When Glenn Beck Says Frog, You . . . Die?

More


I was pretty sure that Glenn Beck did not kill an actual frog.  Not because I like Glenn Beck, but because a television show is not a one man stunt--it involves a lot of people, all of whom would have had to be okay with throwing frogs into boiling water, and thus triggering the wrath of PETA, as well as violating the various showbusiness codes on animal treatment.  Not impossible that he somehow managed to do it without anyone quite realizing what he was up to--but very unlikely.

Also, most of those shows are taped, and if the frog died, why would he have aired the segment?  If it wasn't taped, why didn't we get a close up of the dying frog?  Presumably, he would have cued a cameraman to do a close up of the frog as it jumped out of the water.

Further, his reaction was too pat--he looked like a B-list actor doing a double-take in a sitcom.  Most people who are taken that much by surprise do a lot more standing around and stammering when they don't have to fit the bit into a 24-minute air time.

And finally, I didn't see any frog actually come out of his hands.  This led to quite a spirited discussion last night over the possibility of actual frog death.

It appears I was right:  it was indeed a fake frog.  Now the only question is . . . what the hell?  I don't think I understand the point.  

Jump to comments

Megan McArdle is a former writer and editor at The Atlantic.

Get Today's Top Stories in Your Inbox (preview)


Elsewhere on the web

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus

Video

Miami: The Next Big Start-Up City?

How the city became a center for innovation

Video

Video

A Brief History of Romantic Comedies

From The Atlantic's Chris Orr

Video

Video

Life in 'the New Arctic'

A moving portrait of a fading landscape

Video

Video

The Rise of New York City

A fascinating look at Manhattan in the 1940s

Video

'I Thought It Was Really Funny, but No One Else Did'

A day with New Yorker cartoonist Joe Dator

Video

New Yorkers: The Winemaker

Make your own wine ... in New York City

Video

What Is Methane Hydrate?

"Flaming ice" is a vast natural energy source

Video

NASA's Time-Lapse of the Sun

Now with epic dubstep music

Video

A Video Letter From the Editor

Highlights from the May 2013 issue

Video

Shaken Not Tuned: Cocktail Experiments

Can a tuning fork improve a cocktail?

Video

Video

The Rise of Environmentalism

Tracking 50 years, from the Love Canal disaster to Greenpeace

Video

Is He Cheating? A 1950s Guide

'That little blonde secretary from the office?’

Video

New Yorkers: Vintage Vacuum-Tube Amps

Risking electric shock to restore old amplifiers

Video

The DIY Piano-Bicycle

Everybody needs a hobby

Writers

Up
Down

More in Business

In Focus

2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Just In