Forget the creative genius; The Daily Show ticked me off tonight

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

I know I'm going to catch a hell of a lot of flack for this, but I'll go ahead anyway.

Jon Stewart and Co. tonight took to task the GOP while in Minny East for the convention. I'm not going to say it wasn't entertaining -- because it was. But at times, I feel like this show goes too far. Here's why:

There's a good number of the uneducated base who take this show (and everything it says) as fact. And while, no, I don't believe we need to reduce ourselves to the lowest common denominator, I also feel that a show moonlighting as a news segment should do a little more than simply attack and attack and attack.

Tonight, that's all it did. It cracked some well-written jokes at the GOP without doing anything else.

There's a good number of the population who cannot accept that what Stewart et. al. say is not simply the way it is. Because of that, I found myself wondering why it was any better than Fox News.

My friends on here know that I make most Dems look like Ronald Reagan, so don't take this as a "GOP hates the Dems" argument.

Simply put, I believe things are never going to change if we base everything we do off ratings instead of actually making good points. Ninety percent of the viewers tonight were simply going to finish watching the show thinking either 1.) Jon Stewart just showed us how bad the GOP was or 2.) believe the show they just watched was a bunch of B.S.

Point being, even satire needs to not look like propaganda.

 

[ArnoldBabar]

I haven't seen tonight's show, but I do agree with your central point: Just because it's funny doesn't mean it's not hateful and partisan. I love the show, but it's not exactly balanced. It does what it does, and it makes it obvious. But there's absolutely an agenda.

Colbert is successful by being more subtle. It pretends to be the other side so you'll conclude on your own that it's absurd. That's what makes it brilliant.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

This is The Daily Show on Comedy Central, right?

 

[Bruce Leroy]

I know I'm going to catch a hell of a lot of flack for this, but I'll go ahead anyway.

Jon Stewart and Co. tonight took to task the GOP while in Minny East for the convention. I'm not going to say it wasn't entertaining -- because it was. But at times, I feel like this show goes too far. Here's why:

There's a good number of the uneducated base who take this show (and everything it says) as fact. And while, no, I don't believe we need to reduce ourselves to the lowest common denominator, I also feel that a show moonlighting as a news segment should do a little more than simply attack and attack and attack.

Tonight, that's all it did. It cracked some well-written jokes at the GOP without doing anything else.

There's a good number of the population who cannot accept that what Stewart et. al. say is not simply the way it is. Because of that, I found myself wondering why it was any better than Fox News.

My friends on here know that I make most Dems look like Ronald Reagan, so don't take this as a "GOP hates the Dems" argument.

Simply put, I believe things are never going to change if we base everything we do off ratings instead of actually making good points. Ninety percent of the viewers tonight were simply going to finish watching the show thinking either 1.) Jon Stewart just showed us how bad the GOP was or 2.) believe the show they just watched was a bunch of B.S.

Point being, even satire needs to not look like propaganda.

I apologize that my response has absolutely nothing to do with your post, but, after watching the full video of your avatar, I can't read one of your posts anymore without looking at the avatar and laughing.

 

[ArnoldBabar]

This is The Daily Show on Comedy Central, right?

If you don't recognize that its influence has gone well beyond that, you're not paying attention. Candidates, politicians, everyone goes on there because they know it's a huge audience on which they can have huge influence. You can't seriously equate it with some standup act.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

I know I'm going to catch a hell of a lot of flack for this, but I'll go ahead anyway.

Jon Stewart and Co. tonight took to task the GOP while in Minny East for the convention. I'm not going to say it wasn't entertaining -- because it was. But at times, I feel like this show goes too far. Here's why:

There's a good number of the uneducated base who take this show (and everything it says) as fact. And while, no, I don't believe we need to reduce ourselves to the lowest common denominator, I also feel that a show moonlighting as a news segment should do a little more than simply attack and attack and attack.

Tonight, that's all it did. It cracked some well-written jokes at the GOP without doing anything else.

There's a good number of the population who cannot accept that what Stewart et. al. say is not simply the way it is. Because of that, I found myself wondering why it was any better than Fox News.

My friends on here know that I make most Dems look like Ronald Reagan, so don't take this as a "GOP hates the Dems" argument.

Simply put, I believe things are never going to change if we base everything we do off ratings instead of actually making good points. Ninety percent of the viewers tonight were simply going to finish watching the show thinking either 1.) Jon Stewart just showed us how bad the GOP was or 2.) believe the show they just watched was a bunch of B.S.

Point being, even satire needs to not look like propaganda.

I apologize that my response has absolutely nothing to do with your post, but, after watching the full video of your avatar, I can't read one of your posts anymore without looking at the avatar and laughing.

Nor can I read one of yours w/o thinking "Who's the master?"



Carry on.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

This is The Daily Show on Comedy Central, right?

If you don't recognize that its influence has gone well beyond that, you're not paying attention. Candidates, politicians, everyone goes on there because they know it's a huge audience on which they can have huge influence. You can't seriously equate it with some standup act.

It's not a news show.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

This is The Daily Show on Comedy Central, right?

If you don't recognize that its influence has gone well beyond that, you're not paying attention. Candidates, politicians, everyone goes on there because they know it's a huge audience on which they can have huge influence. You can't seriously equate it with some standup act.

It's not a news show.

There are a lot of people who would argue that. And that's exactly my point. It's a mainstream (often VERY political) show. Do they not have an obligation to do more than:
1.) Tie Republicans to Katrina damage.
2.) Make fun of Republicans for that Katrina damage,
and 3.) Make more fun of Republicans for that Katrina damage.

???

 

[ArnoldBabar]

This is The Daily Show on Comedy Central, right?

If you don't recognize that its influence has gone well beyond that, you're not paying attention. Candidates, politicians, everyone goes on there because they know it's a huge audience on which they can have huge influence. You can't seriously equate it with some standup act.

It's not a news show.

Nor is a Micheal Moore movie or a Rush Limbaugh rant, but influence is the issue. Saying Comedy Central has "comedy" in the name is like saying Fox News Channel has "news" in the name. The function they serve is what matters. You can't reasonably deny that.

 

[spnited]

The fact that Comedy Central has a huge influence makes me believe this country is ****ing doomed.
Too many morons who don't understand that this is COMEDY, not fact.

We elect bad people to high offices because too many people get all their information from ****heads like Stewart, Colbert, Olberman, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc. and aren't intelligent enough to undersatnd what the real issues are and what the people running for office really stand for.

The dumbing down of America has reached a crucial and perhaps fatal point.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

'Influence" is the choice made by the viewer, not by the people who produce the show.

If people get their news from a comedy show, it's their problem.

The Daily Show is designed to make people laugh. That's their job, to get laughs.

 

[spnited]

'Influence" is the choice made by the viewer, not by the people who produce the show.

If people get their news from a comedy show, it's their problem.

The Daily Show is designed to make people laugh. That's their job, to get laughs.

I agree completely smasher. What scares me is that so many people in this country do not understand that and are influenced by this stuff.

 

[GB-Hack]

Satire is always going to skewer those in power more than those who aren't.

But they'll fire at anyone.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=87456&title=*****-party

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

Satire is always going to skewer those in power more than those who aren't.

But they'll fire at anyone.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=87456&title=*****-party

So they rip on Dems every 1 yeah, 4 months?
I know that's an exaggeration, but come on. Watch the show from tonight and tell me it wasn't way too over the top.

 

[Giggity]

I know I'm going to catch a hell of a lot of flack for this, but I'll go ahead anyway.

Jon Stewart and Co. tonight took to task the GOP while in Minny East for the convention. I'm not going to say it wasn't entertaining -- because it was. But at times, I feel like this show goes too far. Here's why:

There's a good number of the uneducated base who take this show (and everything it says) as fact. And while, no, I don't believe we need to reduce ourselves to the lowest common denominator, I also feel that a show moonlighting as a news segment should do a little more than simply attack and attack and attack.

Tonight, that's all it did. It cracked some well-written jokes at the GOP without doing anything else.

There's a good number of the population who cannot accept that what Stewart et. al. say is not simply the way it is. Because of that, I found myself wondering why it was any better than Fox News.

My friends on here know that I make most Dems look like Ronald Reagan, so don't take this as a "GOP hates the Dems" argument.

Simply put, I believe things are never going to change if we base everything we do off ratings instead of actually making good points. Ninety percent of the viewers tonight were simply going to finish watching the show thinking either 1.) Jon Stewart just showed us how bad the GOP was or 2.) believe the show they just watched was a bunch of B.S.

Point being, even satire needs to not look like propaganda.

I apologize that my response has absolutely nothing to do with your post, but, after watching the full video of your avatar, I can't read one of your posts anymore without looking at the avatar and laughing.

Link?

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

I know I'm going to catch a hell of a lot of flack for this, but I'll go ahead anyway.

Jon Stewart and Co. tonight took to task the GOP while in Minny East for the convention. I'm not going to say it wasn't entertaining -- because it was. But at times, I feel like this show goes too far. Here's why:

There's a good number of the uneducated base who take this show (and everything it says) as fact. And while, no, I don't believe we need to reduce ourselves to the lowest common denominator, I also feel that a show moonlighting as a news segment should do a little more than simply attack and attack and attack.

Tonight, that's all it did. It cracked some well-written jokes at the GOP without doing anything else.

There's a good number of the population who cannot accept that what Stewart et. al. say is not simply the way it is. Because of that, I found myself wondering why it was any better than Fox News.

My friends on here know that I make most Dems look like Ronald Reagan, so don't take this as a "GOP hates the Dems" argument.

Simply put, I believe things are never going to change if we base everything we do off ratings instead of actually making good points. Ninety percent of the viewers tonight were simply going to finish watching the show thinking either 1.) Jon Stewart just showed us how bad the GOP was or 2.) believe the show they just watched was a bunch of B.S.

Point being, even satire needs to not look like propaganda.

I apologize that my response has absolutely nothing to do with your post, but, after watching the full video of your avatar, I can't read one of your posts anymore without looking at the avatar and laughing.

Link?

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/posts/1998558/

 

[buckweaver]

Because of that, I found myself wondering why it was any better than Fox News.

Because, influence or no, TDS/Colbert aren't attempting to be legitimate news shows. That's not the goal. FNC purports to be an accurate news source without bias. Comedy Central, left-leaning though it may be, has never made that claim. The expectations are quite different.

Simply put, I believe things are never going to change if we base everything we do off ratings instead of actually making good points.

And the fact is, TDS/Colbert do make good points while garnering ratings. That's the hidden value in what is actually comedy -- just like SNL used to be with Weekend Update. But if you're expecting TDS/Colbert to elevate the discourse just because some people take them more seriously than they take themselves ... you've got another think coming. I don't think they owe that to their viewers, and I don't think viewers are allowed to be disappointed if, well, it's just comedy.

Point being, even satire needs to not look like propaganda.

Sorry, not seeing it. They rip on the Dems plenty. But as was previously mentioned, the party in power is always, always going to be ripped on more than the minority. And the fact is, this GOP administration has given them plenty of material to work with. Maybe you should direct your anger there.

 

[DanOregon]

I guess I feel bad for the GOPers who were trying to be friendly and accommodating to The Daily Show, not knowing that their interviews would be edited in a way that makes them look insensitive to hurricane victims. It doesn't matter if its FOX interviewing protesters or The Daily Show doing a bit, you should be straightforward with interview subjects about the nature or what your piece will be.

 

[Football_Bat]

The fact that Comedy Central has a huge influence makes me believe this country is ****ing doomed.
Too many morons who don't understand that this is COMEDY, not fact.

We elect bad people to high offices because too many people get all their information from ****heads like Stewart, Colbert, Olberman, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc. and aren't intelligent enough to undersatnd what the real issues are and what the people running for office really stand for.

The dumbing down of America has reached a crucial and perhaps fatal point.

It's Idiocracy, old man.

Now be quiet and take your electrolytes.

 

[jgmacg]

Sort of blaming the rooster for causing the sunrise here, are we not?