How many of you have been in a discussion/debate with a “current Mormon” (in contrast to a former Mormon, of course) and they have denied being fans/acolytes of Glenn Beck? I’m sure some of them are honestly not fans. But given the political leanings of Utah, I have to wonder how many are closet Glenn Beck fans. Per Fan Page Analytics (using Facebook data), there are more Glenn Beck fans in Utah per capita than any other place on earth (per here), 17.9 times the average to be exact:
We’ve talked about Glenn Beck on MSP before, but, seriously, what’s the appeal? And why is he so popular in Mongolia?
I have no idea why Beck would be popular in Mongolia, but I do think Cognitive Dissenter is on to something in her latest post, Someone should tell Glenn Beck he needs an industrial strength underwire:
And so it goes.
I can’t explain Mongolia (!?), but as for the U.S., I think Beck knows how to effectively tap into people’s fears and hatreds. He brings out the worst in his right-wing audience, which isn’t a good thing.
Glenn Beck is well-liked is Niger AND IRAQ? WTF?
I’m proud to see that my home state of Pennsylvania is less Beck-friendly than the Intermountain West, at least.
Can you believe that my Philadelphia stake wanted to include copies of Glenn Beck’s books on prominent display at our ward’s open-house? I finally convinced them that, in Philadelphia at least, Beck wasn’t exactly the person they should be highlighting as a Mormon.
You know, at this point, considering how our mid-term election is just around the corner, I’m thinking that the prospect of Sharron Angle actually replacing Harry Reid in the Senate is a whole lot scarier than the Glenn Beck phenom:
Seriously?
Mormons represent 7% of the Nevada electorate. And it looks like they’re mostly intending to vote for Sharron Angle. Go figure.
Which is a greater divide? Mormons and progressives, or Mormons and evangelicals?
As Nevada goes, so goes … Nevada. More importantly, for all you Mittsters lurking here at MSP, here are the latest numbers out of Cali.
The numbers are bad for Mitt’s gal, but what follows next is your worst nightmare (as your opponent serves up a [fairly inexpensive] reality check in the 11th hour of an otherwise expensive [for you] campaign):
Just a friendly heads up, Mittsters: That right there is what’s known in the vernacular as a “harbinger” and it’s gonna be dj vu all over again for y’all in 2012 if you don’t come to your senses and face the reality that your guy is unelectable except maybe as VP/supporting cast in a Mitch Daniels campaign.
I would venture a wild guess that Mongolia can be explained because it has 1) very few internet/Facebook users and 2) a relatively large number of Mormon “welfare missionaries,” so the combination adds up to a high ratio of Beck fans per internet/Facebook user. Iraq can probably be explained by the high number of military personnel, who tend to be conservative. No idea about Niger.
I can’t speak for all progressives, but as 2012 approaches, I intend to avoid offending Article VI of the US Constitution (i.e., the No Religious Test clause) by limiting myself to pressing Romney for a clarification of his religious beliefs vis–vis a presumed mutual appreciation of the benefits of American pluralism on which the legitimacy of his candidacy ought to depend in the mind of any informed voter.
Do most evangelicals even grasp the vocabulary of informed consent and representative government? I suspect not. Then again, neither do most Mormons. At this point, Mormons and fundies are located somewhere equidistant from both themselves and progressive politics.
In any case, if I’m not making sense, it might be the late hour, or it might be that your question requires consideration of two entirely distinct divides, one political and the other theological.
Which is a greater divide? Mormons and democratic politics, or Mormons and Christian theology?
ETA: I can’t figure out what I’m jabbering about, but luckily Joanna Brooks has a piece up now on this very topic … Romney Goes to Bat Against Reid in Nevada
And here’s last week’s NYT editorial, Fear and Loathing in Nevada:
Mitt Romney is campaigning for that?!
Check out this page describing the Mormon presence in Mongolia:
When I was in SLC last year and on Temple Square, one of the two female missionaries I talked to was Mongolian. She mentioned the Church is growing there, but also fairly new. When I talked about the gay Mormon conference I was at (Affirmation), she and her partner who was Jamaican were very curious. I mean, basically, in Mongolia there isn’t really a gay rights history, or a history of “gay people,” per se, so she found the gay/Mormon divide in America to be odd. Asking about the Affirmation conference, she said: “Are you trying to change the Church?” The question was so matter-of-fact that I had to say, “Yes.” I remember mentioning that there is probably some kind of underground gay culture in Ulaanbaatar, but she gave me a funny look, and I felt colonialist afterward.
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad Intro
I was made to hit in America!
This is slightly off-topic, but I thought I’d share an amusing little fit thrown by our own favorite Mr. Beck:
A well-known comic artist from Canada (Ryan North) and some friends published a cool book of short stories about a machine that tells you how you’ll die. On Tuesday, it hit #1 on Amazon.com’s bestsellers. The same day, Glenn’s new book came out. It stayed down at #3.
Mr. Beck was unhappy, and ranted for a while (short transcript can be found by following the address below).
http://machineofdeath.net/a/159
…Poor guy. He’s always gotta be the underdog.
Beck’s popularity in Mongolia. I don’t suppose this could have anything to do with it?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/03/mongolian-neo-nazis-on-th_n_668624.html
I am a current Mormon and frequent talk show listener and news hound. I have rarely seen nor heard Beck, and thus cannot be said to be anything but ambivalent about him or his agenda, whatever that is.
But heck, I lived for 17 years in Holland and Germany, with the bulk in Amsterdam, so how bad could I be?
Yes, I went to Church there, in Amsterdam, and receiving a pass from both the Bishop and Stake president to use Cannabis as medicine.
Eric
P.S.BYU -H Grad, too.