Beck: “Sorry” for Ganges Gaffe

Today Glenn Beck offered a hurried apology at the end of his show, apparently, for offending Hindus and others with his reckless religious remark. Right before saying adieu to his audience, he quickly stated, “By the way, the name of the river in India, Ganges, I said last week that it sounded like a disease. Didn’t mean to offend anybody. Sorry.” And, that was it.

Perhaps, Beck was responding to a complaint filed with the FCC against Fox News by Bhavna Shinde of Forum for Hindu Awakening that alleged that Beck’s comments concerning the Hindu holy river constituted an aspersion of Hinduism and its followers. (The FCC has acknowledged receipt of the complaint and has promised to review it.) Furthermore, Beck may have been swayed in part by Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, who requested FNC be more sensitive to faith-based matters and urged Beck (as well as Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch) to make a statement.

*The Glenn Beck Show (12/16/09) – @6:00 p.m. ET

Kiran in Red

But, not for long! Forbidden religious symbol, “cause” jewelry, or other? Whichever it was,  American Morning co-host Kiran Chetry shed her red bracelet shortly after the opening shot. Perhaps, Jamie Kraft or a subordinate producer whispered in her ear: Regardless, she inexplicably took it off forthwith.

As to “cause” bracelets, co-anchor John Roberts sometimes wears his vivid yellow Lance Armstrong “LiveStrong” cancer awareness one. Ergo, it would make little sense that Kiran could not wear hers. However, she may not have wished to fully embrace that particular cause in public quite yet. (Red bracelets have been associated with AIDS, heart disease, diabetes, cancer awareness, and, bizarrely, even with anorexia (pro). [No the author does not think that Kiran has anorexia nor advocates it.]

With regard to a religious symbol, was Kiran possibly wearing a Kaballah red wristband or, perhaps, a Hindu one? As to Kaballah (a Jewish mystical sect formerly adhered to by her music idol Madonna), she was probably not wearing its red string wristband because it would have been properly worn on her left wrist. As to the Hindu religion, being born in Nepal, “the world’s only Hindu Kingdom she may have been tardily and covertly celebrating the Teej festival (where married women dressed in red “pray for a long life and the well-being of their husbands).” Or, even a subtle salute to her inner Sitka or both.

Did AM’s spicy hostess have a much more mundane motive? Perhaps. Perhaps, not.