from ThinkProgress:
Beck: People ‘Pushed To The Wall’ By ‘Political Correctness’ May Turn Into Psycho Killers On Tuesday, an Alabama man named Michael McLendon killed 10 people in a shooting spree before committing suicide in what has been called “the worst rampage in Alabama’s history.” Police are continuing to interview people who knew McLendon and his victims, but said today that “there’s probably never going to be a motive” found.
During a conversation with Bill O’Reilly on Fox News today, Glenn Beck offered up his own theory about McLendon. “First of all, this guy’s a psycho,” said Beck. Beck added that listening to the description of him, he was reminded of “the American people that feel disenfranchised right now” and “that feel like nobody’s hearing their voice.”
He then questioned whether these people who feel silenced by “political correctness” are likely to “turn into that guy” when “pushed to the wall”:
BECK: Yada yada yada. And every time they do speak out, they’re shut down by political correctness. How do you not have those people turn into that guy?
O’REILLY: Well, look, nobody, even if they’re frustrated, is going to hurt another human being unless they’re mentally ill. I think.
BECK: I think pushed to the wall, you don’t think people get pushed to the wall?
O’REILLY: Nah, I don’t believe in this snap thing. I think that that kind of violence is inside you and it’s a personality disorder.
Watch it:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/12/beck-shooting-pc/Beck’s comments are reminiscent of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s claims after both the Columbine school shooting and the Virginia Tech school shooting that liberalism was to blame. “The liberal academic elite, the liberal political elite — I accuse you in Littleton,” said Gingrich in 1999. Asked in 2007 if he would apply those same views to Virginia Tech, Gingrich said, “yes.”
Transcript:
BECK: So, the shooting in Alabama.
O’REILLY: Yeah.
BECK: Did you hear how they described this guy? I mean, it was a typical, you know, “he was a loner. He was quiet. I didn’t know.” I mean, it was really…But what they really described, when they really got down into it, what they said was: “here’s a guy who felt that he had been wronged. He didn’t feel comfortable talking to anybody. He was disgruntled and everything else.” And then he went out and shot a bunch of people. As they were describing him — and they said, you’ve got to go, now more than ever, you’ve got to start talking to people. You have to start connecting with people because we’re going into hard times yada yada yada. As I’m listening to the description. First of all, this guy’s a psycho. Clearly, he’s a psycho.
O’REILLY: Right.
BECK: But as I’m listening to him. I’m thinking about the American people that feel disenfranchised right now. That feel like nobody’s hearing their voice. The government isn’t hearing their voice. Even if you call, they don’t listen to you on both sides. If you’re a conservative, you’re called a racist. You want to starve children.
O’REILLY: Sure.
BECK: Yada yada yada. And every time they do speak out, they’re shut down by political correctness. How do you not have those people turn into that guy?
O’REILLY: Well, look, nobody, even if they’re frustrated, is going to hurt another human being unless they’re mentally ill. I think.
BECK: I think pushed to the wall, you don’t think people get pushed to the wall?
O’REILLY: Nah, I don’t believe in this snap thing. I think that that kind of violence is inside you and it’s a personality disorder. But I do understand the frustration of people. But it’s called fighting the good fight. That’s what it’s called, fighting the good fight. You stand up for your belief system, you tell people what you believe, you take the slings and arrows — both you do, I do, we have to take it. But you fight. You fight for your country. You fight for your family. You fight for your dignity. And that’s it. And you don’t hurt other people in the process. You just fight the good fight.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/12/beck-shooting-pc/