When reports broke recently of a video of a group of black teens in Chicago beating and torturing a mentally disabled white man while railing against Donald Trump and white people in general, Glenn Beck posted a tweet linking the attack to the Black Lives Matter movement. Beck’s effort to blame the attack on BLM understandably generated media coverage, which he addressed on his radio program by initially insisting that he was simply asking “if this story was true” before asserting that now that we know it really happened, “we have to assign some blame to the leadership of Black Lives Matter.”
“We can’t let the people who did this get away with it unpunished,” Beck argued. “And while we’re on the subject, regardless of what some of you may think, I really don’t care about the race of the people who are responsible for this heinous act. What matters here is that they need to be arrested and we need justice. And, by the way – this is not the first, nor will it be the last time black people are going to go after white folks in this country, commit crimes against them and then argue they were merely seeking justice the way the Black Lives Matter movement does. Saying that you’re seeking justice when you’re clearly hurting innocent people is just like saying you’re going to war to kill people because you want peace for them. It makes no sense.”
He continued, “Historically speaking, African Americans have not had the best time in this country. But, in spite of that, they have become equal members of our society and have been treated as such for many years now. That being said, it is also important to note that they have also had a certain historical role, and it’s not a good idea to change that. The role I’m referring to is – if you commit a crime, you got to jail for it. And you can argue that that’s because of poverty, or white oppression or racial discrimination or whatever you want, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t change the fact that the great majority of the African American population today has either had close run-ins with the law, or are incarcerated as we speak.”
“Recently, however,” Beck added, “there was a noticeable change in their behavior. Not only have black people become more outgoing and courageous in their interactions with law enforcement, but somewhere along the line they seem to have grown expectations of being able to attack white people all they want and not going to jail for it. And correct me if I’m wrong, but historically, that kind of privilege was only reserved for rich, white Americans. And the reason why black people are increasingly becoming more brazen is the BLM movement.”
“Bottom line, everybody in this world, including black people, has a natural, inherent place where they belong. And for black people, sadly, that place is not the one they’re currently striving towards. If you attack a white person in America, you’re going to suffer the consequences of your actions, and that goes double if you happen to be a black person. Similarly, the BLM also needs to take some of the load and pay some of their dues. Our society has always taken great pride in having faith in the system, and it hasn’t let us down yet, which is why, you know – don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” Beck concluded.
