Beck plagiarizes -- sort of -- in the trailer for his own book
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Beck plagiarizes -- sort of -- in the trailer for his own book
Earlier this year I revealed the title of Glenn Beck's coming thriller and now the long-awaited publication of The Overton Window is upon us, with the publisher pulling out all the stops. There's an already much-talked-about prologue now online, and they've even released something you don't normally see for a book -- a video trailer (at the bottom of the post).
The screen is filled with poetry, and with words that are alternately jarring or literary -- for the most part words that long-time listeners would not expect to come from the self-proclaimed "rodeo clown" of a right-wing media phenomenon. One exception does sound very Beck-ian, however -- the part where "the dog returns to its vomit."
But the words are very much not written by Glenn Beck. They are from the poem "The Gods of the Copybook Headings," by Britain's iconic Rudyard Kipling. Most viewers of the trailer -- based on the comments that I've read in a couple of online postings -- have no idea that this is a Kipling poem, nor would they, since the famed bard of the turn of the 20th Century is never credited.
Kipling's words are no longer under copyright, of course, and you can argue whether it's a form of plagiarism, since it's probably unlikely that many viewers would think that Beck himself actually wrote the poem (again, except for the part about the dog vomit). Still, if I were fortunate enough to get a slickly produced trailer for a book, I'd want it to include words that I'd actually written -- but that's just me.
By the way, the choice of the poem does say something about Beck, who is borne ceaselessly back into 1919, the year that "The Gods of the Copybook Headings," around the time that -- in Beck's also-fictionalized history of America -- Woodrow Wilson and the progressive movement were destroying everything good and decent about America (like, um, rancid meat-packing factories...). Written by Kipling as he grieved over the loss of a son in World War I -- an event that makes Beck look sane in comparison -- it is a favorite of conservatives who see it as a warning against the totalitarianism rising in Russia and elsewhere.
Of course, the real problem comes when you try to wrap those 91-year-old concerns around the actual issues that America faces in 2010, which have nothing to do with Lenin and Trotsky, but that is the slight of hand that Beck and his ilk do not want you to see.
Also note there's one section of the poem not in the trailer -- in which Kipling writes: "That All is not Gold that Glitters." Wonder why that wasn't included.
Comment removed.
Can anyone tell me how the President is doing? Did he come through on all that "Hope and Change" stuff?............For some reason 69% of the people think he royally scre*ed up the Oil debacle- why is that? ......How are Nancy pelosi and Harry Reid? Still mental patients?....... I do not get much info about this administration from this Blog....I knew everything Bush and Cheney did from this Blog- strange...— Manny Trillo
"Everybody boycotting BP should realize that when they do go under we will pay for it with tax dollars." . . . . . . . LOL, so BP is too big to fail, eh Birdie?- Hah, Beck knows that the likes of Stewart, Colbert, Maher and cut and paste wackos would seek out "damaging" tidbits- no matter how inane and inconsequential- from his latest book. Beck is grateful for the all the free air and blogisphere time and space that wacko pundits generate for him and his ever-growing investment portfolio. Will, you are too predictable.— lefty
- "The problem is poor quality control or sometimes a simple mistake." . . . . . . . Same problem we seem to have with government, RG, so explain how the marketplace can do better?
- Who is the bigger Bonehead..1. Joe Biden.....2. Nancy Pelosi....3. Harry Reid.....4. Will Bunch.....5. Barack Obama....6. Talking Point Fudgie?.... Place answer here________________— Manny Trillo
"LOL, so BP is too big to fail, eh Birdie?'..not at all what I said MSL. If BP goes bankrupt, BP goes bankrupt. The taxpayers should not bail out the company but the Gulf is still gonna need to be cleaned up and that will be done with tax dollars if BP isn't around to do it. I just choose to buy my gas at BP in order to hopefully prevent the burden to fall me, the taxpayer. Call it "enlightened self-interest".— bird11- MSL - can you put on your lawyer hat for a minute? Jim Clyburn is insisting on a federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney to determine where Greene got the $10,000 to file for his run for Senate claiming Greene was a Republican "plant". I admit it might have a sleeze factor to it if true but what could be criminal about that?— bird11
- GALLUP: OBAMA FALLS TO 44, NEW LOW.................... This president is as Popular as a Logic Class at a "Liberals Only" meeting.....— Manny Trillo
- "Same problem we seem to have with government, RG, so explain how the marketplace can do better?" Markets are voluntary (free to choose), decentralized (the knowledge problem), and do a much ebtter job at rewaring success and punishing failure (as long as gov doesn't intercede, ie AIG).— RG
- ---}}} Heck, in Cancun i bought a trinket from a kid running a stand. {{{--- I wonder what it would be like to live life in a stupor. RG, in his delirium, would probably paint a rosy picture of children who are deliberately crippled by their parents so they can earn more money begging in the streets. Any example, anywhere on the planet, that regulation isn't perfect proves that any regulation is actually harmful. Ah. One day RG will find his libertarian Utopia. Of course, it has never existed anywhere on the planet because no one non-stupefied thinks RG's governmentless society would be anything other a than dog-eats-dog nightmare - but you have to admire RG's commitment to his fantasy.— Talking point sleuth
- joe sophy, I agree wholeheartedly! TGIT and tomorrow's Friday, so we can comment on a column of substance and analysis, whatever you think of Flowers' politics.— pj katauskas
- "would probably paint a rosy picture of children who are deliberately crippled by their parents so they can earn more money begging in the streets." No, that falls under abuse. Are you now trying to argue that child labor laws prevent child abuse?— RG
- "No, that falls under abuse." . . . . Which the free market would punish, how?
- ---}}} Are you now trying to argue that child labor laws prevent child abuse? {{{--- No, I'm laughing at your rose-colored viewpoint on child labor. One of the reasons that there are child labor laws is to prevent parents from pulling their kids out of school, thus denying them educational opportunities. Another reason is that before regulation their was widespread abuse of children workers. Just like prior to regulation there was widespread abuse of workers of all types. Just like prior to regulation, workplaces were far, far more dangerous. What's so laughable is that you think the argument that abuses and problems still exist somehow negates the greater degree of problems before government regulation increased. Also laughable is your ignorance about how much greater the problems are in countries that don't have robust regulation. Your faith in the infallibility of the free market is misplaced, RG. Your stupor prevents you from seeing simple reality.— Talking point sleuth
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