A direct response to Glenn Beck

Yes, I am aware that some comrades don't think we should bother responding to Beck's crap directly. I vehemently disagree. It is probably the single most influential piece of anti-communist propaganda made in the last 20 years. I count 4 threads about it on Revleft, just days after its release. This is a greater number of threads than we've had about other anti-communist propaganda films - such as The Soviet Story - in the course of several years after their release.

We need a direct response, and we need it soon. I propose that this direct response should be our first project. Given the inevitable popularity of Beck's bullshit, making a direct response will also be a good way to get people interested in what we have to say. More people will want to watch a response to Glenn Beck than some out-of-the-blue video about communism in general.

If enough comrades are on board for this, I can have a preliminary script ready by next Saturday. I intend to go over Beck's video, identify the main points, and refute them in an organized and coherent way. I have many of the necessary sources already, but in some places I may want to make a point without having a good source ready on hand. I will mark those places in the script and ask for your help in tracking down sources.

I will also make a few suggestions about the video content that should accompany different parts of the script, but my strength lies in writing, not in images, so I really think someone else should handle the video part. Finally, we need someone to do the voiceover, and someone to work on background sounds/music.

I propose to have the final script (complete with notes on the video content) done in 2 weeks, and to have the whole project finished in 6 weeks or less. Who wants to join?

I can edit. We need a good argument first. I say we can make a make-shift script right in this discussion. Watch Beck and get a good list of counterpoints and as Haderach said, we should site our arguments (already legitimizing us over his hot air rhetoric). I can shoot and edit footage, although footage of beck's show may be under copyright.

Let's get a script going, or at least counterpoints. Lets fling some shit back at him.

I have not watched the Glenn Beck video yet, but, judging from what others have posted, the main topics we will need to address are the following:

1. Claims that Marx and Engels were racists.
2. Claims that the Nazis were socialists.
3. Claims that communists killed lots of people and were just as bad as the Nazis.

I propose to address them as follows:

A. Point out the full context of the Marx & Engels quotes that Beck butchers, and explain what's going on.
B. Provide other quotes that show the internationalism of Marx and Engels.
C. Explain that Marxism was widely viewed by right-wingers in the early 20th century as an evil Jewish conspiracy (with quotes to prove it). Which leads us to...
D. The Nazis. Refute the "National Socialists ZOMG" point, and go on to list some quotes from Hitler and other Nazis which make them look anti-socialist and pro-capitalist.
E. Compare the laws of Nazi Germany with those of America under Ronald Reagan. The Nazis will look more conservative on everything (including taxes).
D. Talk about the great and uncompromising violent struggle between Nazis and communists, from the 1920s through the 1930s, and during the war (remember to emphasize that the French Resistance was led by communists).
E. Refute some of the typical lies about Soviet-style governments, as well as Stalin, Che Guevara, etc. Emphasize the existence of numerous communists who did not agree with Stalin.
F. Talk about some of the achievements of Soviet-style governments, as well as the achievements of communists elsewhere. End with a Martin Luther King quote (there are several that are pro-socialist or anti-capitalist).

If we take 10 minutes for each section, we can get an hour-long film and break it up into neat fragments for YouTube.

Robocommie and I have already been getting onto this, and Raheem seems to want to help as well. I'm currently writing a draft script.

I propose to have the final script (complete with notes on the video content) done in 2 weeks, and to have the whole project finished in 6 weeks or less. Who wants to join?

Glenn Beck's show is fucking weak. We aren't going to need 6 weeks.

A. Point out the full context of the Marx & Engels quotes that Beck butchers, and explain what's going on.

Already covered most of those, just needs a little fine-tuning.

B. Provide other quotes that show the internationalism of Marx and Engels.
C. Explain that Marxism was widely viewed by right-wingers in the early 20th century as an evil Jewish conspiracy (with quotes to prove it). Which leads us to...

The program itself actually acknowledges Marx's internationalism and (to some degree) the fact that marxism was viewed as a Jewish conspiracy.

Glenn Beck calls Marx a self-hating Jew.

E. Compare the laws of Nazi Germany with those of America under Ronald Reagan. The Nazis will look more conservative on everything (including taxes).

Isn't that a bit reductio ad Hitlerum?

E. Refute some of the typical lies about Soviet-style governments, as well as Stalin, Che Guevara, etc. Emphasize the existence of numerous communists who did not agree with Stalin.

I'm onto the criticism of Guevara but someone else needs to deal with Stalin. Please make it clear that alot of leftists are not Stalinists, for heaven's sake.

If we take 10 minutes for each section, we can get an hour-long film and break it up into neat fragments for YouTube.

An hour might be a bit much. I think the best way to go about this is to directly counter the arguments in the video bit by bit instead of going off on a tangent.

Robocommie and I have already been getting onto this, and Raheem seems to want to help as well. I'm currently writing a draft script.

Excellent! Less work for me to do. Please post your script when it's done, and I'll post mine and then we can combine them.

Glenn Beck's show is fucking weak. We aren't going to need 6 weeks.

I was leaving room for... less than perfect enthusiasm on our part.

Already covered most of those, just needs a little fine-tuning.

Ok, then I'll skip that part in my script, and just give suggestions after you post yours.

The program itself actually acknowledges Marx's internationalism and (to some degree) the fact that marxism was viewed as a Jewish conspiracy.

Glenn Beck calls Marx a self-hating Jew.

Ok, I can address that.

Isn't that a bit reductio ad Hitlerum?

Oh yes, but we should fight fire with fire. If Beck tries to throw Hitler's stinking corpse into the socialist camp, we should throw it right back at him.

Anything less would be seen as conceding the point that Hitler was "at least somewhat socialist". No. We must not concede a single inch.

I'm onto the criticism of Guevara but someone else needs to deal with Stalin. Please make it clear that alot of leftists are not Stalinists, for heaven's sake.

Yes. The point we need to get across is "Stalin was not nearly as bad as Beck claimed - and in any case, let us tell you about all the communists who opposed Stalin."

An hour might be a bit much. I think the best way to go about this is to directly counter the arguments in the video bit by bit instead of going off on a tangent.

True, some of the items on my own list don't really look like they could take 10 minutes (like the Marx quotes, for example). But I think a few tangents are appropriate. It is not enough to negate Beck's claims. We must counter-attack as well.

Excellent! Less work for me to do. Please post your script when it's done, and I'll post mine and then we can combine them.

Sounds good to me, we'll negotiate how we combine them later.

True, some of the items on my own list don't really look like they could take 10 minutes (like the Marx quotes, for example). But I think a few tangents are appropriate. It is not enough to negate Beck's claims. We must counter-attack as well.

As long as we don't end up making strawmen I'm cool with that.

I'm in! Post the first version of the script very quick! and then edit it while we can watch and comment
I can help editing (finding footage, and other stuff) together with Comrade Lewis(If he wants?) I have extremly many things on the following points:

Those will be the Subjects that I would specialise on.
We need to get together. MSN anyone? IRC?

I just made #video on irc.revleft.com

Well, as we put things together, I'm sure we'll get to a point where we say "you know, I really wish we had someone to do X..." So I don't think we can be certain that we've covered all the jobs yet.

Humberto fontava who is beck's Che "expert" is not cited in ANY academic works which proves he's not a legitimate source.

Look up his Wiki article. The man's a fuckin' nut.

Hit me up for scoring/soundtrack work if necessary.

I am yet to watch the video, but i do have a suggestion. We really need to pull up a few of Hitlers quotes about what he believed 'socialism' was and explain why Hitler incorrectly used the term 'national socialism'. It would show that he needed to actually change the word socialism in order to use it. I also believe Hitler later regretted using the term at all.

I'm currently wondering where the fuck Beck is getting this article that was supposedly from the New York Times that said something about Goebbels praising Lenin as the second greatest man in the world and causing a riot, AND the article in L'humanite that said it was good to see Parisian workers befriending German soldiers. Both sound like they're completely fabricated, but it'd be nice if someone could double check that.

Goebbels was indeed vaguely sympathetic to the left in the early 1920s - but then Hitler changed his mind. If we can't refute one or two quotes, that's fine. There is another strategy we can use: pound Beck with counter-quotes. Do a quick search for the word "Marx" in Mein Kampf, for example. There are numerous anti-Marxist quotes right there. I am currently looking for others, in more obscure sources. And, most importantly, we need to have a segment on the actual policies of the Nazis in power (that's where I suggest to compare them with Ronald Reagan).

Likewise, I think the main thrust of our answer to the claim that the communists helped the Nazis should be to give a quick overview of the history of violent conflict between communists and Nazis. From the Freikorps to WW2.

Any info on the L'humanite article yet? I'd really like to see the whole thing myself.

the actual policies of the Nazis in power (that's where I suggest to compare them with Ronald Reagan).

Why compare them with Ronald Reagan?

I think comparing people to nazi's is dumb and we shouldnt do it.

Comparing people to Nazis is, for most people, an instant way of losing an argument. It doesn't matter if we're right in our comparisons, it doesn't matter if someone else did it first, the point is, the moment WE start doing it, they're just going to shut us out.

We don't NEED to invoke Hitler to show how Reagan was a jerk. We've got perfectly reasonable things to say against him.

We don't NEED to invoke Hitler to show how Reagan was a jerk. We've got perfectly reasonable things to say against him.

Umm, this isn't about Reagan. This is about the Nazis. A large part of Glenn Beck's video is dedicated to arguing that the Nazis were socialists. We need to counter that, and the best way of countering it is to show that the Nazis were more pro-capitalist than Reagan, because Reagan is the messiah of American conservatism.

The point is not to attack Reagan. The point is to attack the Nazis.

can you people please start working on the script? post it here. and we will talk about the pieces.

We did start working on the script. I plan to have my first draft posted by Saturday. Hmmm... Do you think it would be better to post pieces of it instead of the whole thing at once?

Umm, this isn't about Reagan. This is about the Nazis. A large part of Glenn Beck's video is dedicated to arguing that the Nazis were socialists. We need to counter that, and the best way of countering it is to show that the Nazis were more pro-capitalist than Reagan, because Reagan is the messiah of American conservatism.

The point is not to attack Reagan. The point is to attack the Nazis.

Ah, fair enough. It seems I misunderstood what you were trying to say. At first it seemed you wanted to merely pull a reversal.