Wednesday 7 December 2011

Glenn Beck Potentially Going Blind


Glenn Beck recently revealed that he has macular dystrophy, which is a degenerative eye condition affecting central vision.
Glenn Beck is one of the most polarizing figures in the world of political talking heads and he is equally loved and reviled by those who follow his program. He has made news recently for two reasons - the first was his somewhat surprising defense of former Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod, although anyone fully informed on the situation would most certainly support her.

In addition to Beck's defense of Sherrod, however, he also announced that he is suffering from macular dystrophy, a degenerative eye condition that gradually erodes vision in the central part of the vision field. Peripheral vision is not as seriously affected by the disease. Beck made the announcement and was clearly still dealing with the emotions brought on by the knowledge that he may lose a large portion of his vision in the near future.

He said, "I know what my wife looks like, I know what my children look like. I have a great imagination. I know what color looks like. But I love to read. And I thought to myself, in that time, I'm too darn lazy to learn Braille!"

Regardless of your position on Glenn Beck, it's hard to argue that his condition - if accurately diagnosed - could be a life-changing one. Of course, that will probably not garner him much support from those who feel that his rants are completely devoid of logic and thought and that he simply tries to enrage the simple-minded to prevent them from absorbing reason.

If Beck's condition is confirmed and his vision begins to deteriorate, it may be interesting to see what effect that might have on his approach to his audience and the events of the day.

No comments:

Post a Comment