Glenn Beck at the 2016 RedState Gathering.

Glenn Beck: ‘I know why #BlackLivesMatter matters’

During the 2016 RedState gathering in Denver, Colorado, radio host Glenn Beck gave an emotional speech touching on various subjects, from the Wounded Knee massacre to WWII female broadcaster Tokyo Rose.

But when talking about the political movement known as Black Lives Matter, the conservative TV and radio personality stunned by claiming that he had finally learned why members of the movement were angry.

In late 2015, Beck equated BLM to terrorism, saying “I think we need to start calling it that,” while adding that “[t]hey are terrorizing you.”

But on August 12, 2016, Beck told an audience of enthusiastic conservatives, “I think I know why they are angry.”

“I do not agree with Black Lives Matter. I do not agree with it,” said Beck. He justified his position by explaining, “[t]he leadership, they are communists.” But despite the group’s ideological component, Beck affirmed that their issue is legitimate and they are loud about it because “we’re not listening.”

He continued:

“We are not listening and they are not listening to us. Because we all speak different languages. … [but I think] many of us are saying the same things. … The people who are marching are not the people who are running it. They are honest. Many of the people who are marching, who are not burning things down, they just want to be heard. And we are saying ‘all lives matter,’ right? I’ve been saying that for a year, all lives matter. And that’s offensive. How’s it offensive? I finally figured it out.”

To Beck, black communities across America aligning with the BLM movement are signaling to something that is “happening in our own community,” and they are crying, “we need help, we need help.”

“Something is happening in our own community that we don’t recognize. Black lives matter.”

He then used a metaphor to explain further, equating the civil rights issues that BLM members hope to bring up to slices of pie. He explained that if everyone present at the gathering had a piece of pie except one individual, he would be saying “my pie matters”. Whether all pies matter in this case is irrelevant, Beck added. But the fact that a man wasn’t given a piece of pie matters. Now.

It’s difficult to hear Beck’s point and not recognize elements from the libertarian position on police brutality. He might not recognize or acknowledge it, but he admits to looking at the matter differently, realizing that groups of black Americans are bringing attention to a problem that is particular to their communities. Now, Beck admits, it’s time to talk about it, whether all lives matter or not has nothing to do with the issue.

Born and raised in Brazil, Alice always knew America was her home. From the moment she first lived in the United States as a 14-year-old up until now, she has never stopped fighting to make it freer.

She lives in Compton, California and writes for The Advocates for Self-Government and Anti-Media.

2 Comments

  1. It is disappointing that the “Black lives matter” movement and libertarians are not allies on this. Libertarians can be tough on Beck, but in truth he is one of the better people in Radio.

    Thanks Alice

  2. Wow…..how magnanimous! Oh, you “get it” now……somebody doesn’t have pie? That’s it? Fucking Pie man!?

    No…..you still don’t get it.

    This is it. White ppl don’t really identify with “whiteness” – they pick it up and set it down at-will!

    When you are black you never are NOT black.

    One black man’s or one small percentage of total black population is BLM then that man’s or that group’s actions are ALL black people’s actions.

    THAT’S racism.

    When Michael Phelps when’s a gold white people don’t think “look at us…..look at what we can do”……there are no white (for whiteness sake) social heroes……a white child takes equal inspiration from Michael Phelps or Michael Jordan……not because of race but because of individual expression. Dylan Roof does not cause white chagrin…..white ppl think “this pathetic idiot” they don’t think “not in my name” or “this is my shame / this is what we do”

    Racism for good or bad actions is always a negative as it reinforces the notion of “this is us ” or “that’s them”

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