I was so disappointed in Stewart both-sides-ing it. I have friends and loved ones who absolutely are in increasing danger with reproductive rights being taken away and anti-trans legislation on the rise. And what happens if Putin succeeds in Ukraine? Where has Jon been the last 8 years - did he not see the attempt to overturn the election? People overrunning the Capitol to try to hang the Vice President? Kids in cages? Remember that? The Muslim ban? Emoluments? Classified docs in the Mar-a-lago bathroom? There is absolutely existential danger to our democracy and underplaying it like this is normal times and these are two normal candidates is crazy. And yeah, he is a cis, straight, rich white guy. He gonna be just fine either way.
I get that Biden is old. I GET IT. But I'm voting for his whole vision, his whole team, and do we not remember who the last guy appointed to dismantle pretty much anything? They were one worse than the other. I agree with one of the comments over on TDS's Instagram in that I would vote for Biden in a casket over the other guy.
Please stop and seriously think for a minute. Please. This “Both Sides” criticism is non sense. It’s not true above all. You think he wants Trump or Republicans to win? He’s got loved ones too. A daughter! And a wife. Not to mention friends. But this isn’t about “Both Sides”. If you watched it was CLEAR there was no both sides. Trump is a dangerous fool. At no point has Stewart EVER both sided that.
And let’s all think critically for a second. You are complaining about THE DAILY SHOW Both siding something as if it’s going to affect ANYTHING. Trust me. No one is watching this show and thinking “OH My GOD! Biden IS old! Why didn’t anyone tell me! Well, I guess I’m voting for the Orange Clown instead”. No. No MAGA cultists are going to be watching TDS
Also..Democrats can still make mistakes and be full of shit and need to be called out. Trump being a piece of shit doesn’t over value that.
Again, think about this, you complaining about someone pointing out the truth. Because that’s what he did. Just the truth. He didn’t make up anything. And if you don’t like the truth being pointed out, I’m sorry. That makes you wrong.
Biden is obviously a better choice than Trump. But this is some The Emperor Has No Clothes stuff from you and others here.
I mean, that's a nice thought. But talk to folks in Gen Z. Many of them are already expressing that they won't vote for Biden because of his age, and also because of Gaza. I've seen him called Genocide Joe. Me and other Gen Xers are seeing our kids and kids of friends and students of my teacher friends literally see no difference between Biden and Trump. Obviously this is ridiculous. But it's still what they think, and why many of them don't want to vote for either, a move that favors Trump. They may not be watching TDS because it's not a Gen Z thing. But "Biden is old" is a ridiculous take right now. We KNOW he is old. Is it really that funny or clever? Democrats can absolutely make mistakes and be called out. But it is both sides when Biden is "old" or "not as progressive as some would like" and the other side is literally courting Nazis and Putin, caging kids, and harming LGBTQ+ folks - and more. Biden is old is not that great a hot take. I'm not saying it's not true, I'm saying it doesn't matter, and anything you can criticize Biden for (and there are plenty of things) is NOT the same as anything you can criticized 45 for. If you think they are the same, that makes *you* wrong.
Okay. So what does Gaza or your Gen Z friends not voting for Biden because of his age have to do with Jon Stewart making jokes?
You are acting like it’s Jon Stewart’s responsibility to cure the ignorance of others.
I don’t think anyone is claiming it’s clever. But yeah, it can be funny. Biden’s gaffs have always been funny and he’s been making them since Moses wore short pants.
And no that is not both sides to say Biden isn’t progressive enough. “Nazi” and “not progressive enough” are not the same thing. That is not “both sides”.
People like you and Alan need to understand that not all criticism is the same. If I said said “Donald Trump is an Evil fascist” and then 10 minutes later said “Joe Biden is old”. How is gods name is that “Both sides”. We both know it’s not.
Jon Stewart is not just a guy. He has tremendous influence. He DOES have a responsibility as a public figure as someone who has made a name for political commentary.
And I think you're proving my point. Nazi and "not progressive enough" are absolutely not the same thing. Yet "old" and "not progressive enough" are what we criticize Biden for, while we criticize Trump for courting actual Nazis. Those are not the same things, and Biden is not worthy of the same level as critique as Trump and the GUP right now.
Jack Posobiec opened this weekend’s conference of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) with the words: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here.” He held up a cross necklace and continued: “After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”
Do you even realize what you are saying? You don’t want Jon Stewart to bring up Biden’s age because someone might watch it and…what? Vote for Trump?
And I am absolutely not proving your point. Your point is Stewart is “Both siding” things and that’s an extremely simplistic dangerously naive way to look at it. I say again, not all criticism is equal. There is room for CONTEXT and NUANCE.
You want Stewart criticizing Trump all the time. Bringing up democrats acting stupid isn’t “both sides”, that’s you viewing it from a biased perspective. An “all Trump all the time condemnation show” isn’t what the daily show is.
It seems you don’t think people have the capacity to understand nuance and context. That’s a real shame.
Jon Stewart’s responsibility is not to get Joe Biden elected. It’s to tell the truth and make jokes. Within that is sharp political commentary. You and Alan act as is Stewart has some sort of faux agenda to make sure both democrats and republicans are lampooned on the show.
A person has the ability to judge for themselves whether “Trump is a Nazi” and “Joe Biden is old” are the same thing. Again. Context and nuance. “Both sides” is a pedantic fallacy. Stewart mines for gold. He goes where the gold is. Wherever that leads.
These shows should absolutely have a 5 minute recap of the previous season after these long breaks. It’s crazy that I have to go to YouTube for a recap in order to not feel completely lost when a show returns.
This reminds me of network dramas and comedies both doing entire "recap" episodes that were either entirely clips recapping entire story arcs or "flashbacks" with a bare bones storyline of characters recounting plot. Lost was the king of this because ABC was constantly trying to on-board new viewers in the first two seasons. And then there was the hilarious Community ep that was a recap of episodes that didn't actually exist.
Prestige TV killed that dead but if a show like Game of Thrones existed on broadcast in the early 00's, it absolutely would have had an ep early in S2 where Tyrion is reading messages delivered via ravens from all over Westeros and telling Bronn about everything that basically happened in S1.
I can't think of many other contexts in which I would agree with these words, but yes -- I'd like to at least have a chance to discuss, say, the Night Country finale on Monday or Tuesday vs. next Friday.
Wow some people really got upset about the two siderism (just saw yesterday's show). I personally thought the 20 minute bit was amazing, but funny is subjective anyway. But to demand that noone points out how outlandish it is that Democrats are in danger of losing to Trump again feels very extreme (i at least took this as the main message- I really doubt anyone still holds hope that there will be a real life Arnold Vinick anytime soon ). This is not even about the two sides of the aisle not being able to communicate; now we bring restrictions on what can be said inside the "camps" themselves? (Alan, I have been reading you for decades, even though you make feel dumb about how many things I miss 101% of the time- just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you 😄)
I totally understand where you and others are coming from in regards to Stewart but I just fundamentally disagree that his schtick in his return or in his run over the 2000's was ever "both sides are equally bad". He made leftist views mainstream to myself and many others as a teenager during the Bush years and constantly railed against that administration, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Fox News. He had Obama on his show seven times and essentially endorsed him without directly saying it. Just because he takes shots at Democrats (who deserve to be criticized) doesn't negate his clear left leaning views and his lack of partisanship is part of what helped him spread those views to a broader audience to begin with.
I thought the point he was getting at was that it's blatantly apparent that Biden cognitive abilities are deteriorating and the DNC's decision to just ignore what we can all see instead of running a different candidate is foolish in an election with the threat of a second Trump term looming. He's right that this election alone won't make or break America. People smarter than Trump will follow his foe-populist right wing playbook in years to come, and many Republicans before Trump campaigned on the promise of overturning Roe v Wade and many currently run on anti-trans sentiments. He's not saying to kick up our feet and not worry about this election, he's saying to worry about every election as long as we live (or until the sun runs out of Hydrogen as he joked)
I don't see myself jumping into daily chats--I'm mostly behind on watching shows and catch up later. So I usually save your reviews until after I've caught up with viewing.
i have push notifications only but there are issues with it – batch notifications get deleted on iPhone when clicking one of the notifications – so i lose track of what's new to read. i wouldn't mind getting consistent emails to help me remember.
Thank you for your accurate assessment of Stewart's claim that a Trump victory would not be the end of America as we know it: "While a noble sentiment on paper, it’s also one that’s a lot easier for a wealthy straight white guy to make, since he’s far more insulated from many of the things Trump and the GOP want to do — and the rights they want to strip away — in the event of a win in November." This is so right on.
Jon Stewart's comments about how the country will survive were so disappointing. Sure, the country will survive. The country survived the Civil War, too. But that doesn't mean there wasn't lots and lots of death and suffering along the way. Already, right now, women in certain states are facing death and permanent harm due to what the first Trump presidency wrought. A group of them are suing the state of Texas because of it. To dismiss all this cruel and unnecessary suffering that people face *right now* because, 'well, the country will survive' is just beyond tone deaf and infuriating. It's peak rich guy condescension and we already get enough of that from the media. I don't know why we needed any more.
If that’s the lesson you took from that episode you need to watch again.
Yes. How dare Jon Stewart say the country will survive. He should have…what? Lied and said everyone will die and it will be grey and cloudy & cold everyday?
How is that condescending? Someone offering a message of HOPE instead of despair? And because he didn’t say the sky is falling and everyone is doomed, it’s condescending…because he’s rich? What?
Nowhere did he say everything would be peaches and cream. Nowhere did he say there wouldn’t be strife. He said THE COUNTRY will survive. And it will. But there are real problems now. And there will always be problems tomorrow and the next day. Elections comes and go. There will be awful times, war, tragedy. Saying the country will survive doesn’t negate that.
Alan I have a lot of respect for you as a critic, I do. You’re one of the best around. Your Sopranos book with MZS is fantastic. The greatest Sopranos book ever made. I’ve been reading you since 2007. We don’t always agree but I can at least understand your position and criticism. i mention all that to preface what I’m about to say.
That Rolling stone piece you wrote was extremely disappointing. My heart sank as I read it. Seeing you resort to that kind of hit piece. Man. It was full of ad hominem bleh.
Calling Stewart’s return sad? Really? It’s sad? One of the greatest political & media critics of our time returning to a show he made into a cultural juggernaut after he refused to bow down to the censorship of the biggest corporation in the world, and you think of it only it terms of how it looks and feels as a career move? Dude.
Also. This “both sides” thing. That’s the sort of commentary and helped get that Orange buffoon elected in the first place. Both sides are messed up. Both sides are full of idiots. Suggesting Stewart should focus criticism on one side and one side only. I don’t even know what to say to that.
And now even in this article, you mention Stewart is a straight white dude and thus the consequences of a Trump or Republican led victory means he has less skin in the game. When you write something like that, I have to wonder. Do you see other people as selfish individuals only concerned with themselves? Stewart has a wife. He’s a father. He has a daughter and a son. He has multi cultural friends. This idea that because he is a straight, wealthy white dude and therefore that somehow means his vested interests are different from, say, a woman or immigrant. What? No. Come on man. You should know better than that.
I read many Democrats upset Stewart went after Biden. It’s truly some The Emperor Has No Clothes stuff.
Here’s the truth. We should feel incredibly fortunate to have Stewart back in 2024 doing what he does best. Make us laugh & think about how ridiculous life and politics is/are. It’s not sad. It’s a major victory. No one does it better than he does.
Anyways, I had to get that off my chest. To quote Tony Soprano, “Frankly I’m depressed and ashamed”.
I don't mind the occasional invitation to a chat at all. If I didn't want your correspondence I wouldn't have subscribed! I realize this is maybe the most low key Gen X thing I can say but I don't mind email at all.
Completely agree with all of your comments on Jon Stewart. As much as I LOVED the Golden age of The Daily Show, that time came and went and he was wise to move on when he did. We still need something like the Daily Show in the modern world, but cable is dying and there are podcasts, 'tubes, TikToks and (unfortunately) Twitters to compete with and while Stewart may be right, he's also becoming as culturally old as the ancient politicians he's railing against.
On the emails topic, the worst thing that happens is I delete some without reading - it's never going to be annoying enough for me to unsubscribe. And the best thing that happens is I catch some conversations a bit earlier which would be wonderful. So yeah, more emails for me please.
I personally like your current one-newsletter-a-week schedule, since I generally don't have time to read the various newsletters I subscribe to during the week anyway.
The whole genre of Comedy Journalism has always been problematic and it's long past it's sell by date. These types of shows always want to have it both ways. They report (or more accurately "report") on events. They act like they're real news programs, but when they screw up and someone calls them on it they're all like, "Whoa whoa, we're just a comedy program"
I don’t think that’s ever happened where there’s been a screw up and Stewart made that claim.
You are confused. Stewart has said “We Are Just a comedy program” when others try to assign more importance or weight to what he does. He is NOT a journalist. He IS a comedian.
It’s not about “having it both ways”(what does that even mean? When has that ever applied to TDS?) it’s about calling the news media, I say again, the news media, not a COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT SHOW, out on their BS and politicians on their BS while making jokes. That’s not having anything both ways. Stewart doesn’t break news stories. Everything is done with a middle finger to the system. The 24 hour news cycle. The lies. The bullshit.
Stewart is right to remind people he is not a journalist and this is not a news show. The same way Weekend Update on SNL isn’t a news show. Come on.
Weekend Update is clearly a comedy segment about news. The whole point of the individual bits is to set up a punchline. It's essentially a late night, talk show monologue in sketch form. Nobody looks to get news or information from Weekend Update.
Shows like The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight or Patriot Act or similar are basically news and information programs wearing a clown nose. By and large, viewers see them as news shows with humor. When bits from these shows get shared out on social media it's not so much "Ha ha, isn't this funny" (because they often aren't) but more , "Wow, look what's happening here". People used to say they got a lot of their news from The Daily Show.
And, as you say, when they get called out for being light or slanted they retreat to "We're a comedy show", even though the bits that get criticized aren't the jokes.
Jon Stewart played this game masterfully in his famous 2004 appearance on Crossfire. He went ham on Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson about how their show was hurting America and when they tried to turn it around he was like, "The lead in to my show is puppets making crank calls." But if he's just a comedian, why should anyone care about his opinion on politics or the news?
We come back to the duck test. If something walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's reasonable to call it a duck, even if has a sign on it saying it's a goose.
If I throw my iPhone at someone with an intent to harm them, the cellphone becomes a weapon right? Now when Apple made & designed that product, were they making a smart phone or a weapon?
I use this to highlight how flawed the argument is that because people got their news from TDS it somehow means something about TDS’s role as a comedy program. It is not the shows fault that people go to is as a news source. That’s not how it was designed. That was not its purpose. That says more about people and their relationship with news than it does TDS.
The daily show wasn’t making a news program, just like apple wasn’t making a weapon. How people use or view something is up to them and outside the control of the show.
When Stewart went on crossfire his point about puppets was a good one. It’s beyond ridiculous to compare a 24 news network which makes claims about trustworthiness and journalist integrity to a show where the host makes funny faces and sounds while treating the news as a joke.
Now, does the show get more serious from time to time? Sure. Just like a new program can have a laugh, TDS can get serious because that’s not the point of the show. It’s always the joke..that is not having it both ways. It just means TDS is really great at what it does.
Weekend Update and the Daily Show are 100% the same thing. They have the same purpose, the same design. That’s it.
I was so disappointed in Stewart both-sides-ing it. I have friends and loved ones who absolutely are in increasing danger with reproductive rights being taken away and anti-trans legislation on the rise. And what happens if Putin succeeds in Ukraine? Where has Jon been the last 8 years - did he not see the attempt to overturn the election? People overrunning the Capitol to try to hang the Vice President? Kids in cages? Remember that? The Muslim ban? Emoluments? Classified docs in the Mar-a-lago bathroom? There is absolutely existential danger to our democracy and underplaying it like this is normal times and these are two normal candidates is crazy. And yeah, he is a cis, straight, rich white guy. He gonna be just fine either way.
I get that Biden is old. I GET IT. But I'm voting for his whole vision, his whole team, and do we not remember who the last guy appointed to dismantle pretty much anything? They were one worse than the other. I agree with one of the comments over on TDS's Instagram in that I would vote for Biden in a casket over the other guy.
Please stop and seriously think for a minute. Please. This “Both Sides” criticism is non sense. It’s not true above all. You think he wants Trump or Republicans to win? He’s got loved ones too. A daughter! And a wife. Not to mention friends. But this isn’t about “Both Sides”. If you watched it was CLEAR there was no both sides. Trump is a dangerous fool. At no point has Stewart EVER both sided that.
And let’s all think critically for a second. You are complaining about THE DAILY SHOW Both siding something as if it’s going to affect ANYTHING. Trust me. No one is watching this show and thinking “OH My GOD! Biden IS old! Why didn’t anyone tell me! Well, I guess I’m voting for the Orange Clown instead”. No. No MAGA cultists are going to be watching TDS
Also..Democrats can still make mistakes and be full of shit and need to be called out. Trump being a piece of shit doesn’t over value that.
Again, think about this, you complaining about someone pointing out the truth. Because that’s what he did. Just the truth. He didn’t make up anything. And if you don’t like the truth being pointed out, I’m sorry. That makes you wrong.
Biden is obviously a better choice than Trump. But this is some The Emperor Has No Clothes stuff from you and others here.
I mean, that's a nice thought. But talk to folks in Gen Z. Many of them are already expressing that they won't vote for Biden because of his age, and also because of Gaza. I've seen him called Genocide Joe. Me and other Gen Xers are seeing our kids and kids of friends and students of my teacher friends literally see no difference between Biden and Trump. Obviously this is ridiculous. But it's still what they think, and why many of them don't want to vote for either, a move that favors Trump. They may not be watching TDS because it's not a Gen Z thing. But "Biden is old" is a ridiculous take right now. We KNOW he is old. Is it really that funny or clever? Democrats can absolutely make mistakes and be called out. But it is both sides when Biden is "old" or "not as progressive as some would like" and the other side is literally courting Nazis and Putin, caging kids, and harming LGBTQ+ folks - and more. Biden is old is not that great a hot take. I'm not saying it's not true, I'm saying it doesn't matter, and anything you can criticize Biden for (and there are plenty of things) is NOT the same as anything you can criticized 45 for. If you think they are the same, that makes *you* wrong.
Okay. So what does Gaza or your Gen Z friends not voting for Biden because of his age have to do with Jon Stewart making jokes?
You are acting like it’s Jon Stewart’s responsibility to cure the ignorance of others.
I don’t think anyone is claiming it’s clever. But yeah, it can be funny. Biden’s gaffs have always been funny and he’s been making them since Moses wore short pants.
And no that is not both sides to say Biden isn’t progressive enough. “Nazi” and “not progressive enough” are not the same thing. That is not “both sides”.
People like you and Alan need to understand that not all criticism is the same. If I said said “Donald Trump is an Evil fascist” and then 10 minutes later said “Joe Biden is old”. How is gods name is that “Both sides”. We both know it’s not.
Jon Stewart is not just a guy. He has tremendous influence. He DOES have a responsibility as a public figure as someone who has made a name for political commentary.
And I think you're proving my point. Nazi and "not progressive enough" are absolutely not the same thing. Yet "old" and "not progressive enough" are what we criticize Biden for, while we criticize Trump for courting actual Nazis. Those are not the same things, and Biden is not worthy of the same level as critique as Trump and the GUP right now.
Jack Posobiec opened this weekend’s conference of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) with the words: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here.” He held up a cross necklace and continued: “After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”
Stewart: Biden's old.
It's not 2014 anymore, we need to wake up.
Do you even realize what you are saying? You don’t want Jon Stewart to bring up Biden’s age because someone might watch it and…what? Vote for Trump?
And I am absolutely not proving your point. Your point is Stewart is “Both siding” things and that’s an extremely simplistic dangerously naive way to look at it. I say again, not all criticism is equal. There is room for CONTEXT and NUANCE.
You want Stewart criticizing Trump all the time. Bringing up democrats acting stupid isn’t “both sides”, that’s you viewing it from a biased perspective. An “all Trump all the time condemnation show” isn’t what the daily show is.
It seems you don’t think people have the capacity to understand nuance and context. That’s a real shame.
Jon Stewart’s responsibility is not to get Joe Biden elected. It’s to tell the truth and make jokes. Within that is sharp political commentary. You and Alan act as is Stewart has some sort of faux agenda to make sure both democrats and republicans are lampooned on the show.
A person has the ability to judge for themselves whether “Trump is a Nazi” and “Joe Biden is old” are the same thing. Again. Context and nuance. “Both sides” is a pedantic fallacy. Stewart mines for gold. He goes where the gold is. Wherever that leads.
Great response. I’m tired of the Left acting like Dems can’t be lambasted. Both sides are terrible, albeit, Trump and his ilk more so.
These shows should absolutely have a 5 minute recap of the previous season after these long breaks. It’s crazy that I have to go to YouTube for a recap in order to not feel completely lost when a show returns.
If network TV can do it, with defined time periods, then streamers and cable channels can do it, too.
This reminds me of network dramas and comedies both doing entire "recap" episodes that were either entirely clips recapping entire story arcs or "flashbacks" with a bare bones storyline of characters recounting plot. Lost was the king of this because ABC was constantly trying to on-board new viewers in the first two seasons. And then there was the hilarious Community ep that was a recap of episodes that didn't actually exist.
Prestige TV killed that dead but if a show like Game of Thrones existed on broadcast in the early 00's, it absolutely would have had an ep early in S2 where Tyrion is reading messages delivered via ravens from all over Westeros and telling Bronn about everything that basically happened in S1.
Agreed! All shows should do this! It was hard for me to remember what happened in S1 of Tokyo Vice
Please send as many emails as you can
I can't think of many other contexts in which I would agree with these words, but yes -- I'd like to at least have a chance to discuss, say, the Night Country finale on Monday or Tuesday vs. next Friday.
Yes, I think especially for season finales or big event episodes it's absolutely fine to get multiple emails in a week :)
Yes agree more emails please
Agreed
Wow some people really got upset about the two siderism (just saw yesterday's show). I personally thought the 20 minute bit was amazing, but funny is subjective anyway. But to demand that noone points out how outlandish it is that Democrats are in danger of losing to Trump again feels very extreme (i at least took this as the main message- I really doubt anyone still holds hope that there will be a real life Arnold Vinick anytime soon ). This is not even about the two sides of the aisle not being able to communicate; now we bring restrictions on what can be said inside the "camps" themselves? (Alan, I have been reading you for decades, even though you make feel dumb about how many things I miss 101% of the time- just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you 😄)
I'll ask the same question I ask Trump fans when they tell me all the things he's going to do:
Why didn't he do it the first time?
I totally understand where you and others are coming from in regards to Stewart but I just fundamentally disagree that his schtick in his return or in his run over the 2000's was ever "both sides are equally bad". He made leftist views mainstream to myself and many others as a teenager during the Bush years and constantly railed against that administration, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Fox News. He had Obama on his show seven times and essentially endorsed him without directly saying it. Just because he takes shots at Democrats (who deserve to be criticized) doesn't negate his clear left leaning views and his lack of partisanship is part of what helped him spread those views to a broader audience to begin with.
I thought the point he was getting at was that it's blatantly apparent that Biden cognitive abilities are deteriorating and the DNC's decision to just ignore what we can all see instead of running a different candidate is foolish in an election with the threat of a second Trump term looming. He's right that this election alone won't make or break America. People smarter than Trump will follow his foe-populist right wing playbook in years to come, and many Republicans before Trump campaigned on the promise of overturning Roe v Wade and many currently run on anti-trans sentiments. He's not saying to kick up our feet and not worry about this election, he's saying to worry about every election as long as we live (or until the sun runs out of Hydrogen as he joked)
I don't see myself jumping into daily chats--I'm mostly behind on watching shows and catch up later. So I usually save your reviews until after I've caught up with viewing.
I try to keep up on weekly shows but I rarely binge entire seasons the week they arrive, so can relate.
Perhaps a "one email per week" vs. "bring on the emails!" option would suffice.
i have push notifications only but there are issues with it – batch notifications get deleted on iPhone when clicking one of the notifications – so i lose track of what's new to read. i wouldn't mind getting consistent emails to help me remember.
Thank you for your accurate assessment of Stewart's claim that a Trump victory would not be the end of America as we know it: "While a noble sentiment on paper, it’s also one that’s a lot easier for a wealthy straight white guy to make, since he’s far more insulated from many of the things Trump and the GOP want to do — and the rights they want to strip away — in the event of a win in November." This is so right on.
I'm all for more emails!
Jon Stewart's comments about how the country will survive were so disappointing. Sure, the country will survive. The country survived the Civil War, too. But that doesn't mean there wasn't lots and lots of death and suffering along the way. Already, right now, women in certain states are facing death and permanent harm due to what the first Trump presidency wrought. A group of them are suing the state of Texas because of it. To dismiss all this cruel and unnecessary suffering that people face *right now* because, 'well, the country will survive' is just beyond tone deaf and infuriating. It's peak rich guy condescension and we already get enough of that from the media. I don't know why we needed any more.
If that’s the lesson you took from that episode you need to watch again.
Yes. How dare Jon Stewart say the country will survive. He should have…what? Lied and said everyone will die and it will be grey and cloudy & cold everyday?
How is that condescending? Someone offering a message of HOPE instead of despair? And because he didn’t say the sky is falling and everyone is doomed, it’s condescending…because he’s rich? What?
Nowhere did he say everything would be peaches and cream. Nowhere did he say there wouldn’t be strife. He said THE COUNTRY will survive. And it will. But there are real problems now. And there will always be problems tomorrow and the next day. Elections comes and go. There will be awful times, war, tragedy. Saying the country will survive doesn’t negate that.
Alan I have a lot of respect for you as a critic, I do. You’re one of the best around. Your Sopranos book with MZS is fantastic. The greatest Sopranos book ever made. I’ve been reading you since 2007. We don’t always agree but I can at least understand your position and criticism. i mention all that to preface what I’m about to say.
That Rolling stone piece you wrote was extremely disappointing. My heart sank as I read it. Seeing you resort to that kind of hit piece. Man. It was full of ad hominem bleh.
Calling Stewart’s return sad? Really? It’s sad? One of the greatest political & media critics of our time returning to a show he made into a cultural juggernaut after he refused to bow down to the censorship of the biggest corporation in the world, and you think of it only it terms of how it looks and feels as a career move? Dude.
Also. This “both sides” thing. That’s the sort of commentary and helped get that Orange buffoon elected in the first place. Both sides are messed up. Both sides are full of idiots. Suggesting Stewart should focus criticism on one side and one side only. I don’t even know what to say to that.
And now even in this article, you mention Stewart is a straight white dude and thus the consequences of a Trump or Republican led victory means he has less skin in the game. When you write something like that, I have to wonder. Do you see other people as selfish individuals only concerned with themselves? Stewart has a wife. He’s a father. He has a daughter and a son. He has multi cultural friends. This idea that because he is a straight, wealthy white dude and therefore that somehow means his vested interests are different from, say, a woman or immigrant. What? No. Come on man. You should know better than that.
I read many Democrats upset Stewart went after Biden. It’s truly some The Emperor Has No Clothes stuff.
Here’s the truth. We should feel incredibly fortunate to have Stewart back in 2024 doing what he does best. Make us laugh & think about how ridiculous life and politics is/are. It’s not sad. It’s a major victory. No one does it better than he does.
Anyways, I had to get that off my chest. To quote Tony Soprano, “Frankly I’m depressed and ashamed”.
I don't mind the occasional invitation to a chat at all. If I didn't want your correspondence I wouldn't have subscribed! I realize this is maybe the most low key Gen X thing I can say but I don't mind email at all.
Completely agree with all of your comments on Jon Stewart. As much as I LOVED the Golden age of The Daily Show, that time came and went and he was wise to move on when he did. We still need something like the Daily Show in the modern world, but cable is dying and there are podcasts, 'tubes, TikToks and (unfortunately) Twitters to compete with and while Stewart may be right, he's also becoming as culturally old as the ancient politicians he's railing against.
On the emails topic, the worst thing that happens is I delete some without reading - it's never going to be annoying enough for me to unsubscribe. And the best thing that happens is I catch some conversations a bit earlier which would be wonderful. So yeah, more emails for me please.
I personally like your current one-newsletter-a-week schedule, since I generally don't have time to read the various newsletters I subscribe to during the week anyway.
My only Jon Stewart thoughts are that the only part of his return that made me laugh was Jordan Klepper's bit acknowledging the criticisms of Stewart, and Linda Holmes's review of Irresistible still rings very true as a summary of his political philosophy https://www.npr.org/2020/06/23/875197074/irresistible-chooses-an-inopportune-moment-to-get-glib-about-politics
The whole genre of Comedy Journalism has always been problematic and it's long past it's sell by date. These types of shows always want to have it both ways. They report (or more accurately "report") on events. They act like they're real news programs, but when they screw up and someone calls them on it they're all like, "Whoa whoa, we're just a comedy program"
I don’t think that’s ever happened where there’s been a screw up and Stewart made that claim.
You are confused. Stewart has said “We Are Just a comedy program” when others try to assign more importance or weight to what he does. He is NOT a journalist. He IS a comedian.
It’s not about “having it both ways”(what does that even mean? When has that ever applied to TDS?) it’s about calling the news media, I say again, the news media, not a COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT SHOW, out on their BS and politicians on their BS while making jokes. That’s not having anything both ways. Stewart doesn’t break news stories. Everything is done with a middle finger to the system. The 24 hour news cycle. The lies. The bullshit.
Stewart is right to remind people he is not a journalist and this is not a news show. The same way Weekend Update on SNL isn’t a news show. Come on.
Weekend Update is clearly a comedy segment about news. The whole point of the individual bits is to set up a punchline. It's essentially a late night, talk show monologue in sketch form. Nobody looks to get news or information from Weekend Update.
Shows like The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight or Patriot Act or similar are basically news and information programs wearing a clown nose. By and large, viewers see them as news shows with humor. When bits from these shows get shared out on social media it's not so much "Ha ha, isn't this funny" (because they often aren't) but more , "Wow, look what's happening here". People used to say they got a lot of their news from The Daily Show.
And, as you say, when they get called out for being light or slanted they retreat to "We're a comedy show", even though the bits that get criticized aren't the jokes.
Jon Stewart played this game masterfully in his famous 2004 appearance on Crossfire. He went ham on Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson about how their show was hurting America and when they tried to turn it around he was like, "The lead in to my show is puppets making crank calls." But if he's just a comedian, why should anyone care about his opinion on politics or the news?
We come back to the duck test. If something walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's reasonable to call it a duck, even if has a sign on it saying it's a goose.
If I throw my iPhone at someone with an intent to harm them, the cellphone becomes a weapon right? Now when Apple made & designed that product, were they making a smart phone or a weapon?
I use this to highlight how flawed the argument is that because people got their news from TDS it somehow means something about TDS’s role as a comedy program. It is not the shows fault that people go to is as a news source. That’s not how it was designed. That was not its purpose. That says more about people and their relationship with news than it does TDS.
The daily show wasn’t making a news program, just like apple wasn’t making a weapon. How people use or view something is up to them and outside the control of the show.
When Stewart went on crossfire his point about puppets was a good one. It’s beyond ridiculous to compare a 24 news network which makes claims about trustworthiness and journalist integrity to a show where the host makes funny faces and sounds while treating the news as a joke.
Now, does the show get more serious from time to time? Sure. Just like a new program can have a laugh, TDS can get serious because that’s not the point of the show. It’s always the joke..that is not having it both ways. It just means TDS is really great at what it does.
Weekend Update and the Daily Show are 100% the same thing. They have the same purpose, the same design. That’s it.
A few emails a week would be fine