Letters to the Editor
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Are You Kidding?
Having seen the coverage of the major networks and cable outlets, these comedia-casters are the only source of unbiased reporting.
MSNBC, NBC, and CNN have been drinking the kool-aid regarding Obama. They can't say enough good things about him and conversly they cannot say enough bad things about Clinton.
Fox. on the other hand can't say enough bad things about all democrats and not enough good things about republicans.
At least with John Stewart, Colbert, et al the concept of comedy and parody are the intent. It should be noted that the funniest humor is that which makes us unconfortable because it is true.
When Saturday Night Live did the parody of the debate between Clinton and Obama, they were spot on regarding the "mainstream press".
Look at MSNBC, Dan Abrams (worse) never and I mean never finds Obama at larger fault than Clinton. Olbermann (worser) is almost but not quite the worst partisan I've ever seen. I leave the designation "Worst Person in the World" to CHris Matthews. He of "Pimping out" Chelsea.
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Colbert is King
If you haven't seen it recently I recommend you watch it again.
Colbert's WH Press Correspondent's Dinner speech is probably the bravest most profound public speaking done in America in my lifetime. This man stood a few feet from the president and TORE into him, then when he'd finished humiliating the president, he unloaded on the rest of the room, courageously calling out the press corps for the failures they were. It was the most inspirational public speaking I'd ever seen.
And funny too.
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taking comedy too seriously?
Ummmmmm .... no.
It's the fools who have the wisdom (and the stones) to speak truth to power.
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I'm surprised Mr. Bayard didn't mention Jon Stewart's "Crossfire."
Next to Colbert's appearance in Washington, this was a devastating appearance. Stewart appeared with bow-tied Robitussin-head Tucker Carlson and an imitation liberal named Paul Begala. Both men expected Stewart to tell them some cute jokes. He refused, and ultimately said, "No. No. I'm not going to be your monkey." He continued to say that "...you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably."
A few months later, Crossfire was cancelled. Someone showed that the "emperors" had no clothes. I almost wish Stewart had visited most of the other "legitimate" news shows and given them the same treatment.
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other moments
I agree with Stephen Colbert's "Gettysburg" moment.
But I also want to praise Jon Stewart's appearance on cnn's "Crossfire" (even though he called Tucker Carlson a dick, his "You're hurting America. Please stop." was also explosive), and his most recent interview with Chris Matthews (where he called Matthews' schlocky book "a recipe for sadness"). Also, Colbert's interview with Debra Dickerson ("What if we enslaved Obama for a little while?") and numerous quips by Bill Maher (and, no, he never wishedCheney dead).
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Oh, man: that speech
It wasn't so much that Stephen Colbert walked right into the lion's den and delivered a speech so pointed that I could barely watch it (and he kept in character the whole time!), but that he hasn't been assassinated yet. That, more than the speech, gives me hope for us after all.
And John Stewart the other night? No slouch. "too...much...democracy."
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Fools
It's the fools who have the wisdom (and the stones) to speak truth to power.
That's the problem. We're regressing back to the point when only the Jester dare tell the truth to make others laugh uncomfortably. We laugh and move on. Let's hope we reverse course.
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South Park
That aside does the book seriously rip on South Park? Does he even watch the show? Granted the political edge of the show may not be quite as sharp as the Daily Show/Colbert Report's edge, the show is easily as smart and satirical as those two. Often that satire is pointed elsewhere.
People that still deride South Park as little more than poo-poo and potty humor need to realize the show has moved on.
[This is not to say that Parker and Stone are above feces and semen jokes, they just don't base the show around them anymore, and it's debatable if they ever did in the first place.]
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Also
Evidence to Colbert's greatness...
"If I were a waiter, and I were to offer you two different slices of pizza. One was half Hawaiian, and you weren't entirely sure what it was going to taste like, and the other one was plain, with cheese, and had been under a heat lamp for thirty-five years. I mean it had seen everything. Which would you go for?"
Just wanted to post that.
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@Uncle Fester
regressing?
I dunno.
But, I suggest that in honor of saving the soul of a nation, everyone support an artist today! :)
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news media is failing
It seems strange to focus on Leno and Letterman when The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are clearly driving forces in news satire these days. Why are they so successful? Because the news media is doing such a horrid, horrid job simply reporting the news. Major media have become so focused on their profit-making mission that they've lost pretty much all of their journalistic function.
I realize that sounds like a cliche, but the news media really outpace their satirists in their race to emobdy the cliches. Or did we really need more coverage about Obama's bowling score than the Iraq war last week?
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@Juliebird A King and his foole are soon parted
I was thinking back to feudal times when the King had his fool by his side. Only the fool could tell the truth, if he made it funny.
I think Jon Stewart is resisting that role. Good for him. My somewhat cynical view of human nature informs me that not much has changed in a few thousand years with respect to the soul of mankind. We got lucky and the framers were able to pass on some good habits.
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Dave Chappelle was never a "late-night comedy" talk show host.
He had a prime-time sketch comedy show. It's a little strange to lament the "lily white[ness]" of "late-night comedy" when you haven't taken the time to figure out who Dave Chappelle is.
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Stewart's pretty biased himself
I haven't heard him make fun of McCain, yet, and Obama seems pretty safe as well. Essentially, other than his love for McCain, he follows the standard Democrat talking points. Fine if you like him for taking on Bush and the Republican Party, but no sense pretending he doesn't have as much of an agenda as Rush Limbaugh. I also find his "regular guy" persona a bit of a crock, considering he went to Yale. I do agree his refusal to play ball on Crossfire was steller. I only got to see clips, but I was so glad he took a stand.
Colbert is better, his Washington Press Corps speech superb. I think his show would be funnier if there were no audience, just his straight-faced portrayal of a loud, pompous conservative talking head. Although that would run the risk of people taking him seriously. Without a braying audience, people would probably think he meant it. But even he's only good in short bits. The one-note element of the premise wears thin quickly (and it doesn't help that for anyone with a brain, Bill O'Reilly is already a self-parody).
Yes, sadly, young people do tune into these shows for their news updates. That's not a good thing. And not because they should be getting their news from CBS, but because they should be reading newspapers and political journals. Unbiased, or to the left or to the right, I don't care, but from some place where the issues can be looked at with substance. That isn't happening on The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, anymore than it is on any network newscast.