Have you ever thought about beating foreigners down with shovels? Or hating 9/11 victims because they complain too much?

Don’t worry, neither have I. But believe it or not, one man prides himself on answering a strong “yes” to both questions: Glenn Beck.

He may not have had the simplemindedness of Sean Hannity, the uncreative material of Rachel Maddow, the vocabulary of Ketih Olbermann, the loudness of Rush Limbaugh, the rudeness of Bill O’Reilly or the arrogance of Bill Maher. He wasn’t charming or good looking. But he had “it” — which in this case being the ability to make everyone else seem normal.

Beck, famous for his conspiracy theories and obscure references — i.e. cutting a rabbit in half with a chainsaw — drew audiences of 3 million people at one point; no doubt due to the political jousting as Democrats sat pretty in both congressional chambers.

Republicans own the house now, and things aren’t any different. No wonder Beck lost more than half of his audience over the last year. Hardcore conservatives are learning government affairs will always be a soap opera, as portrayed by the media.

Chuang Tzu, the great Taoist, once said, “Virtue is destroyed by fame and fame is something to beat people down with … This is simply using other men’s bad points to parade your own excellence.”

O’Reilly sums it up rather well: “People get attention for attacking other people.”

And he’s right. What is more entertaining than meaningless conflict? A little insult here, a dash of hate there and anyone can be the next pundit.

Beck supplied these attitudes and more. Only one man is comfortable with calling President Barack Obama a racist and follow it up with a crying serenade. He is unique, and we loved him for it.

So now that he’s been demoted — Beck will still appear on Fox News as a contributor — where will we get our daily dose of “over the top” crazy? I hate to say it, but tuning into “Days of Our Lives” is becoming a real possibility.

We are witnessing the slow death of the political pundit; first Olbermann, now Beck. It’s enough already. After almost two decades of polarizing different groups of people, America won’t miss them. We’ll just find something new drama to fixate on.

We all dig drama — “Jersey Shore,” “Real Housewives,” “Made.” Political talk shows are no different. But maybe it’s time for a new beginning; an age when getting along with your fellow man is a priority.

Americans are at a fork in the road. As pundits take their leave, the country is one step closer to a dream; a dream that one day a nation will rise up and cast aside any sentiment of negative feeling toward any fellow man while being videotaped.

Of course, we still have a long way to go, but it’s progress.