Why Jon Stewart isn't funny

[zippy890]

By Michael Kalin | March 3, 2006 Boston Globe

THE SELECTION of Jon Stewart as the host for Sunday night's 2006 Oscars undoubtedly marks a career milestone for the aspiring king of late-night comedy. Unfortunately, however, the ascension of Stewart and ''The Daily Show" into the public eye is no laughing matter. Stewart's ever-increasing popularity among young viewers directly correlates with the declining influence of progressive thought in America. Coincidence? I think not. Let me explain.......
~snip~
...
The tragedy of this portrait is not that investment banking corrupts young souls (although one could argue otherwise), but rather that the students who abandon politics out of a naive self-consciousness often represent our country's most idealistic minds. Stewart's daily dose of political parody characterized by asinine alliteration leads to a ''holier than art thou" attitude toward our national leaders. People who possess the wit, intelligence, and self-awareness of viewers of ''The Daily Show" would never choose to enter the political fray full of ''buffoons and idiots." Content to remain perched atop their Olympian ivory towers, these bright leaders head straight for the private sector.

Observers since the days of de Tocqueville have often remarked about America's unique dissociation between politicians and citizens of ''outstanding character." Unfortunately, the rise of mass media and the domination of television news give Stewart's Menckenesque voice a much more powerful influence than critics in previous generations. As a result, a bright leader who may have become the Theodore Roosevelt or Woodrow Wilson of today instead perceives politics as a supply of sophisticated entertainment, rather than a powerful source of social change.
Most important, this disturbing cultural phenomenon overwhelmingly affects potential leaders of the Democratic Party.

The type of folksy solemnity brandished by President Bush does not resonate with ''The Daily Show" demographic. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, only 2 percent of the show's audience identify themselves as conservatives. At a time when the Democrats desperately need inspired leadership, the show's self-conscious aloofness pervades the liberal punditry.
Although Stewart's comedic shticks may thus earn him some laughs Sunday at the Oscars, his routine will certainly not match the impact of his greatest irony: Jon Stewart undermines any remaining earnestness that liberals in America might still possess.

the author Michael Kalin is a 2005 graduate of Harvard College.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/03/03/why_jon_stewart_isnt_funny/

~~~~~~~

When I first read this my hackles went up- how dare anyone attack Jon stewart like this? i love the guy and have watched TDS for years. Then a few things struck me:

The age of the author - a recent graduate himself, a young person who would know more than me (at 50 years old) how his peers view entering the political arena-in the context of growing up, probably, watching TDS.
Gives what he is saying some credibility.

Second - my own 21 year old son, now a junior in college majoring in political science & environmental studies. He is politically very progressive, bright and has all the people skills that would make him a great candidate for public office if he had the desire to pursue that. He most definately does not want to go into politics, & I'm realizing it may just be in part because his view has been influenced by Jon Stewart & Co. - politics is for buffoons and idiots - the backdrop for entertainment fodder, not something that is a noble and deserving life's work.

I do think this is a bit harsh on Jon Stewart- how can a talented smart comedian NOT lampoon our political leaders these days? Bush & Co have brought it on themselves by thier behavior.

But I am brought back to relecting on my son, and his disdain for politicians and the idea of running for public office. An avid student of american history, a personable and witty young man who is very politically oriented may never choose to pursue a political career - perhaps because of the reasons in the article above.

edited to comply with forum rules

[Tin Man]

1. What nonsense. It's equally plausible DS leads kids to enter public servic

...because it exposes clowns like Bush et al. Maybe the kids think they can do, should do, better than these idiots.

[Teaser]

2. nonsense

one would think that Stewart was the first political comic.

[ixion]

40. exactly

it's just more of the same hogwash.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. LOL!! Bwahahahah! spit, chortle and guffaw.

In summary, boycott the Daily Show because Jon Stewart is creating conscientious Americans out of our best and brightest and they'll vote Democratically, not Republican.

Does anybody know anything about this writer? Seems like he's trying to shoot down someone who is effectively reaching out to the kids and getting them to understand that our situation is absurd.

[adigal]

4. I have a son just like your son

and he is very good in Math and Science, also. But he loves people, and is very personable, so I am trying to guide (push?) him into International Politics or Public Policy, or maybe law school. He is still young enough that I can push, and I see it as my responsibility to try to get him into a career that will benefit someone besides himself. I can relate.

[zippy890]

15. I wonder about the younger generation

my son's generation coming out of college - I, too have tried to guide him by example, I've always been politically active, and from the point of working toward a life's goal that benefits others rather than yourself in monetary terms.

But I have notice that he possesses the 'naive self-consciousness' that the author speaks to in the article. I'm hoping as he matures he will garner the will to choose a career in the public sector.

Good luck with your son, in the end they choose their own path and we as parents wish them happiness in what they choose.

[acmavm]

5. It's not Jon Stewart's fault that the current bunch of corrupt and

greedy politicians (and there are more of those than otherwise) give him so much to talk about. The you are disdainful of political activism? Wonder why? Could they maybe see so much corruption, so much criminal behavior, so little ethics or integrity, and maybe they feel they don't want to dirty their hands (or their souls) in the company of such a crew?

They republican party has been in power for what, six years now? I mean total power. And for all those years they've done nothing but rape, pillage, and plunder the country and the best it had to offer. And the democrats were gutless and weak, and they still are. Too cowardly to stand up for what's right, for the good of our country. AND SO ARE WE. We aren't in the streets, we're at our keyboards. I include myself in that because I sure as hell haven't put my ass on the line for the next generation. So why should they feel an obligation to do it? We've bankrupted their futures, in more ways than one. Don't blame anyone but ourselves for letting the thieves, liars, killers, crooks, and criminals shoot us all in the face.

[katty]

44. Amen! Msg to Current Politicians: Clean up YOUR acts and MAYBE

young, inspired, get-things-done FOR THE PEOPLE-people MIGHT get interested!

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

6. Pfffft. Carson was lampooning politicians ripe for ridicule long before

Long before Stewart. The public has a long standing skepticism of those in politics...this is nothing new.

[zbdent]

7. This confuses me - the editorial writer makes reference to a non-person

as he puts it:

"a fictional composite of the typical apostle of 'The Daily Show.'"

Then acts like this person exists? Is this person real, or is he just in the commentator's imagination? If he is imaginary, then why denigrate him? If he's real, then why describe him as a fictional composite?

[moggie]

22. It's very poor writing

And why does he emphasise that his straw man is, as Jon Stewart would put it, Jewy? Hmm.

[lakeguy]

8. i see, we aren't supposed to make fun of politicians when they

goof up because then we become elitist. then that, somehow, morphs into not wanting to run for office because we are "too smart" for our own good?

you have to laugh sometimes or you will go crazy.

the only reason i got into politics in the first place was because i found out about goofs like bush. how did i find out he was sub par? by watching tv, like most other americans.

TDS is not a news show, it's comedy. it's not stewart's fault that it seems more like news to most people sometimes...blame that on fox and cnn. o'liely et al. deserve the kind of criticism this "smart guy" is dishing out.

[AndyA]

9. It's not Jon Stewart's fault

That there are so many morally and ethically bankrupt politicians.

What we need are people who have a high level of morals and ethics, and have a serious desire to make the lives of others better, instead of doing it for the power, or the money, or the status.

I feel there are still people like that around, but they are buried under our ancient system that almost always guarantees he who has the most campaign money wins. This eliminates the people who could potentially do the most good, and allows fossils like Joe Lieberman, who long ago stopped being effective, to continue to "serve" :eyes: although that's an insult to the definition of serve.

We need to reform the way our elections are run, we need to remove the influence of money from the process, and we need to ensure our voting process is clean, verifiable, and transparent.

When all politicians are created equal money-wise, we will find a higher quality of people running. Until then, we will get the same people we've been getting - and it should be obvious to most everyone that this isn't representing the cream of the crop.

[fasttense]

10. People have been laughing at politicians since Mark Twain, probably

even longer than that. I doubt one comedian on a thirty minute show has been the cause of this disdain for politicians.

What about the corruption by the politicians themselves? What about the idiotic behavior of our politicians? What about the willingness of our Democratic leaders to go vote for woefully inadequate legislation or to vote with known corrupt leaders? If our politicians wouldn't give Jon such great material, he would probably not be as successful.

[jarnocan]

11. I adore Jon Stewart and

I agree that sometimes people who do go the political route are soundrels or not the brightest or best, but I think some really good/qualified people are/will be inspired by the seriousness of our situation, and even by Jon Stewart and others who speak out, to get more involved. It's good for a politician to have a sense of humor, but many good politicians would still not be able to make it as a full time comedian. If we don't have verifiable elctions it might not matter much. http://www.icountcoalition.org/?tr=y&auid=1458428

[Captain Hilts]

12. I just don't see the point of this column. So what? nt

[Minnesota Libra]

13. Your son and mine as well as others may be influenced by Stewart but .....

.....I venture to suggest there is so much more to it than that. My son, who now has a family and is of voting age used to tell me,

"What can I do. Our representatives never listen to the people. They will do as they please anyway."

Other times he used to say, "Mom, you're enough of a "conspiracy theorist" for the two of us and then some. Politics are not cool, Mom."

I hate to say it, but at least part of the problem is our own, the over 40 crowd. We've turned politics and service in general into a bad word, something to be avoided at all costs. Plus, we've changed politics into a money making venture that sacrifices honesty for the green back.

Example: We've got an all volunteer Military and many people view military service as something a person does ONLY if they have no other options. Instead of making it into something a young person does because they owe something to their countrymen and their country in general. Remember the days when a person was frowned on for NOT SERVING????

When and if we return politics and serving one's country into something that is viewed as paying back a debt we owe each other and owe our country, then and only then, will our young people start going into politics as a career.

[zippy890]

16. your words remind me of JFK's speech

about asking not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.

It has been a long time since such an inspitational speech from an elected leader. you are right, our politics has become a bad word.

how can we get the younger people interested in fixing it?

[Minnesota Libra]

30. Easy - by acknowledging that..........

....not even half of Americans are as far to the left of the political scale as this message board makes it seem.

Also, we the parents, need to get involved ourselves. You know, the "monkey see, monkey do" approach?

Another thing is we need to get this idea of our representatives private lives being any of our business OUT OF OUR HEADS. Our representatives are simply our fellow citizens, our neighbors and friends, so they are going to come with baggage. The very character ills we have, they will have. We need to get back to the days of stained blue dresses being an issue for their Minister and Priest, NOT for public discussion.

Also see my reply just below for more.

[vi5]

20. I have to be honest with you...

I'm far outside of the category of "young" (I'm 36) but I find reading this and other liberal message boards more discouraging even at my age, than I do any tv show or comedian or anything else. I come on here, consider myself fairly well informed and someone who believes in activism, yet I read day in and day out MIHOP, LIHOP, Diebold, Fraud, etc. etc. to the point where I feel we're not even any longer just fighting to get information out there about candidates and get good ones elected and bad ones voted out. It's portrayed by many on here as not being enough to just be an activist in the normal ways. According to what seems like 75% of the people on here we have to fight against shadowy organizations and conspiracy. It seems less like a forum for political change and more like an X Files message board.

My point is that if I feel that way at 36, how the hell is someone who is 18-25 going to feel about it? I realize a message board is not the real world, but in the current world where people get most of their information from the internet, this stuff seeps through.

At least Stewart and his ilk portray the idiots in government as being so bumbling that you would have to look at them and say how could we NOT get these guys out of office or ANYONE can do a better job.

[zippy890]

24. I agree

that sometime this forum sometimes seems like an 'X files message board' with all the conspiracy stuff. its like why bother doing anything sometimes.

your point is well-taken, although I think much of it stems from pro-longed frustration. I just ignore all the IHOP stuff.

[Minnesota Libra]

28. You definitely make some good points about......

.....the activism some people would like to offer their community being discouraged by the "conspiracy theorists" and pessimism on this board and possibly others.

Having said that, allow me to say something in defense of "conspiracy theorists". First, my son is convinced I'm the permanent president, owner, and founder of the "Conspiracy Theorists International" organization. The one thing I've learned along life's path though is not to always take everything at face value - especially when it comes to our political representatives. I know that is a VERY cynical view but most of our representatives have more than earned it.

Now, having said all that, I do think the "conspiracy theorists" carry it a bit too far sometimes. I think their is a way of believing each and every conspiracy theory that comes down the pipes but STILL maintaining that optimism that keeps us all interested in life. In other words, believe the conspiracy theories if a person chooses to - and I do believe many of them - but DON'T just drop it there and act like there is no hope. Take those conspiracy theories to the next level and ask what we can do to cure the situation or at the very least improve the issue.

What I think turns MOST PEOPLE OFF about many Democrats and especially PROGRESSIVES is the attitude of requiring all issues to be off the political scales to the left or they scream "repub lite", or "neocon lite". What the crap is that all about anyway?? Personally, I don't see much difference between the name calling progressives and the name calling ultra-conservative right-wing crowd. They are both MUCH TOO RADICAL for my thinking.

What is the answer to all this?? Number one, DON'T just give up. Realize that there will be the "radical crowd" anywhere you go and on any issue you choose to explore. On the other hand, ALSO REALIZE, that most AMERICANS are pretty much in the political middle. You could easily make a case for the fact that at the very least probably a minimum of a third of Americans are republican on some issues and democrat on others, all at the same time. So get out there with those mixed beliefs and ideas and you will be surprised just how many people honestly agree with you.

The one thing YOU SHOULD NEVER DO is automatically assume that the majority of those posting to this message board are a good representative of America at large. The Majority of Middle America, as I said, is VERY MUCH independent on most issues.

Does this help or am I simply making the situation all the worse for you?

[niallmac]

14. Michael Kalin needs a chill pill.

I am reminded of a very dear Hungarian co-worker of mine of days past. He escaped Hungary as a teenager in 1956. His humor was classic droll dry and fatalistic.
The humor in one way or another made fun of aspiration hope and the better side of human nature. The humor was accompanied on our many talks by his stories of life
for himself and his relatives pre and post soviet invasion. Oh he could have shrugged of his pessimism and marched in the streets against the totalitarianism
but he would have been dead in a week. Life there was real.
His humor helped him survive. His humor kept him from going stark raving mad.
Did it destroy his aspirations to succeed and seek the better parts of human nature?
Lets say that as soon as he escaped from Hungary he worked long enough in Germany to get some savings then immigrated to Canada and eventually
received his MD at McGill, Montreal. He was, and I assume still is the kind of doc who would lose sleep over 'problem' patients and I never knew him
to refuse a request for help.
I think, as a result of my experience with this gentleman that I just may survive Jon Stewart.

[liberal N proud]

17. The Reich Wing is afraid of Jon Stewart because he get an audience

Then he holds that audience and make them think about daily political events.
I have no doubt that if this were a Democratic controlled government that was totally out control, he would be doing the same thing with a different audience and I would bet that Michael Kalin would be one of those in the audience.

[katty]

43. Yes, the irony and hypocrisy is full throtle-the veil has been lifted

and their really, really pissed about it.

[unhappycamper]

18. zippy890:

Please be aware that DU copyright rules require that excerpts of copyrighted material be limited to four paragraphs and must include a link to the original source.

You have one hour from the time of your original post to make changes.

In the future, please insure your posts adhere to this standard.

TIA,

unhappycamper
DU Moderator

[RagingInMiami]

19. So it's Jon Stewart's fault that the dems aren't attracting strong leaders

Because they fear they might one day be mocked on the Daily Show?

That's a bit of a stretch considering that most of the jokes are on republicans.

And why is it that anybody who graduated from Harvard feels the need to inform everybody else of their alma mater? Most Harvard-educated writers I've met are filled with theories that are void of real-life experiences.

[stray cat]

21. Another example of don't criticize our leaders as its unpatriotic

just a different vantage point.

[Babel_17]

23. Lol, self parody with the line ......

"daily dose of political parody characterized by asinine alliteration"?

Those who are young and bright will, all on their own, doubtless see the body politic for the cesspool that it is.

If that grim perception can be leavened with a humor, a humor that is in contrast often hard to find on ones own, which Mr. Stewart helps impart to the subject then the young, contrary to what the editorial suggests, will be less averse to entertaining the notion of joining the game.

Politics, as it is constituted today in the world Bush made, is by its very nature grim and foreboding. Humor is the antidote to that, it makes the grimness more bearable and the menacing apprehension one might feel when considering a career thereof less of a weight on the soul.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

25. I think TDS might very well discourage young people

from entering politics. But it does encourage them to vote for Progressive ideals, in my opinion. Double edged sword, I guess.

[shenmue]

26. Huh? I think Stewart is great.

I've been watching for years. He still makes me laugh all the time.

[MadisonProgressive]

27. He is obviously a puke, ergo, who cares?

[zippy890]

31. I don't think he is

I think he's genuinely concerned about the lack of interest among progressive people of his generation in aspiring to the political arena.

[MadisonProgressive]

33. That's not my reading at all. But to each his own.

[TreasonousBastard]

29. Terribly sorry, but Michael Kalin is an idiot...

and has apparently never heard of Will Rogers, Nast, Mencken or William Randolph Hearst. Or any of the other political satirists and inkwarriors of the past. He does, however, admit reading De Tocqueville so he can't be entirely ignorant. Just pointless.

I don't think there ever was a day when idealistic kids jumped into politics as a way of public service. Even Harry Truman admitted he first ran for office because he was broke and needed a job, and he won because he had more relatives in the county than the opposition did. Politics was Tammany Hall and who you knew. Bright spots have popped up when the nation was in crisis, or when charismatic leaders like JFK asked us what we could do for our country, but they were few and far between.

As always, it's the politicians' own damn fault, not some comic on at bedtime, that kids would rather make a buck than run for office or join the State Department. Truth is, we're probably too easy on them-- look at past elections when things vastly more crooked and cruel than they are now.

[zippy890]

32. He does know Mencken

"Unfortunately, the rise of mass media and the domination of television news give Stewart's Menckenesque voice a much more powerful influence than critics in previous generations."

[librechik]

34. 3 words: Senator Al Franken n/t

[IrateCitizen]

35. This has been the case for the US since Andrew Jackson

The election of 1828 was a great turning point in American politics and society. Prior to that point, the best and brightest in American society either sought elected political office, or served in some other appointed capacity.

The election of 1828 pitted a former professor of rhetoric at Harvard, a man who spoke something like 14 languages, and was undoubtedly brilliant -- against a man from Tennessee who, it was said, could barely read and write English, and who preferred settling questions of disagreement by dueling. The former was John Quincy Adams, the latter was, of course, Andrew Jackson.

Jackson won the campaign by essentially saying NOTHING about what he would do in office. From that moment forward, American electoral politics maintained a good deal of "lowest common denominator" character, with the political parties representing such broad and varied constituencies that the best strategy for winning was to say as little as possible that could enflame passions against you.

The effects of this were immediately realized with the path taken by the transcendentalists of the 1840's. These men, who were also highly educated, saw what happened to highly educated men in electoral politics (like John Quincy Adams). They also looked at the sordid nature of the political system, and refused to engage in lowest-denominator campaigning. They, instead, sought to make their mark by changing people's attitudes in hopes of changing society.

To a large degree, that sentiment has persisted in American society. That's why we've only had one PhD president (Wilson), and a significant number who never went to college. A good starting point for examining the sources of this phenomenon is Frederick Jackson Turner's 1893 essay, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History".

[NJ-Dem]

36. It's not Jon Stewart's fault

In fact, he's probably the greatest bastion we have against the conservative onslaught. The fact that his show trounces conservative right-wingers ratings-wise shows how effective he is.

No, I think the reason most people, young and old, don't want to go into politics is the poisoned atmosphere and lack of a common ground. Also, don't forget that unless you are already rich, you aren't going to be making a lot of money. Young people these days really need to look ahead to their economic future. Politics doesn't give you much, unfortunately (unless you are a friend of Abramoff).

[Inland]

37. It's a misunderstanding of HUMOR, not TDS.

To really find TDS hilarious, one needs to be earnest. TDS isn't sat night live, which makes fun of accents and hair. It makes fun of politics and its dysfunctions.

I think I can best explain it by The Simpsons. You have to have an idea of what a family and a society SHOULD BE LIKE to find it really funny. Otherwise, all you are doing is snickering "hey, that kid just said 'eat my shorts'. Kids are funny."

[katty]

42. TDS, if anything, 'sobers' one up to the 'REALITY' in d.c.

[yurbud]

38. young probably don't want to go into politics for two reasons:

lying and fundraising.

Neither of those is very appealing, nor is having reporters find out what you do with your orifices in your off-duty hours while ignoring what you do from 9-5.

[genieroze]

39. Bu ll Sh it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[katty]

41. perpetual political corruption IS the problem: Not Jon Stewart

[Lisa]

45. "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable" ...

Isn't that what comedy is supposed to do? And let's face it, many of the politicians who support the status quo (Republicans and Democrats) are in the "comfortable" group. It's not Jon Stewart's fault that they have chosen this ... nor is it his fault that so many media people, who are supposed to help make the powerful accountable, are turning a blind eye.

I have watched the work of Stewart (and Colbert too) long enough to suspect that these people are NOT amoral cynics who are out to enrich themselves by scoffing at democratic principles. I believe that they are more idealistic and earnest than some of the pundits who are criticizing them. And they are certainly more so than the political strategists (and politicians themselves) who are trying to manipulate the population through phony "folksy solemnity".

After all -- I think it takes a lot of idealism to believe that you can make the world a better place, not through force of arms or angry ranting, but by poking fun at powerful people on TV!

I wonder how much of the shows Kalin watches? Both Stewart and Colbert give quite a bit of respect to politicians and commentators who are sincerely working hard to help their constituents. Far more than those one-sided shouting matches on FOX do.

[aden_nak]

46. All good arguments use fictional examples.

[aden_nak]

47. Blogged Reponse to Michael Kalin / Blatant Self Promotion

<snip>

Boston Globe contributor Michael Kalin recently published an Op-Ed piece which suggested that Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show fame) not only isn't especially funny, but is hurting the progressive movement. His theory is that Stewart's comedy disassociates young progressives from the importance of politics by turning it into just an entertaining farce.

Let's ignore, for a moment, that The Daily Show is meant to be a satire as opposed to a real news broadcast. Let's also ignore for a moment the embarrassing commentary on the legitimate American media that a show intending to lampoon them has been able to replace them in so many viewers' minds

</snip>

http://adennak.com/blog/?postid=5

[roseBudd]

48. Howard Dean gets it he told Stewart we need more people watching TDS we

cannot expect people to watch CSPAN. TDS records it so we don't have to.

[SongOfTheRayne]

49. Yeah, right...it's INSPIRATIONAL!

The Daily Show INSPIRES me not to loose all hope in humanity...people laugh and clap when they insult the president, so there is yet hope! Jon Stewart is funny, and watching his show gives me more information than watching Fox news ever could. More thought-provoking, too.... he's a funny man.

The paella joke wasn't funny, though...no, the paella joke definitley wasn't funny. I mean, really. I don't think that he would appreciate it if I came on the show and started making holocaust jokes...

"you never visited! we waited all weekend! we made PAELLA!" *shakes head* no, see, that's just not right...