It would be funny if it weren’t so sick. Anyone criticizing this administration is automatically labelled un-American. What’s un-American is what Bush is doing to this country.
This is not funny: Jon Stewart and his hit Comedy Central cable show may be poisoning democracy.
Two political scientists found that young people who watch Stewart’s faux news program, “The Daily Show,” develop cynical views about politics and politicians that could lead them to just say no to voting.
Here’s a more intelligent interpretation:
It turns out that Stewart fans also trust their own knowledge of politics more than do network watchers. Young Daily Show viewers blame the elites who run the political-media system for the mess we’re in, not themselves. They think they really get what politics is actually all about. And, says the study, here’s an idea worth entertaining: “citizens who understand politics are more likely to participate than those who do not.”
The real problem is that the powers that be, both Democrats and Republicans, don’t really want an intelligent and enlightened electorate. Stupid sheep are so much easier to lead.
Jeeze. Anybody who pays attentin to politics is going to develop a cynical view of it. I’m not sure if it’s because of the congress stalling its ethics investigations and diluting its ethics rules to homeopathic levels, or the fabricated WMDs, or the whiteawater investigation, or the budget, or the gutting of environmental legislation, or the complete disregard for the constitution as program after program of illegal domestic spying is revealed or congress’s voting itself pay raises at the same time it won’t increase minimum wage. It just seems like somewhere in there, a bit of cynicism sneaks in.
“It just seems like somewhere in there, a bit of cynicism sneaks in.”
— blastum
I believe it’d be slower to develop in the presence of strong national leadership. The 2006/2008 elections: bring ’em on…
Cool! A GOP hatchet job on its most unlikely and effective critics. Rove must have woken up crusty if its taken him this long to get on it.
Granted, this bothers me a little — the link to the article doesn’t provide enough information to make any kind of reasoned conclusion about it — there’s nothing about sample size, distrubution, etc. Just a couple of percentages that don’t connect to any data. Whether the omission was WP’s or thier source is a toss up.
Either way, they didn’t poll me and I couldn’t fit the demographic more perfectly. Nor am I aware of having missed an election since I became eligible to vote. Myself, I’ve gotta imagine that the assumption that I or anyone like me is somehow less likely to vote is whistling in the graveyard.
I may be unpatriotic, but this poll is bad for America.
Must be all that pot — Huffpost link DOES have a link to the PDF.
Mea culpa — guess I better read it.
Questioning and even criticizing those in power is what being an American is all about. Sitting down, complacently accepting whatever the government does? That’s un-American. Look up the definition of “liberty”. Do we still value liberty in this country?
Its not even what being a good American is about – its about what being a good citizen of any country is about.
“Stupid sheep are so much easier to lead.”
and easier to divide…
Dvorak.org is un-american…gah!
If you love Liberty, Freedom and a sound Dollar you are un-American.
“develop cynical views about politics and politicians that could lead them to just say no to voting.”
But i think that’s a good thing, a person with a cynical view who wont vote, is better than a “sheep” who will vote in their party of choice, no matter what the party want to do.
I am reminded of a quote from ‘Much Ado about Nothing:’
Benedick: What, my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet living?
Beatrice: Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick?
perhaps instead of bemoaning the symptom (cynicism) we should be looking at the meet food that feeds it – corruption, deceit, and lack of principle in our elected officials and cowardice and pandering in our media.
All it takes for me is one hour of any TV news, and I would rather mud wrestle than be part of the political process of demonizing my oppoinents. I hope we inch back toward reasonable debate rather than building arguments that paint opponents as monsters..
Jim Petersen
I only watch Daily Show clips on my cell phone. I’m a voracious consumer of political news (NEWS, not entertainment). I’m not a Stewart “fan” in that I don’t like TDS, but I do think Jon is a funny, funny guy.
That all being said, I am ridiculously cynical about American politics. I actually think our system, albeit the best so far as far as governments go, is doomed to fail. Why?
Because people are basically selfish and greedy, and that will *never* change.
This is the guy who likes to act like a tough journalist, but when Tucker Carlson called him on it, he just said hey I’m just a comedian.
14. AB CD – that’s because he is a comedian. A politcal one. Does anyone bug Mark Russell about being a “journalist”?
the thing about Jon Stewart that chaps the talking heads (particularly the conservative ones) is that (1) he is way popular; (2) he sticks it to them about their commentary being vicious attacks or blind defenses and their “discussions” just being yelling matches of competing talking points; and (3) they have no sense of humor.
Yeah he’s a comedian, so he should stop trying to act like he’s a journalist. Going on crossifre to sell his book and then complaining about how bad the show is and what terrible journalists they are. When he had a chance he didn’t do anything(watch his interview with Kerry.) Strangely, the head of CNN said he agreed with Stewart and got rid of Crossfire. They’re ratings are now headed towards Comedy Central’s.
You really are missing the point of the Daily Show AB CD, it is not journalism.
In fact your point about Kerry was brought up on Crossfire, and shot down just as quickly.
He doesn’t act like a journalist anyhow, he acts like a satirical anchorman, which is pretty much what he is. Anchors on news stations are not in any fashion journalists. They are personalities.
jon uses the same method mr dvorak uses. see johns tape about stiring up the mac people. both are pimping the numbers. both know how to use the media to drive those numbers.
AB CD, if you had watched him on Crossfire you would have seen why he didn’t say anything to Kerry…
STEWART: It’s not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery. And I will tell you why I know it.
CARLSON: You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne and you’re accusing us of partisan hackery?
STEWART: Absolutely.
CARLSON: You’ve got to be kidding me. He comes on and you…
STEWART: You’re on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls…..What is wrong with you?
The Daily Show is satirical comedy which never takes itself seriously. It’s never tried to be anything that it isn’t. Jon Stewart called them out on Crossfire showing that they themselves were all show business yet they try to package it as hard-news.
STEWART: How old are you?
CARLSON: Thirty-five.
STEWART: And you wear a bow tie.
I only watch The Daily Show for the naked chicks.
Yeah he’s a comedian, so he should stop trying to act like he’s a journalist.
AB CD, get a life. Really, I can’t see the nexus of your argument. A comedian is supposed to be an actor entertaining us. Stewart assumes a persona for The Daily Show. He and the other comedians on the show makes no pretense of being true journalists. They are ACTORS.
Just think about how funny Ron Silverman is trying to pretend he is a right wing pundit. Absolutely hilarious but I haven’t heard you complain about him?
@ 22
“AB CD, get a life. ”
Cool way to start a rebuttle argument.
John Stewart’s the descedant of the cynical (and preceptive) Mark Twain and Will Rogers. ‘Nuff said.
It’s wierd times when some of the few truth tellers in the media are the comedians.. Stewart , The Onion, Colbert.
One of my favorite aspects of the Daily Show is their use of video archives to catch people in out-and-out lies, in a way that the mainstream media doesn’t often seem to do. Other times, they show video clips that many of us would ordinarily never see, such as clips from the Pat Robertson’s 700 Club. It’s interesting to see what these wingnuts sometimes say when they’re preaching to their own little flock, rather than to a more critical crowd.
The Daily Show can also be a source of useful information, because often the truth is such a useful premise for the jokes that follow. If college kids are becoming cynical, I suspect the truth is more to blame than Jon Stewart.
Jon Stewart does a really good job in “Death To Smoochy”.
As far as his show goes (and I like it) he is but a refection of the current groundswell of emotion concerning the Bush Administration and politicians in general.
I don’t have a problem with The Daily Show. It’s pretty funny as is the Colbert Report. It’s only when he goes elsewhere and acts like he is more important, like his appearance on Crossfire. He had no business criticizing them in that way.
I used to watch the TDS religiously but I have grew tired of all the Republican bashing and the Democrat lovefest. It seems that every guest on the show is a lib. On the rare occasion the guest is a conservative then Stewart rips them a new one.
I switched over to watching the Colbert Report which is just as funny, if not more so. Stewart has the left leaning show and Colbert has the right leaning show. They seem cancel each other out.
And, yes, they make you more cynical about politics, but politics in its raw unpolished state can do that to you.
How many have actually seen the clip?
To discuss what he did there without knowing what happened is not the best indicator of intelligence.
I don’t have a problem with The Daily Show. It’s pretty funny as is the Colbert Report. It’s only when he goes elsewhere and acts like he is more important, like his appearance on Crossfire. He had no business criticizing them in that way.
Comment by AB CD — 6/25/2006 @ 7:40 pm
Why not? Are “pundits” somehow immune to criticisms? Are conservative pundits beyond reproach? Is Carlson Tucker so revered that only he is allowed to question someone’s patriotism?