This piece contains some commentary coupled with the wisdom of Jon Stewart
regarding our current political system, why it's broken, and what he is
doing to point out its ridiculous nature. I love the way the piece
addresses the absurdity of the state of politics today. Even though the
nature is only semiserious I felt like it was a perspective to good to
ignore.
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I decided it was time for an Onion piece once I decided on the Stewart
piece. It is a perfect example of what Stewart says, and half the comedy
of the piece comes from its proximity to the truth. If you think of it as
absurdist commentary on American politics, it turns out to be pretty
on-target and informative.
11 comments:
Jon Stewart is absolutely hilarious, and absolutely correct. You never hear about independents or moderates in the news. It's always Democrats and/or Republicans.
Onion:
This post is mocking how during Obama's candidacy (and even now) people thought that he was a foreigner, a Muslim, and a communist. This article is poking fun at Americans by going to the extreme saying that Obama is in fact not a mammal at all, but a cactus. This article is very funny, but when I read it again, it is actually sad to think about how little America knows and how unwilling we are to learn.
Jon Stewart:
This article is again hilarious and touches on the same themes as the Onion article did. It speaks of America's ignorance (especially regarding Obama) in a funny, light-hearted way. I found it interesting that Jon Stewart was named the "most trusted man in news" by Times Magazine even though he is a comedian. This again reiterates the point that there is a serious point underlying his jokes.
Like Alex said, Jon Stweart is hilarious. But it's more than that. In my english class we recently watched Stephen Colbert's horrifying but frighteningly accurate satirical speech at the 2006 white house correspondent's dinner. We examined his use of satire and how he utilized this as a tool to emphasize the problems within American government as well as American society. Stewart's approach is very similar to this: he uses his wit, along with a hint of satire, to mock the American people and the state of ignorance that a majority of Americans seem to be living in.
Onion:
I enjoyed reading this article because I think it although the mood of it is humorous and funny it actually touches upon some interesting thoughts. Americans do indeed tend to always create rumors of some sort and even apply it to politics as we saw during Obama's candidacy. This article exposes how naive some Americans are
Jon Stewart:
I never really think too much about independents or moderates whenever there is a political conversation, and I think that it's kind of sad that the only parties that get attention are Democrats and Republicans. The last time there was a president that wasn't a Democrat or Republican was 1869, and I think a big reason that another party hasn't taken the white house is because of the lack of media coverage of anyone other than a Democrat or Republican, because the fights between them are the most interesting.
Onion:
This article was really funny. I like how it mocked the rumors of Obama being a terrorist not by just saying that they're stupid and outrageous, but by giving another accusation that is almost as stupid as the first.
forgot to put my name on that ^^^
Jon Stewart:
The fact that Jon Stewart is the "most trusted man in news" is ridiculous, but when you think about it, it makes sense. Today, the political world can be crazy and almost a joke. One example is the campaign adds with Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown, where both throw punches at the other. More and more politicians are throwing low blows that are unrelated to politics just to gain votes and momentum. Stewart's rally for political sanity is funny, but it really is needed. America could use a reprimanding for the ridiculousness of things such as these campaign adds. There's no better person to do it than Jon Stewart, as he knows how to bring things to the peoples attention using methods that appeal to all. I thought this article was interesting and I think its funny that Stewart is holding that rally, but I understand the truth behind it.
I think that the reality is people aren't going to listen to news people who say the same thing over and over again in dry boring ways. This article adds a lighthearted feel to the very serious issue of partisanship within America and leaves the reader with the idea of needed sanity within the government. I think although satirical, if one wants to appeal to a greater mass of people, a new spin (like Jon Stweart's) needs to be present in many more political articles trying to take a stand on an issue.
I think that the reality is people aren't going to listen to news people who say the same thing over and over again in dry boring ways. This article adds a lighthearted feel to the very serious issue of partisanship within America and leaves the reader with the idea of needed sanity within the government. I think although satirical, if one wants to appeal to a greater mass of people, a new spin (like Jon Stweart's) needs to be present in many more political articles trying to take a stand on an issue.
I think that the reality is people aren't going to listen to news people who say the same thing over and over again in dry boring ways. This article adds a lighthearted feel to the very serious issue of partisanship within America and leaves the reader with the idea of needed sanity within the government. I think although satirical, if one wants to appeal to a greater mass of people, a new spin (like Jon Stweart's) needs to be present in many more political articles trying to take a stand on an issue.
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