Mobile
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Boomer with Attitude U.S. Islamaphobes desperately try to distance themselves from Norwegian killer
Posted By John Grooms on Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 12:13 PM
It’s fascinating to see reactions to the political killings in Norway by members of the American right-wing media and blogosphere. From the moment reports of the massacres started coming in, the world of Fox News, AM talk shows and far-right websites got all puffed up and began denouncing the evil Islamic terrorists who, without a doubt, perpetrated the horrid events in Oslo. Pretty soon, however, reports from Oslo made it clear that the killer, Behring Breivik, was a far-right Islamaphobe; in other words, he had views that represent the U.S. right-wing media’s bread and butter. It was almost comical: the sudden “Ohh, shit” realization, followed by the immediate — and I mean immediate — defensive backtracking. Whoa, whoa, well, some folks just carry their ideas too far, ahem ahem, and we’re going to have to double-check these allegations that Breivik is what the leftist Norwegian government says he is — who knows?
When there was finally no doubt left about the killer’s cold, deliberate hatred of multiculturalism and Islamic immigrants, it was as if Fox and its mob of imitators alternately couldn’t grasp the truth, or tried to sidetrack it. Some, like RedState’s Eric Erickson who — it still boggles the mind — has been given a spot on CNN as an “analyst,” simply kept on talking about the evils of Islam, as if nothing had changed. Others, like Mark Steyn at the National Review, asked how Breivik could be an Islamaphobe since the people he killed were “dozens of other blonde blue-eyed Aryan Scandinavians.” Maybe someone hadn’t explained to him about Breivik’s public anti-Muslim online rantings; maybe he just didn’t want to hear it. The worst of all — this will not be a surprise — was Glenn Beck. Although Beck was finally shit-canned by FoxNews, where his increasingly unhinged comments became too much even for them, he still has a national radio show, and he used the program to say that the kids who were killed at the political summer camp “sounds a little like the Hitler Youth. I mean, who does a camp for kids that’s all about politics?” (Besides the obvious outrage of his equating massacred kids to Hitler Youth, Beck doesn’t seem to remember that he sponsors the Tampa Liberty School, a right-wing camp for kids ages 8-12. Thanks to Alternet for that sidelight to Beck’s odious comments.)
Now, God forbid that we say that America’s anti-Muslim right-wingers — who slander all Muslims as potential terrorists, claim that Western civilization itself is threatened by an influx of Muslims who want to destroy America and impose Sharia law on everyone — yes, God forbid that we point out that these nuts actually have a lot in common with Behring Breivik and his views which, come to think of it, are pretty much the same as those spouted by Beck, Erickson and company. The truth of the matter — and the U.S. mainstream media, if there’s an iota of real reporting left in them, should dwell on this — is that Breivik proudly claims various American Islamaphobes as his inspiration, he cites them by name in his manifesto, specifically the frenzied imbeciles behind the “Ground Zero Mosque” madness. Read all about Breivik’s American influences here.
Keep in mind that American Islamaphobes are well-financed, coordinated, and dedicated to stirring up hatred of all Muslims. In the U.S., so far, this has resulted in burned Korans, some demonstrations, and vandalism against mosques. The horrors in Norway are a wake-up call to the potential consequences of dehumanizing others; if there was a shred of decency left in the Hannitys, Limbaughs and Becks of the world, they would seriously examine their careers and consciences now. But then, they’d have to actually have a conscience.
Here is a graphic from ThinkProgress that shows which American Islamaphobes were cited by Breivikin his manifesto:
Speaking of Boomer With Attitude, Norway
-
John Grooms Shaped an Alternative Voice for Charlotte
Apr 26, 2017 -
Duke sludge spill makes things clear
Feb 19, 2014 -
Bombs, booze and history
Feb 12, 2014 - More »
Comments (3)
Showing 1-3 of 3
Latest in The CLog
More by John Grooms
-
Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
-
Question the Queen City: The historic Wearn House can still be saved 2
Though it's been on the chopping block for years, there's still hope for the historic structure.
-
10 best movie striptease scenes
Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba and more.
