Glenn Beck’s zombie art scandal
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The Great Christmas Ornament Scandal is now officially a zombie story -- up from the grave and refusing to die, even though it’s completely fake, thanks to the supernatural ministrations of Fox News ‘art critic’ Glenn Beck.
In December 2009, a conservative blogger claimed the White House Christmas tree was festooned with the image of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, supposedly clear evidence of President Obama’s hidden socialist sympathies. It turned out that the ornament actually featured a famous painting by Andy Warhol -- one that lampoons Mao -- but the inane charge ricocheted around the Internet nonetheless.
And now it has returned -- dredged up by Beck on his television show as back-story to the equally fatuous claim that superstar Chinese pianist Lang Lang, who performed at last week’s White House state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao, used the opportunity to secretly insult America. Lang performed a song that is a patriotic anthem in Communist China.
I’d say you can’t make this stuff up -- except for the fact that, in Beck’s case, that’s exactly what he does. For art, it’s always ‘The Night of the Living Dead.’
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--Christopher Knight
