What the Beck?

Posted at December 15, 2010

Recently I was back in the U.S. for a short visit. Took a stroll through a bookstore as I am always prone to do. You see, many of those great books that one hears about are simply not available here. I tried Amazon once, but it didn’t work that well. So whenever I am back in the States I usually bring two or three books back home. I couldn’t help noticing that there seems to be a conspiracy afloat. Most of the books I saw were written by hard-core conservatives and usually with the theme of criticizing Obama. I guess that’s what sells these days. One guy that really seems to be overly prolific is Glenn Beck. I didn’t feel even the slightest temptation to pick up one of his books. I like to read things that make me feel inspired, or that motivate me, or that educate me. I don’t need to read a diatribe about how “progressive socialists” are the scum of the earth and are plotting secretly to take over the world and make everyone sing from the global warming hymnal. Glenn Beck and many who think like him seem to believe that the United States was established by God to spread their firebrand view of conservative capitalism throughout the world and to stamp out any other viewpoint. Anyone who thinks even the slightest bit different is part of this vast-left-wing progressive socialist conspiracy. They are the enemy and must be defeated, banished, anihilated from the face of a U.S. dominated earth. No, I haven’t read a single Beck book, but I got an inkling that is what he writes about. So, I believe I will just stick with something slightly more tolerant and enlightening. What did I buy? Well, I was so disgusted with being inundated with Palin and Beck books that I ended up buying Jack Kerouac’s immortal, On the Road. I have only read it about three or four times previous, but I guess what I saw in that bookstore really made me want to do as Kerouac’s title suggest and get the “Beck” out of there.