Saturday, June 24, 2006

Jon Stewart, Enemy of Democracy

Here's the research (just to get all of you lazy types off on the wrong foot): Brainless columnist decides that young people becoming more negative about complete tools George W. Bush and John Kerry and the electoral process in general is a bad thing, apparently solely because The Daily Show is encouraging them to be so. Morin, if he's not being a typically disingenuous 'America has the greatest system of government in the world' pinhead, really needs to buy a clue.

I don't suppose it ever occurred to him that people thinking negatively about a system or situation might actually lead to those people attempting to change said system or situation. Or to look for alternatives, especially politically. Yes, believe it or not, there are genuine alternatives to the collection of morons that supposedly inhabit opposite 'sides' of the aisle on Capitol Hill. There's also a better way to run the railroad to begin with, but we'll get to that later. But, let's look at the most telling quote of the column:

"Participants also expressed less trust in the electoral system and more cynical views of the news media"

[gasp] What?! More cynical views of the news media? You mean, people might get a more intelligent perspective about our government and its policies by reading something OTHER than the Washington Post? Say it ain't so, uh... Richard! It wouldn't have anything to do with the Post spoon-feeding the public the same bullshit that's handed to them by the Powers That Be without blinking an eye, would it? No! That can't be it! Not possible. The 'proper' news sources are the source of all knowledge and reason. Really.

Little newsflash here: Stewart goes out of his way to proclaim his show as exactly what it is: a fake news program. Nevertheless, The Daily Show was awarded a Peabody for excellence in broadcasting for their coverage of the 2004 election (Google; look it up.) That's right: the FAKE news show was considered to be providing better input on the electoral process than the 'real' news shows. Why? Maybe because it was the only show to actually ask questions (y'know, reacting negatively can lead people to question accepted institutions, too) rather than just parroting the platitudes shoveled down the gullets of anyone who watches CNN ----> Fox News and believe that it's a) accepted by them as good for their lives; b) genuinely understood by them; and/or c) spoken by someone who actually gives a shit about a) or b).

Less likely to vote? Maybe so, especially where the only choice offered up is socially retarded Republicans and Democrats. But if they are less likely to vote, then the blame certainly doesn't rest with Stewart, but more with the system that they're disenchanted with and the jerkoffs who flog it as the shining example of democracy for the world... like the Post. Richard Morin, you're an Idiot. Here's hoping your writing doesn't encourage more.

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