book series and by its continuation of his T.V. show's blackboard lessons on corruption. Background in his presentations wouldn't hurt, but I don't think the background is required to talk about the concept of "corruption" and its use when discussing the dangerous trends in our politics and economy.

The reason his recent emphasis on "corruption", "Hope, faith and Charity" is giving me the floating abstraction willies is that "corruption" is not a term that points to the causes of what we see in our political and cultural melieu these days. It carries an emotional meaning of "it's bad", but then we need to ask what specifically are we talking about. What specifically is Beck talking about? A foggy definition of what we are fighting is going to make the fight harder.

Also, the Hope Faith and Charity phrase that he is using is a phrase that will sound good to his viewers, but fails to communicate a specific guide to the action needed to refound this nation.

In fact, "Crime Inc" is bothersome for similar reasons. His blackboard diagram of that is more complex than most of his diagrams have seen and I think that is because he is trying to lump too much under that heading. In fact, a lot of what he has on that blackboard don't look like actual crimes. Bad stuff, yeah, but not crimes.

Given the evidence that the US is about to walk off a cliff and time is of the essence, I'm way more comfortable when he talks to the particulars of Progressivism and the other isms, the ideologies of the various groups and individuals who have the presidents ear, and the fact that some of the people wrapped up in what is happening actually do think that they are "doing good" for the American people. Corruption seems slippery and small.

Net, net, I expect that Objectivists will be inclined to grasp the floating abstraction worry if it fits. If it doesn't, then maybe a quick reason as to why it doesn't would be helpful.

You're right about the book being a little yawny. I get a lot of useful information from his show and had promised myself after "Aruging with Idiots" to spend no more money on Beck Books, but I couldn't resist. However, I did like the psychology in those passages when old man Gardner states his case to his son.

[RightJungle]

Floating abstraction is not the problem with Corruption and Crime. These concepts do refer to existents in reality. Having slept since my last post, I can see that my argument is with the definition of the problem, not with these concepts themselves.

Corruption does exist within the many levels of government. This concept does describe the ultimate effect of what Collectivism + Altruism will achieve. I just don't think that this concept describes the fundamental conflict between the current form of the U.S. government and the form that was sought by the Founding Fathers.

Crime also exists. If Beck's goal is to demonstrate that the action of the players on his "Crime Inc." diagram could be prosecuted under the high crime of treason, I will stop whining about that diagram. The fact is that investing in Petrobras is not criminal. Getting rich is not criminal. Even trying to influence the use of Presidential or Congressional power is not criminal. I appreciate Beck's exposure of all of these relationships between America's internal enemies and the executive orders, laws and regulations created by our government because we need to know and understand the ends being achieved.

If Beck hired me to help design his show, I would hang up a poster with the basic problem definition (Capitalism + Egoism vs. Collectivism + Altruism) and then insure that evey day, before the show ends, he relates what he has exposed to that basic problem definition until that definition has been fully fleshed out. Then, we would have the foundation for refounding America.

So, as far as my opening to this thread is concerned, I quote Gilda Radner: "Never mind."

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Mary,

Embezzlement, larceny, extortion and bribery are crimes...

That's just off the top of my head.

Take a look at normal mobster organized crime. Just because you don't see what happens in the light of day doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Ditto for many of these back-room deals in the government.

There comes a point where the dots really do need to be connected so something can be done about bad people doing bad things.

Michael

[RightJungle]

Michael, I must have missed a couple of those things on the blackboard and leaped to the conclusion that all Beck was talking about was what was on the blackboard. Sorta short sited, huh?

Edited June 25, 2010 by Mary Lee Harsha