EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to inclement weather in Dallas over the weekend, Glenn and his staff were still unable to make it into the office. Instead, Glenn broadcasted his radio program from home. As a result, no video clips will be available from Monday’s radio show. You can listen to the entire Glenn Beck Radio Program HERE. The story below is based on one of Monday’s radio segments.
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A snowball fight gone awry or criminal mischief? The University of Oregon Police Department is investigating a Friday incident during which “a passing vehicle was the target of snowballs thrown by young people in an area on the UO campus.”
“Police hope to determine the identities of those who were throwing snowballs, whether they are UO students and whether their actions constitute a criminal act,” UO Dean of Students Paul Shang said in a statement Saturday.
“So the snow up in Oregon, I think this is criminal mischief,” Glenn said on radio this morning. “Did you see the snowball fight?”
“It was kind of a weird situation because, you know, as kids, everybody who lived in a snow area has thrown snowballs at cars, right,” Pat responded. “Certainly not me, but everybody I knew at the time had done that… That was for bad people.”
The incident was recorded and the clip below shows a seemingly innocent bystander who is driving his car through the OU campus when he is bombarded with snowballs being thrown at his vehicle.
“But this guy is just driving through the university area and there are dozens and dozens of students on both sides of the street, and they start pelting his vehicle with snowballs, one after another after another after another. And he slows down a little bit, and then they get right in his way. They go out and stand in the middle of the street. And he tries to drive past him, but they stop him. And then they pelt him some more with snowballs,” Pat explained. “And then they dump big tubs full of snow on his windshield, so he can't see and he uses the wipers and they dump more on there. And it gets so frustrating. Rather than, you know, try to drive through them and hurt somebody, he gets out of his car. As he gets out of his car, they throw a whole tub of snow on him and into his car.”
“These kids aren't lucky they weren't shot,” Glenn exclaimed. “I mean think about this. The guy gets out [of the car]. I think he's being really, really cool.”
Glenn likened the situation to the game Knockout that has become popular among teenagers in the U.S. Groups of teens have been randomly walking up to individuals on the street and knocking them out for the fun of it. What is driving our youth to engage in this type of violent behavior?
“You know, when we were kids, you would throw a snowball. Not me, of course. Not Pat. [But] kids like Stu… would be throwing snowballs, and if you got caught, you'd run. You wouldn't throw more snowballs. And we lived in a time when an adult would say, ‘Hey, knock it off.’ And you would. They would freak you out,” Glenn said. “Now that's not happening. And so now the situation is reversed, and it's not just that, you know, you think they are these pesky kids. Now they can knock you out. Now they can kill you. Now they will kill you… I got news for ya: I don't get out of the car.”
Researchers have recently discovered a new type of boredom that Glenn speculated could potentially explain this behavior. ‘Apathetic boredom’, which involves people who are withdrawn, avoid social contact, and are most likely to suffer from depression.
“There is a new kind of boredom that has just been discovered and it's rampant. And it is marked by a strong strain of apathy,” Glenn explained. “That's the problem. These kids are bored and apathetic. And so if you're apathetic and bored, you become dangerous. And that's what's happening to our society. They're bored and apathetic.”
Ultimately, Glenn believes the incident at OU is criminal and those involved should be prosecuted.
“I think this is criminal mischief,” Glenn concluded. “This is criminal mischief.”