Penn Jillette: Glenn Beck Is a Nut-But I Like Him | Big Think

Glenn Beck Is a Nut-But I Like Him
New videos DAILY: bigth.ink/youtube
Join Big Think Edge for exclusive videos: bigth.ink/Edge
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Penn says his tolerance for crazy people "is I think as high a tolerance as you're ever going to find."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PENN JILLETTE:
Penn Jillette is a cultural phenomenon as a solo personality and as half of the world-famous Emmy Award-winning magic duo Penn & Teller. In the mid-'80s, Penn & Teller went from playing the tiki lounges at various Ramada Inns to being one of the most popular, big-budget, death-defying, nightclub acts in the country. After killing it in movies and SNL appearances, the duo went on to have their own Showtime series where they attempted to debunk everything from male enhancement pills to UFO sightings. Penn has independently produced the stand up comedy tribute film, The Aristocrats, and hosts a successful podcast with Ace Broadcasting, Penn's Sunday School. Penn & Teller: Fool Us, a current CW series, began its first season in London and now it has just begun its seventh, under the dazzling lights of Las Vegas.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIPT:
Question: You've appeared a few times on the Glenn Beck show.
What do you think of him?
Penn Jillette: He's a nut. I
mean, he's a deep, deep nut. On a one-on-one level I like him. My
tolerance for crazy people is I think high a tolerance as you're ever
going to find. I love being around David Allen Coe. I would have loved
to hang out with Tiny Tim. I can listen to Sun Ra on a tape-recording
rant. I have... it's not patience, it's love for people who are... live
outside the law. And Glenn Beck is that. I mean, I compare Glenn Beck
mostly to Abbie Hoffman, you know. When I was a child I would read
"Woodstock Nation" and "Steal This Book." And I didn't really agree with
very much of any of it because it was essentially socialist and
collectivist and didn't really ring true for me. But I loved the way he
did it. I loved the outrageous poetry of it and I loved that my
arguments with my dad about it where my dad thought he was a dangerous
nut. And I thought he was a fun nut.
And my arguments about Glenn
Beck are exactly the same as I used to have with my dad about Abbie
Hoffman. I'm so upset that someone else compared him to Abbie Hoffman
publicly before I did because I've been telling all my friends. Liberals
do misunderstand it. They... liberals think the medium is the message
and I believe is the message is the message and I had Tommy Smothers
tear me apart for going on Glenn Beck, and he was right. Tommy Smothers
was 100 percent right. He said that by going on I gave some credence and
support to some very bad ideas. I think it's exactly right.
Tommy
Smothers is a hero of mine. I think he's completely right to bust me on
that and I think I'm also completely right to say, "But you should go
on shows that you don't agree and tell the truth as you see it." I think
that's also completely right. He said to me-did not say this to me on
air but he said to me off air-"If Hitler had a talk show you would go on
it." And I answered, "Yes and I'd try to tell the truth." And I think
that's - when I went on Glenn Beck I argue with him about gay rights. I
argue with him about Mormonism. I agree with Glenn Beck on a few things,
those aren't the things I talked about when I went on the show. I went
on in order to argue.
But it is misunderstood and I think that...
I mean, my appearance is misunderstood. That wasn't your question. Your
question was is he misunderstood. There's something I see done with
Howard Stern. I want on Howard Stern, I've done dozens and dozens, maybe
hundreds of hours with Howard Stern. I'm not a big Howard Stern
listener but if you listen to Howard Stern everyday, you develop a deep
context for who Howard Stern is, what's important to him, what's
important to Robin, what his morality is, what his relationships are,
what his heart is. And I'm not talking about listening for a week, I'm
talking about listening to Howard Stern for months.
And I'm not
talking about, you know, a dozen hours over a month. I'm talking about
hundreds of hours, you know. You get to know Howard Stern and when he
says something it's automatically in a very deep and very big context.
Read the full transcript on bigthink.com/v...

[@MobileExperienceChris]

This man is not a sheep. I disagree with a lot of his views, but he doesn't let the "crowd" form his opinion. I saw him on Glenn Beck's show and he was very respectful. I think he gained the audience's respect too, b/c I know he gained mine. It was refreshing to see an atheist and a Christian not at each other's throats. Maybe there is hope for this country.

[@UponGiantsShoulders]

+Chris B Same here probably from the other side. Thank you, I think they both had a lot of good things to say.

[@azznbad1]

You know the yelling, screaming, and talking over each other rather than taking a minute to listen, started as a bit on day time talk shows, and of hosts wanted to end that kind of stuff they could. They control the mics and decide who and who isnr going to be on their show. They get all the mouthy rude and obnoxious guests from both sides because thsts what their audience indicates they like. It is damned refreshing to have a guy from any side who doesnt fall into that trap. He is pretty much a text book Liberatarians and seems to be consistent. Being a liberatarian myself I hate when I see soneone more consistant than myself but he seems to be. There are difference in every political group and those of us who think government is the problem in most cases. It was nice to hear him admit that pacifism isnt always the proper option.

[@messianichebrewshawnkawcak1550]

I think a lot of conservatives can have a great respect for anyone from the other side that actually respect someone’s opinion when they don’t agree with it, I know I do. I could have a conversation with a Democrat if they are willing to except that I have my own opinions and respect that instead of trying to shout me down. Even though I disagree with Tulsi Gabbard on many things, I believe I could have a civilized conversation with her, and I agree with her on stopping the endless wars which could be the starting point of a conversation.

[@sanguinelynx]

Never apologize for having a conversation with another human being. We'll never understand or inform each other if we get that uptight.

[@harbingertheheretic3541]

Fast forward to 2020: People are not just apologizing for having conversations, but they are being harassed, threatened, assaulted, fired, and having various services (social media, banks, uber, air bnb, etc.) cancel their accounts without warning and often without explanation. Welcome to modern bolshevism. The USSA is rising, and the American experiment is being demolished.

[@wymeck1121]

We need more of this type of thinking now

[@dylflah7630]

Glenn Beck is a constitutionalist and so is Penn. Since this interview he's appeared on his show more and more. It's nice to see that although these guys disagree religiously, they do respect each other's right to disagree and that's what this country is about.

[@BargerClan]

I miss the old Glenn Beck on Fox News where he was a comedian the only problem is mental illness change them now he’s just a sad man no sense of optimism

[@LolZzzz7]

I love this mans logic, i may have some views that are different but i like using his logic when looking at topics of conversation

[@memedreammachine666]

@5:13"I got this crackpot uncle who says that 'Guns should be carried by deer so that they can defend themselves' and you kind of laugh about it and anybody you're talking to know's that 'Crazy Uncle' and they know that at thanksgiving he was dancing in a hula skirt and they also know that at 3 in the morning that was the Uncle that showed up."

[@Goodforyouliving]

respect to a guy that admit to his own mistakes

[@EpicNEd]

I feel if we as a society don't like someone, we use ad hominem attacks towards someone's character rather than their actual views. Just because you're radical, moderate, conservative, liberal, etc it doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad person/or even a good person.

[@NikiHerl]

I think this is an incredibly important lesson, one I have only learned quite recently (though I'm only 18, so you know, give me a break ^^) because this unfair vilification is not just what happenes when one dislikes some aspect of someone else, it's also very often what creates that dislike in the first place. I notice this here among my friends, and I think it's even more pronounced in the US (I'm European). What gets left behind is factual discussion on the real issues.

[@sambarker6141]

I LOVE Glen Beck, he's one of the funniest people I know.

[@TotalSinging]

You are one of the few people who actually isn't afraid to be enlightened if it's possible, from someone on the other side of your perspective. That's a sheer sign of maturity.

[@andrewbrookes2876]

Glenn Beck gets a bad rap. He doesn't deserve it. His rants about George Soros were dismissed as pure insanity by people who didn't bother to look any of it up. Beck was right about George Soros.

[@jorrogboe]

Andrew Brookes Yea, I agree. I actually watch him and understand him. His attackers are either misinformed or parroting what big liberal personalities (Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert) tell them to think about him.

[@hopefuldeplorable6890]

ITA!!! Glenn Beck possesses charitable kindness---amongst many other virtuous qualities. I deeply respect him.

[@howard5992]

Andrew Brookes No, Beck was actually 100% wrong about George Soros.

[@christophlas]

I have been speaking of this 'context' with Rush and Stern for ages... dead on- you put it much more eloquently than I ever could.

[@1TotalJabroni]

This man just simply gets it. I'm not sure there is anything this man has ever said that I don't agree with. The more I hear Penn Jillette the more I understand, and the more I aspire to be like him. He truly has no hatred or ill will towards any one. He spreads a message of pure humanity. We don't all have to have to agree with each other, we just have to have an open dialogue and realize at the end of the day, that despite our drastically different beliefs, we are human beings.

[@MrGorditoCrunch]

I used to watch Glenn rather frequently when I was younger, and I have to say that Penn's synopsis of him is spot on. There are some things that Glenn takes more of a libertarian stance on, but more so than not, he goes quite overboard on the conspiracy theories, etc. I do consider him open-minded (or at the very least he used to be; like I said, haven't watched him in a while), as he consistently brought on those he disagreed with and had reasonable conversations with them.

[@Thelaofkazi]

I like Penn, he's a nice dose of humanity and humor in politics.

[@ClearTheRubble7]

Great quote. I came to realize that none of my friends have the same opinions I have--on anything. I have friends who are gay, conservative Christian, liberal, atheist, New Age, libertarian, educated, uneducated, Jewish, Baha'i, Buddhist, etc. Instead of arguing with them if I disagree about something, I listen and ask questions. In other words, we have a discussion. I discovered that often I had to rethink my own position.

[@dt6692]

Good points. I can say, as a religious (Catholic) libertarian, that I like Penn Jillette, even if I really despite some of the things he says and has done. The thing is, as someone who understands freedom, I don't have to be worried, in a world run by Penn Jillettes, about my own ability to practice my faith and live without being bothered. Unfortunately I don't think the same is true of many "new atheists." If Dawkins or Sam Harris' or other such people ran the world, I might be in jail for praying with my children and teaching them about the Bible and Catholic teaching. Forget even the new atheists ... many religious people, if they disagree with me, would, if given the power, persecute me using force. We focus so much on the content of our debates that we forget the most basic process and circumstances of debate -- respect for others' right to believe things we think are crazy, and the willingness to engage with them through debate and persuasion rather than force. This is why I like Penn Jillette and would prefer working with, or living in a society with, people like him more than most other people who might share more of my other beliefs (eg about God).

[@Lewa500]

Do you really think Richard Dawkins, who advocates teaching about all religions in schools, or Sam Harris would throw you in jail for praying with your kids and telling them about your religion? On what do you base this accusation? Engaging in debate is what they're all about.

[@Lewa500]

***** Yeah, really. He has indeed said that we'd be better off without it, and his antipathy towards bullshit is well documented, but he has acknowledged that it probably won't go away, which is why he prefers this, www.theweek.co.uk/people-news/12363/dawkins-faith-schools-should-teach-all-religion rather than nothing. Their approach is the opposite of what fundamentalist religious people do: to start people talking, not to shut out conversation and enforce dogmatism.

[@armorers_wrench]

I agree, we libertarians need to rise up some day and take the power away from our government and give it back to our nations citizens. Our government has gotten too far reaching and the fact is, once a government or an "authority" gains some more authority, they never lose that authority, they only expand upon it until it reaches critical mass and people simply refuse to take it anymore, that's when civil wars happen. I myself am an atheist libertarian but I'd never throw a man in jail for anything other than harming another man, woman, or child, in cold blood, or in anyway intentionally taking someones freedoms. Under my ideology our prisons would be full of only violent offenders, there wouldn't be a single drug user in our prisons, traffickers would only be in prison under my ideology if they had murdered or mutilated someone. But I'd never persecute the religious. I don't believe in god but I do believe some people NEED to believe in god, if that makes sense, you follow what I'm saying dt?

[@Lewa500]

Nick Waites These kinds of revolutions never end well.

[@armorers_wrench]

Lewa500 no, no they don't. Gotta face facts that the us military could wipe out a civilian militia, even if it had extremely well trained shooters and the greatest military tennis at the helm, a civilian militia can't take on an ac130/specter gunship or an Apache, or an m1a1 Abrams, or even two drones armed with some hellfire missiles, hell a couple Bradley fighting vehicles would destroy enough of the militia and they wouldn't be able to do anything. ....but an Abrams, they've tested that tank against every bomb and missile in the US Arsenal including a nuclear test that put the tank within the blast radius(not a direct hit but close enough every building around would be gone) and their findings suggested the crew would have survived but no matter what... The tank actually was still able to drive and fire it's main gun and coaxial browning m2, and that was the FIRST GENERATION ABRAMS! Such a revolution would be crushed and fast, and even if they leveled the field and just used troops, one Delta Force squadron(not squad, squadron) and one DEVGRU company(devgru is seal team six); and game over they win fair and square, hell, 24 delta operators and a CIA SOG operator defeated thousands upon thousands of Al Qaeda and Taliban at tora bora and kicked their goat eating, suicide bombing asses in just a few days, yeah they had air support but we are talking about 25 men. If you look at what was requested and what was denied(in unprecedented ways, Delta had never been denied assets they requested before, ever. They'd have killed Bin Laden but clearly someone in our own government wanted the war to continue quite obviously to justify the invasion of Iraq.

[@runkert]

You took the words right out of my mouth. He is as much of a people person as you can possibly be.

[@OldCityPhilly]

This is why I love Penn. He not only believes in dialog, but lives it. Regardless of what people may think.

[@natazer]

I freakin love this guy. I want more of penn

[@johncahill3849]

I completely agree with Penn Jillette on his take on "crazy people" and the larger context. Curiously I have seen him in much the same light for years now. But knowing that he knows this as well gives me a bridge to understanding and liking the man (and perhaps he's mellowed over the years?).

[@nexus14w]

It's eye opening to me this discussion about the context of the person. I have never thought of that. I don't agree with everything by Penn Jellette but I have a huge amount of respect for any person that is comfortable with his own personal views and does not have a fragile/emotional ego and can listen to opposing views. This is what we need more of in our society, especially in our schools, business, etc. We all grow from increased understanding

[@omegagiant1]

I feel the world needs not to judge people for who they are but what they have done. Greater men have been judged for less all on action. We as a world need to take a moment and mute what is being said and to see what is being done that is how people need to be judged. We need to watch out for fellow man. We need to escape the mindset of what shall we be returned but rather how can we help. My family raised with two view point never do something your good at for free. Also never forget where you are and where you have come from. So in my opinion now is our time to grow, our time to stand up. If you would like to hear more on this just message on here or something.

[@unrightist]

Makes sense. It makes me think of how my mom will point out weird things people post on Facebook. They're things that make sense to that person's friends, but if you look at one post, sometimes, it's disgusting, or strange, or stupid.

[@Nerobyrne]

Man I love this guy. He doesn't have an education worth mentioning, and he himself admitted he's never worked an honest job ever, but he's hit me square in the face with the truth so many times I can't remember them all. He tells it like it is, like it really is, and he has respect for people he thinks are wrong. He is a great person of our time, even if he never wrote a scientific paper or got elected anywhere.

[@JesusIzAPunkRocker]

this guy gets me I loved watching glenn beck! it was unlike anything on tv. just such a bizarre show. totally entertaining for me.

[@cheothegeo2742]

I fucking luv this guy. One of the only people you will come across that is fine with being wrong about their opinions and is fine with other people busting them on their bullshit. That is a rare breed of human indeed.

[@bejjinks]

Wow, Penn said something I agree with. I wish more people had a tolerance for "crazy" people. So many people act like it's a crime to have a differing opinion.

[@OvAppolyon]

It's what that level of street smarts gets you. He doesn't need particularly flowery language or smokescreens to get his point across. He just delivers his message as he sees it, and I have the utmost respect for that.

[@xsnokex]

This is why I will forever respect Penn Jillette. More people need to think like this.

[@Gramps1975]

The fact that Penn is honest is why I like and respect him.

[@7akraus11]

He was on his show. He met him face to face. You can get a much better gauge on a person when you meet them and interact with them as opposed to when you simply listen to that person.

[@grumblekin]

Penn is not afraid to tell his version of the truth and tell you that his truth is a VERSION based on his experiences and thoughts. He also wants you to tell him your version, too...and he respects your right to do so. He is a powerful and good role model for the rest of the world.

[@phillips411]

Penn you are a great person. Thank you for being tempered.

[@TheCypher93]

He's not saying that you need to listen to someone for hundreds of hours. What is he's saying is that no matter what someone says, whether it be Beck or Obama or O'Reilly or whatever, they're still human beings and people. Just because you don't understand or agree with someone does not mean they're evil or trying to hurt anyone. Everyone has humanity, which is both sides of the coin. We could all learn a lot by having a mindset like that. Mr. Jillette strikes me as a very wise man.

[@BlotRorschach]

Penn seems like such a good man.

[@IDVoter]

This is the route things need to go, people thinking like this keeps the government in check. I want to protect your right to think and operate like you do because it protects my rights. Very smart arguments here, borderline ground breaking and it's sad because a lot of people won't get the profound breakthrough that's taking place here.. When people make that breakthrough and protect EACH OTHER no matter what, you can never fail.

[@Leikjarinn]

did Penn not have a ... vlog channel ? .. if so link please :)

[@RageDaug]

He was talking about a previous visit to Beck's show where it was mostly debate, not the 42 minute conversation about the constitution (and how the other topics inter-related).

[@ddland45]

I listen to Penn Jillette and I want to hear more, that is a sign that someone has something to say. I watched him on Glenn Beck's show and even though I don't like Beck, their conversation was engaging. I haven't been able to determine what my political affiliation is because there are so many positions that I have that can't be reconciled as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, etc. etc. We need to stop shutting down opposing views and make an effort to listen. Really listen...

[@weezilla]

Penn is a useful person to have around. He challenges ideas, but only with reason. He explains everything he says very well.

[@Joe11Blue]

The best way to counter hate or anger is not more hate and anger. The best way is to be open and honest with intelligent discourse. This is how all things are solved rationally, the only other option is through coercion or lying.

[@maxhess3151]

Every time someone criticizes me for listening to Joe Rogan, I tell them to listen to 10 hours of JRE and then tell me what they think.

[@GlennBeckBookList]

THANK YOU!

[@seacoast4950]

Yes, I like Glenn Beck too!!!! He’s very wise, informative, and smart.

[@TheStingyGingy]

I really like this guy. He gets people. This is how people ought to treat each other when they disagree.

[@j777]

This also explains why I don't like sharing opinions with people that don't know me well enough.

[@swordarmstudios6052]

True. I read something the other day about conservatives who used to say that Libertarians are Right-Wing Hippies,and despite it's negative connotations, it actually rings true to me. All it means is that respecting the abilities of the marketplace, and being tolerant of people socially are two very related things. they support the idea that idea's are transcendent (and central to western culture), and we need to provide a space for people to try them. It is both morally and practically right.

[@Byorin]

I don't agree with Glenn Beck most of the time, but he should not be silenced. Censorship is the death of creativity and intellectual freedom. Rather than being mad at him for fear-mongering, we should work towards educating ourselves and our neighbors so that we know there is nothing to fear and nothing to be hateful about. The Western ideal of societies supported by free speech depend on us not silencing those we disagree with.

[@Alexn1067]

I find people who are defined as crazy to be, by far, the most interesting and thoughtful people I know. What is normal anyhow? Conforming to the expectation of others? Not having an original thought or will?

[@torgman]

Penn, I hope that you pass that message of not taking things out of context to Glenn on a regular basis.

[@jemborg]

The difference is that democracy does not pretend to perfection. That you don't understand.

[@MorpheusOne]

"I never saw a difference in politics, religion or science to be a reason to terminate a friendship." I've experienced many of them! I've encountered them, personally, many times throughout my life. Thomas Jefferson was a fool for a number reasons and I think that is perhaps the biggest & most important of them.

[@harthosshlivanhivon4424]

WOW, this guy is AWESOME!

[@jonathanjollimore4794]

People with silly or crazy idea can still be nice people

[@fullfist]

5:55 no one is evil once you understand their paradigm of the world . there are no "james bond villains", that only exist in movies which are written from the perspective of the hero, and the villain exists only to be an obstacle. we never explore the motives, challenges and the paradigm of a villain because that would burst the bubble. people love to hate villains (others chose for them) . once you let go of the hate, you'll understand that Hitler wasn't evil, and that reality isn't a movie .

[@alspageddi]

Sun Ra! Never thought I'd hear his name mentioned in a video with "Glenn Beck" in the title.

[@METTALICFROST]

we need a guy like Penn for a president :D

[@RDHardy79]

How can anyone not love this guy? Even if you hate him, how do you not love him? How??

[@DoctorZisIN]

I agree with Penn, often we forget that people are more important than ideas. Even Glenn Beck is loved and appreciated by someone. He talks about what he thinks is going to help people. We often get way too hostile toward people who don't agree with us.

[@fardaypu]

'There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it behooves us all not to talk about the rest of us'

[@realjosh1829]

Really admire this man. That won't change, even though I think his political beliefs have changed. He's still the same nice guy, and a smart thinker.

[@Martial-Mat]

Yes, I agree. When you walk a mile in someone else's shoes, things are never quite so black and white...

[@refondata]

He actually believes Glenn Beck has an an agenda of love...

[@TheThinkingAnimal]

Very well said!

[@raspberrymuffin]

I totally agree with you and have felt like you for a long time. If we were all the same, it would be absolutely boring. I say this about Beck and Jillette since Beck's been so openly anti-atheist and pro-theocracy, whereas Jillette has publicly mocked religion and is very much in favor of church-state separation. It's one thing when your opinions are expressed on a private level, but both men have been publicly open about their stances. Then again, a lot of it may be hype for ratings. :P

[@GetToDaChoppa-k5r]

At the end of the day we are all searching for answers, and one day we will meet or maker... or we won't. But that day will come!

[@murfleblurg]

Jillette didn't go on Beck and "tell the truth as he sees it". He went on to Beck's show and toadied up and pointed to Beck's crazy chart and said Beck's paranoia didn't go far enough over to the right. He found Randian storylines they could both agree on, areas of paranoia of his own, where he and Beck could swing sweet harmony, avoided troubling confrontation over God. He met Kim Jong Un, basically, and thought he was "crazy but fun" and avoided ill feeling. Such a truth-teller. Pffff.

[@lancethrustworthy]

Sometimes Penn is right...sometimes he's way wrong. In this case, he doesn't grasp the significance of the serious mind-poison Beck and his type are putting out. That's sad. I really like Penn Jillette when he's right.

[@alexanderpelham-webb4863]

he's right from a personal perspective, which is the lesson to take from this. he's wrong from a professional perspective, for the reason you gave.

[@BigHits4Twenty]

Who's to say he is right or wrong? You?

[@alexanderpelham-webb4863]

Everyone who listens to him, when they decide to agree or disagree, implicitly says whether or not he is right or wrong. The same goes for anyone reading my opinion. Excuse me for not qualifying the fuck out of it and sounding like the rest of my whiny generation. You have an opinion? Share it.

[@jonnyhan]

Carl Sagan He is an individualist, so he is right for himself and he does not care if you disagree on what he likes. That being said, I see a lot of liberals (US definition) that act as if guys like Penn Jillette, Trey Parker, Matt Stone owe them something. As if they are not liberal enough and as if liberal is the only right way to be. I am not directing this observation at you exclusively, but at liberals in general. I am a liberal myself, a classic liberal as in a libertarian.

[@swingset1969]

lol. Beck is so far from the extremism you fear it's comical. Seriously, have ever actually listened to his whole show? Bet not.

[@rcmeyerson]

What he said about listening to glenn beck every day is exactly true. There are a lot of different things I disagree with about glenn beck, but I love listening and there is a deep person there.

[@BryanPiekarski]

I think that people tend to forget this over the Internet, it's apparent in KZbin comments

[@johnedwards1968]

Not a single productive member of society produced a single penny, without the aid of government and societal programs at some basic level. To pretend that taxation is stealing, is to ignore the reality of living in a society. Businesses hire individuals trained with government money, and use government roads for delivering products, receiving resources, and getting their employees to work. Hell, electricity and telephones would NEVER have been adopted without government involvement.

[@Jklmnopjkl]

I love his personality. he is funny and sincere. That is what I like and why I listen.

[@CornerTalker]

The nuts in this country are sometimes like the canaries in our coal mine, the "Moishe the Beadle" of our "Night."

[@handfullocheez]

i think that disagreement is more important than any single view

[@johnjingleheimer-schmidt2793]

Wonder what Andy Kaufman thinks of Tony Clifton?

[@Phi1618033]

Penn's confused because he's a libertarian, which means he's not a fan of government. Beck's also no fan of government but for different reasons. That's why Penn is finding it so hard to admit that Beck is kind of nuts.

[@brodythompson1]

as someone who watched beck's show for a long time (don't worry, i figured out is was bullshit after a while) i have to agree with penn. whenever people attacked him, they were always taking him out of a wider context. that's especially sad, since there was so many valid things they could attack him for

[@RCrosbyLyles]

Deer don't need guns because they are actually quite dangerous animals.

[@BRKibbeyful]

That's because most people don't come to these videos looking to find something out, but to have their comfortable world view reinforced. Penn upsets them because he's not about getting comfortable; he's about thinking.

[@CC3GROUNDZERO]

True words. The Libertarian dilemma is that they can only ever haggle for the truth, because the only thing they could honestly say is that they want even more for the rich and even less for the poor.

[@ImpGamez]

Americans don't have state capitalism. I, as an American, think it is a shame. For example, take the Crown Estate. The Government recieves a huge sum from the Crown Estate, and less than 8% of it is actually used to pay Royal/Noble Stipends. Most of the Crown Estate is just that, land, but they also own an organic food company. The only time the American Government has been a producer is in the case of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which was a rather decent success.

[@ftorresgamez]

Re: Scrapheap, "Yes, profits can be taken by force." Which tells me you have NO idea what "profit" means. And NO, profit is not taken by force, but obtained through trade. What is taken by force is either called LOOT, or TAXES.

[@brutalion2295]

As I finish the video, and begin to look at the comments, I am faced with the fact that nobody truly understands Penn. Everyone who likes him doesn't practice what he preaches, and that is understanding, acknowledging, and respecting each other.

[@TheRevolucas]

Nope. 100% of Federal Income Tax goes to pay the interest on money borrowed from the Federal Reserve. It is 100% profit for the banking cartels.

[@leetledrummerboy]

Ya I often disagree with him but I really admire how he has his own opinion on every issue with no allegiances to political party lines. It's refreshing to find a person who bases his politics on his opinions and not the other way around.

[@yesterdaysguy]

This man is so f*n smart. Wow.

[@Zetler]

This guy is brilliant. He's the bridge in a polarized world.

[@depth_charge_studios]

This is a fantastic perspective.

[@boliussa]

SERIOUSLY? Penn being on Glenn Beck gives him support!! Who the hell has heard of this Penn guy..

[@zekayman]

More power to you, Jillette. I would not be capable of sitting in the same room as Glenn Beck without pile driving him.

[@harshbarj]

@tnekkc ,I am sad to say I listened to Glen Beck for YEARS. I started sometime in late 2002 and ended sometime 2008. I disagreed with almost everything he said, but found it interesting. What I can say is his views today are far more radical than when I was listening to him on the radio. Many of them I would almost categorize as dangerous.

[@StarTrekLivz]

Some of my friends get mad at me for watching/listening to/paying attention to people who disagree with us. part of it is I can't believe "those people" think & believe what they do. But part of it is: I want to understand why they think & believe what they do. And as a skeptic, I need to challenge my own opinions and beliefs: maybe they're right and I'm wrong! Let's look at the material and make an informed choice.

[@spencerchef]

As a liberal, I always find Penn to be respectful, poignant and interesting. If people could talk like him about politics i think we all could find some common ground

[@Samamurai]

Listening to him everyday or for 100's of hours sounds like my idea or purgatory. As far as I'm concerned the relationship fostered by doing so can only be detrimental to all involved.

[@idunnoalexmaybe]

Never realised how intelligent this guy is

[@MrZeroTerrorRide]

the way penn looks at glen beck is very similar to the way i look at penn.

[@raspberrymuffin]

Very true. Though Beck has some libertarian beliefs (pro-gay marriage and pro-marijuana legalization), he's still closest to being the typical big-government neoconservative. Jillette lives in a mindset that "libertarianism solves everything", but we've seen evidence where gov't has definitely served the people well. The problem seems to be that once someone identifies as a loyal libertarian/liberal/conservative, they lose site of issues and see everything through their ideological lens.

[@VicInNocal]

I don't agree with Penn's reasoning, how he seemingly thinks Beck is OK because "he's not really a bad guy/evil guy." Well, guess what, in the real world there are very few genuinely EVIL people. Hell, even Hitler was probably not an evil guy who would twirl his mustache at the end of the day and laugh hysterically at the chaos he had caused. This isn't the movies, real life is gray, not black & white. And just bc a guy like Glenn Beck isn't evil doesn't mean that he isn't dangerous & harmful.

[@TheHashSmokingStoner]

I know! Out of all of the candidates, I like Ron Paul the best. He is the only true conservative, because he is the one of the only people who put liberty first before their religious beliefs. Nowadays, the damn republicans like Rick Santorum do the opposite. If only we had more Barry Goldwaters, and Ron Pauls...

[@CheezyDee]

Comparing Glenn Beck with Howard Stern is like comparing a Cadillac with an orange. Don't get me wrong; since Howard has been on Sirius his show has been crap, but it's still light years beyond what Glenn Beck could even hope for. Howard's show is about being open and honest in the funniest way, Glenn's show is about what his listeners want.