According to Wikipedia, in 1979, the date of the commercial that made Glenn Beck cry, his mother drowned in a mysterious boating accident. His parents had divorced in 1977 and he then had to move to a different town to live with his father. His step-brother subsequently committed suicide. Keep those apparent facts in mind and watch the Youtube clip again.
Well, of course, if these events were in my consciousness while in the same moment Beck was experiencing, I might be crying too. And I definitely feel for anyone who's experienced the depth of loss Beck did 30-32 years ago, and understand that such loss can resurface for the rest of one's life if it was a profound loss.
But keeping in mind that Beck is first and foremost an entertainer, people like him would want to keep past trauma available for moments such as those, when tears are appropriate and would deepen the impact on the viewing audience. I would imagine that some of these viewers cry at Kodak commercials, have ceramic kitties on their end tables, and have needlepoint renderings of fresh-faced girls, wearing sailor suits, in prayer repose hanging in their foyers.
Yes, sometimes I'm a cynical bastard.
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