Don't Quit Your Day Job
Jon Stewart, why?
The Daily Show is one of the best things on TV, and Stewart is one of the funniest people. I love the guy. But I'm worried that the slurry of articles overpraising him have finally gone to his head.
I'm talking about this maddening exchange between Stewart and the hosts of Crossfire. In presuming to tell them how to do their jobs, Stewart abandoned the needling, subversive quality that makes him so funny on his own show and ended up sounding like one of the simplistic talking heads on... well, Crossfire.
I know, I know. The Daily Show is comedy, and Crossfire aspires to inform. We're supposed to have lower standards for comedy because it's "only entertainment." But once Stewart intentionally or not puts his show and Crossfire on the same level, it becomes hard to explain why his shallow pro-Kerry jokes are somehow better for the country than Crossfire's shallow presentation of both sides.
posted by laser cub @ 4:05 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Sure, Stewart tried to have it both ways by saying essentially, "I am just a humble comedian." But by criticizing CF, he was innately putting himself at or above their level. Worse yet, he said he doesn't ask tough questions because he doesn't think he has to, for some unexplained reason. He does exactly what CF is accused of doing -- keeps debates confined to narrow terms that prevent substantive discussion. With the emphasis on quick video clips followed by snarky punchlines, the Daily Show engages in "gotcha" journalism to a far greater extent than even a crappy show like Crossfire.
CARLSON: But you can ask him a real question, don't you think, instead of saying...
[CROSSTALK]
STEWART: I don't think I have to. By the way, I also asked him, "Were you in Cambodia?" But I didn't really care.
[LAUGHTER]
STEWART: Because I don't care, because I think it's stupid.
Cub, in comedy "hypocrisy" equals "irony."
Stewart going down there and turning it into his forum is both funny and satiric. Turning the form against itself. He was on his toes and making the right points. The only canned stuff was the bow tie stuff.
Crossfire is a slightly evil institution because of the way it equates the Republican and Democratic opinions as equal goods when the Republicans have proven their agenda is about the consolidation of power more than anything.
I will also say I took a dozen high school seniors to see a Crossfire taping. While being almost completely oblivious to politics, they enjoyed it. It's entertainment.
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