Headline News' abysmally-rated--and just plain abysmally insulting--attempt to pander to the red states, Glenn Beck, apparently doesn't know the first rule of what to do when you find yourself in a hole: stop digging. Thus, he wants you to know that he thinks you and your bat mitzvahs and weddings are just stupid and utterly worthy of his contempt. Check out this excerpt from last night's "Glenn Beck":
BECK: You know, one of the biggest problems facing our country right now is we feel compelled to buy stuff that we don`t really need or we can`t afford. This is really, I think, the reason why we don`t stay home with our kids. It`s also why the average college kid is thousands of dollars in debt. We`ll do anything to drive the right car, wear the right label, watch the right plasma, no matter what the cost.
If we can solve this problem individually of out-of-control spending, I`ve got to tell you, I think we solve a lot of our problems. All week, we`re going to take a look at this with a series we called "Unbridled Consumption"...
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECK (voice-over): In the Jewish religion, the bat mitzvah is a rite of passage, a crossover from childhood to adulthood, where the child becomes responsible for his own deeds, spiritually, ethically and morally.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She loves the ruffles, because she wanted a poofy dress. But it`s a service. So she needs -- so that`s why she needs a custom, too, because she can kind of take a ruffle but put a jacket with it as opposed to just going and buying a poofy dress off the rack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just like how it`s so poofy.
BECK: Scholars have yet to find any reference to poofy in the Talmud. But the main theme and focus of the bat mitzvah is the celebration of becoming a young woman in the eyes of Jewish tradition...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the exact same color of the flowers. And everything I bought was just pink and orange. They`re all -- everything is pink and orange.
BECK: It`s about taking your place within the Jewish faith and becoming a responsible member of the community.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the tablecloths are pink and orange, and all the flowers are pink and orange. And I think the decorations also are pink and orange. We`re going to get favors that are pink and orange.
BECK: Preparation for the bat mitzvah takes years of study and preparation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s September 6, 2008.
BECK: That means her bat mitzvah is only two years, six months and, I don`t know, a long way away for an 11-year-old to worry about anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to do it customized, like, so it`s not the same as everybody else`s. And I want it to have a lot of accessory but not too much.
BECK: Wait a minute. Aren`t you like 11 years old?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like this color and this kind of fabric.
BECK: You should be outside playing with other girls.
Beck goes on to give the poor, misguided souls excited about getting married the same "you idiot" treatment. Are we all clear on this? Glenn Beck thinks we are irresponsible jerks for spending money on traditions like bat mitzvahs and weddings that are, frankly, sacred...and he's willing to make fun of an 11-year-old girl and her religious traditions on national television to drive his point home. He needs to issue about a half-dozen apologies.
