***TO THE AUDIENCE OF THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART***
I've been a fan of the Daily Show since day one, even back in the long, long ago when Fratty McKilborn was the host and biting political commentary was nowhere to be found.
I've seen correspondents come and go, from a delightful A. Whitney Brown to a starry-eyed Brian Unger. I've seen Jon Stewart go from a young, sarcastic-but-oh-so-respectful talk show host garnering B and C list celebrities to a deity-like voice of sanity, interviewing BIG NAMES in front of millions dejected and depressed by the abhorrent stupidity and outright criminality that defines politics in the United States.
And good for him, really. He deserves everything. Even after all this fame, you can just tell--he's a modest, genuinely good-natured person. Most GOOD comedians are...and the same goes for Colbert...
Now I'm very much a comedy NERD. Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, the Larry Sanders Show, Newsradio, Mr. Show (did you know Bob Odenkirk of Mr. Show wrote that motivational speaker sketch for Chris Farley on SNL?), Seinfeld, Kids in the Hall, Arrested Development, the first season of Scrubs, and lest we not forget all the WONDERFUL and HILARIOUS animated shows...I'm sure I left some stuff out, but trust me when I say...I know GOOD comedy...I am obsessive about it...
But TDS audience...I'm not going to mince words...YOU'RE KIND OF FUCKING SHIT UP. And you're making Jon Stewart UNCOMFORTABLE. Because whenever a political joke is made that denigrates upon Bush, Cheney and other Republicans, or an opinion hatched in a similar light is expressed by Stewart towards a guest, YOU ERUPT INTO FUCKING THUNDERING APPLAUSE.
STOP IT! I've never seen ANYONE react to a joke that way, just shaking and stomping like a dog shitting peach pits! And look, I understand--I FUCKING HATE THAT COCKSUCKING PIECE OF SHIT BUSH AND ALL HIS YES-MEN TOO, I hope they lock that motherfucker up forever. I really do. But when you applaud EVERY anti-Bush or anti-Repub joke, it alienates people who could otherwise be persuaded by Stewart's humor and realism (I've watched, anti-Dem jokes get laughter but rarely is there applause).
When guests are on who are basically political pieces of shit, but have a book to sell or whatever (Bill Kristol, Ashcroft, etc), Stewart has to stay in that middle zone...keeping it respectful but still asking hard questions (which you won't see very many other places). So when he checkmates some doucheface, and you all start applauding like mad, it ruins the whole point. It takes 15 seconds off of the interview--and it makes you look like rabid partisans out for blood.
I know why you want to applaud...because the voice of logic and reason is so obfuscated in this country that you just want to scream...and people are dying...and this whole thing IS SO VERY REAL but the people in power just don't fucking get it. And the majority of the well-fed voters just DON'T FUCKING GET IT.
But please...applaud at the start, welcome him. Applaud at the end, thank him. But in the middle, just laugh if it's funny. Just laugh.
I've been a fan of the Daily Show since day one, even back in the long, long ago when Fratty McKilborn was the host and biting political commentary was nowhere to be found.
I've seen correspondents come and go, from a delightful A. Whitney Brown to a starry-eyed Brian Unger. I've seen Jon Stewart go from a young, sarcastic-but-oh-so-respectful talk show host garnering B and C list celebrities to a deity-like voice of sanity, interviewing BIG NAMES in front of millions dejected and depressed by the abhorrent stupidity and outright criminality that defines politics in the United States.
And good for him, really. He deserves everything. Even after all this fame, you can just tell--he's a modest, genuinely good-natured person. Most GOOD comedians are...and the same goes for Colbert...
Now I'm very much a comedy NERD. Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, the Larry Sanders Show, Newsradio, Mr. Show (did you know Bob Odenkirk of Mr. Show wrote that motivational speaker sketch for Chris Farley on SNL?), Seinfeld, Kids in the Hall, Arrested Development, the first season of Scrubs, and lest we not forget all the WONDERFUL and HILARIOUS animated shows...I'm sure I left some stuff out, but trust me when I say...I know GOOD comedy...I am obsessive about it...
But TDS audience...I'm not going to mince words...YOU'RE KIND OF FUCKING SHIT UP. And you're making Jon Stewart UNCOMFORTABLE. Because whenever a political joke is made that denigrates upon Bush, Cheney and other Republicans, or an opinion hatched in a similar light is expressed by Stewart towards a guest, YOU ERUPT INTO FUCKING THUNDERING APPLAUSE.
STOP IT! I've never seen ANYONE react to a joke that way, just shaking and stomping like a dog shitting peach pits! And look, I understand--I FUCKING HATE THAT COCKSUCKING PIECE OF SHIT BUSH AND ALL HIS YES-MEN TOO, I hope they lock that motherfucker up forever. I really do. But when you applaud EVERY anti-Bush or anti-Repub joke, it alienates people who could otherwise be persuaded by Stewart's humor and realism (I've watched, anti-Dem jokes get laughter but rarely is there applause).
When guests are on who are basically political pieces of shit, but have a book to sell or whatever (Bill Kristol, Ashcroft, etc), Stewart has to stay in that middle zone...keeping it respectful but still asking hard questions (which you won't see very many other places). So when he checkmates some doucheface, and you all start applauding like mad, it ruins the whole point. It takes 15 seconds off of the interview--and it makes you look like rabid partisans out for blood.
I know why you want to applaud...because the voice of logic and reason is so obfuscated in this country that you just want to scream...and people are dying...and this whole thing IS SO VERY REAL but the people in power just don't fucking get it. And the majority of the well-fed voters just DON'T FUCKING GET IT.
But please...applaud at the start, welcome him. Applaud at the end, thank him. But in the middle, just laugh if it's funny. Just laugh.
posted by Political Vittles at 5:39 PM
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