The Bizarre Life and Angry Times of Bill O'Reilly

[laststeamtrain]

The Bizarre Life and Angry Times of Bill O'Reilly
By John Dolan, AlterNet
Posted on December 31, 2008, Printed on January 2, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/116389/

Reviewed: "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O' Reilly (Broadway, 2008).

In this slight, self-indulgent memoir, Bill O'Reilly tells us how he got so "bold" and "fresh." A humble man, he attributes his success to his own innate greatness, with honorable mention going to his solidly rock-headed upbringing in Levittown, N.Y. For all his generous praise of Levittown, O'Reilly is very clear that most of the credit should go to himself: "Looking back, the reason I have succeeded in life is that I relied on myself."

This typical piece of self-congratulation comes in a bizarre 10-page digression about Hurricane Katrina, in which O'Reilly contrasts his bold, fresh childhood in Levittown 50 years ago with the disastrous government-dependency of those New Orleans residents who spoiled Bush's presidency by getting themselves drowned: "If I had lived in New Orleans, I would have gotten in my car and driven the hell out of there as soon as the national weather service gave warning." In case the reader missed the point, Bill says that the dead in New Orleans were "either too dumb, too lazy, too mentally challenged, or too unlucky to have provided themselves with basic protections."

Stupid and callous as that may sound, it's the sort of proclamation that helped O'Reilly "succeed in life." In fact, this sort of non sequitur is the most powerful rhetorical device in O'Reilly's part of the ideological spectrum. O'Reilly's real function is to say out loud, on television, this sort of thing -- and get away with it. His fans don't argue; they hate argument or discussion on principle. They simply glory in the fact that O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh have found a way to blurt out their long-nursed spite on national TV and get away with it -- in fact, "succeed in life" by doing it. So, the raw boasting that characterizes this book is something that O'Reilly's nameless fans can share, knowing that O'Reilly's success, such as it is, represents the fact that their long-choked spite has at last found its voice.

O'Reilly's notorious catchphrase, "Shut up!" isn't by any means a mere eruption of bad temper; it's his ideology. His version of conservatism, which he calls "traditionalism," emphasizes silent obedience. He proudly recalls learning the habit of not discussing important matters as a child: "My folks knew what was happening in the world, but did not feel compelled to comment."

The traditionalist view is simple dualism, as O'Reilly explains it: "You either fight active evil, or you accept it." Of course, without the possibility of real discussion, you might wonder how the traditionalist decides whether a particular cultural phenomenon is evil. O'Reilly's view is, again, proudly rock-headed: "My view of evil, like just about everything else about me, is simple and straightforward." To demonstrate that distinguishing good from evil is actually a piece of cake, O'Reilly offers the reader examples from five current controversies. The most interesting question in the O'Reilly Catechism is No. 4: "Terrorists around the world are responsible for killing and injuring thousands of human beings. Are all terrorists evil?"

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http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/116389/the_bizarre_life_and_angry_times_of_bill_o'reilly_/
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I hadn't seen this posted. It's pretty funny.

It'd be even funnier if there was only one Bill O'Reilly but there seem to be thousands. And, boy, they sure like to talk.

[opihimoimoi]

1. Yup, they are many ....too many perhaps....The OReallys of the World should

be herded in a corner and humbled somehow,,,,

Peace....

Opi

[hlthe2b]

2. Funny, no.... Devastatingly accurate... absolutely

and frightening to think how many hate-filled sociopaths like O'Lielly and Limbut are out there. Such damage they have done to this country...

It makes me wish there were a hell (and that we could be the invisible "flies on the wall" as they meet their maker.

[Lasher]

3. Ha ha, check out the customer reviews at Amazon.com!

A book about a child written by a man with the mind of a child

By Keep It Real

If you're looking for wisdom, this is not the book for you. This is a great book for anyone that sees the world like a 5th grader. I kept expecting some kind of perspective or a sense of (dare I say it?) humility. Bill seems to be missing that gene. It's not the all-out propaganda that you get from his show, but it is the same narrow view of the world.

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0767928822/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt_sr_1?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar

[baldguy]

4. "You either fight active evil, or you accept it."

Too many people are accepting of O'Reilly and his ilk.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Billo said the reason McCain lost is Sarah Palin wouldn't appear on his show

I tuned him in for a few minutes yesterday. I about had to pull my car over I was laughing so hard.

[ladym55]

6. To me it's so very sad how many buy O'Reilly's garbage

My elderly mother watched that lying, nasty bag of garbage every night until she died, and she would spout his evil regularly. When I questioned any of it, she would talk about O'Reilly "not spinning." This was an educated woman. To this day, I don't get it.

It's so easy to see these jerks are lying and self-aggrandizing. :wtf:

[Skittles]

7. my boyfriend's dad worked with Bill OReilly's dad

and even attended his funeral.....they were accountants at an oil firm, hardly blue collar. Tom's dad said O'Reilly's dad was a huge bully - imagine that

[StreetKnowledge]

8. O'Reilly Clearly isn't so much a commentator as a giant hate-spewing machine. n/t