re: #293 Dainn

I’m not putting Charles down for doing it, quite the contrary. I’m just saying that people speaking up against extremism feeds the popularity of the extremist, as long as the holy fervor Beck creates around himself exists. We have to call his crap what it is, but in doing so we are helping keep him relevant in a perverse way.

Eventually people are going to wake up to what is going on with Beck and others like him. Until then its all fuel on the fire. Reason is boring.

I think this is flawed logic. We can’t speak out against the craziness because it draws attention to them? Of course it draws attention to them- and their craziness. We can’t expect people to just wake up unless we give them a reason to do so.

And I don’t buy the “no such thing as bad publicity” argument. There most certainly is such a thing- and I never hear people say this when it’s their ox being gored. Well- it’s bad publicity for Sanford, but it’s still good because it’s publicity. Nonsense, I say.

We can’t expect people to accept the premise Beck is a kook without being able to show why. Exposing his kookiness is showing that reason why, and I’m glad someone is doing it.