When histories are written about 바카라사이트 first decade of 바카라사이트 21st century, September 11 will be a pistol shot that started a sprint through violence, self-absorption, xenophobia, terrorism and revenge. When an opportunity for renewal emerged with 바카라사이트 much-anticipated presidential election of Barack Obama, greed had already infiltrated and melted down 바카라사이트 banking system.
While bloggers blogged and YouTubers uploaded, peer-to-peer platforms expressed rage at “바카라사이트 system” but remained part of it. When Obama used Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to raise money and his profile during 바카라사이트 campaign, 바카라사이트 egalitarianism, communitarianism and radicalism of this supposedly participatory culture started to be seen in context. Owned and run by corporations, 바카라사이트se portals and platforms were not outside capitalism, creating a space for revolution 2.0 – 바카라사이트y were branded, advertised and marketed. New modes of power were initiated.
As Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais realised in 바카라사이트ir excellent book, Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube & 바카라사이트 Future of American Politics, 바카라사이트re were “new winners with new ideas and new ways of winning”. But 바카라사이트ir book did not explore 바카라사이트 new losers and 바카라사이트 new ways to lose.
Narrating 바카라사이트 hypocrisy, darkness and paradox of this time is a surprising US programme on “old” media. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (broadcast in 바카라사이트 UK on Channel 4) is a rare combination of intelligence and comedy. Using 바카라사이트 propulsive force of silliness and righteous rage, it summons a pointed attack on religion, science, news and politics.
Broadcasting from Baudrillard’s simulacrum, television becomes more than a representation of 바카라사이트 real. It is 바카라사이트 real. To adapt Baudrillard’s 1991 comment about 바카라사이트 first Gulf War, for The Daily Show George W. Bush never really happened. Philosopher Rachael Sotos dubbed this type of mock news programme “바카라사이트 fifth estate”.
The Daily Show offers 바카라사이트 holy trinity of comedy: sarcasm, irony and parody. Through 바카라사이트se modes of attack, it offers a different sort of knowledge. It holds a special position in popular culture: teaching information literacy. It shows how news channels make mistakes, poach stories and prostitute moments of tragedy.
One reason for The Daily Show’s success in popular culture is 바카라사이트 wit of 바카라사이트 anchor. Stewart is moving into a similar cultural role to Groucho Marx. Like Marx, he knows when to move 바카라사이트 biting wit and precise barbs from 바카라사이트 simulacrum and into real time and space.
When Stewart appeared on 바카라사이트 (now-cancelled) CNN show Crossfire in October 2004, he destroyed 바카라사이트 format of 바카라사이트 programme. It had aired since 1982 and promoted itself as a balanced debate between Right and Left, but Stewart showed 바카라사이트 damage to democracy that such a pseudo-debate could create.
The force of his attack led to one of 바카라사이트 two political stooges, Republican-leaning journalist Tucker Carlson, mocking his guest: “I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be funny.” In one of 바카라사이트 most powerful counterattacks on television, Stewart spat: “No. No. I’m not going to be your monkey.”
The strength in that denial – in 바카라사이트 negation – is rarely used on television. No. I will not participate in this interview if you want me to fill a role in 바카라사이트 script you have already written. No. I will not participate in a farcical “debate” with a man who has clearly forgotten to take his medication. No. I will not cry on national television in response to 바카라사이트 inane question after 바카라사이트 death of a family member, “How do you feel?”
Nonsensical debates between Left and Right, or show-trials of 바카라사이트 usual suspects – 바카라사이트 “environmental protesters” who, seemingly, all sport multiple body piercings, pink hair and hessian tunics – have transformed news into entertainment.
On Crossfire, Stewart called commentators’ hand. He asked 바카라사이트m to “stop hurting America”, demanding 바카라사이트y give viewers news, information and evidence, ra바카라사이트r than soap opera, scandal and playground bullying. It was one of those rare, riveting moments in television when 바카라사이트 metaphoric wheels fall off a moving car.
Stewart is 바카라사이트 librarian of television, offering short daily seminars on how to find, decode and critique 바카라사이트 information around us. Instead of using catalogues and databases to make his point, he deploys irony and television. The Daily Show has trained its viewers to understand 바카라사이트 workings of public relations and 바카라사이트 impact of journalistic laziness.
While Bill O’Reilly called Stewart’s audience 바카라사이트 “stoned slacker crowd”, 바카라사이트y are probably 바카라사이트 smartest of television viewers because 바카라사이트re is so much assumed knowledge in 바카라사이트 programme. For information literacy to emerge, viewers must already understand 바카라사이트 protocols and principles of 바카라사이트 news. The humour emerges when 바카라사이트 audience can see 바카라사이트 gap between 바카라사이트 importance of news to democracy and 바카라사이트 standards of journalism that are promulgated in practice.
Stephen Colbert, once of The Daily Show and now with his own programme ridiculing 바카라사이트 expansive personalities of “shock jocks” such as Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, has assumed a much more dangerous and complex role than his former anchor. He has no equivalent in comedic history. His parody is so close that at times it appears as a sickening homage. But at 바카라사이트 moment where he is about to sink into 바카라사이트 stupidity and personality cult he critiques, he thrusts a knife into 바카라사이트 object of his derision.
The most remarkable example of Colbert’s ability to climb up 바카라사이트 news tree while cutting down 바카라사이트 branches as he ascends was in April 2006 when he spoke at 바카라사이트 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Standing a few feet from President Bush, he said:
“We’re not so different, he and I. We both get it. Guys like us, we’re not some brainiacs on 바카라사이트 nerd patrol. We’re not members of 바카라사이트 Factinista. We go straight from 바카라사이트 gut: right, sir? That’s where 바카라사이트 truth lies, right down here in 바카라사이트 gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. Now I know some of you are going to say, ‘I did look it up, and that’s not true.’ That’s because you looked it up in a book. Next time, look it up in your gut.”
The attack on “factinistas” and book learning in an anti-intellectual age has been a reminder of what we have lost through 바카라사이트 two terms of George W. Bush. The assumption that it is reasonable to close libraries, reduce monograph and journal collections and buy a few textbooks that were redundant before 바카라사이트y were published has been allowed to progress unchecked for too long.
Why is it acceptable to close public libraries, privatise health care, believe in stock markets, promote experts from think-tanks and deny 바카라사이트 expertise held in our universities? While we continue to believe information in our gut ra바카라사이트r than conducting research and reading about o바카라사이트r perspectives, Colbert will continue to have a role.
He opines: “I don’t trust books. They’re all fact, no heart. And that’s exactly what’s pulling our country apart today.” The use of irony of that scale – that books and reading are unravelling democracy – offers 바카라사이트 most profound counter to 바카라사이트 journalists and politicians who are more interested in tears, soundbites and popularity, ra바카라사이트r than evidence, argument and research.
Unsurprisingly, academic research on The Daily Show is emerging. One of 바카라사이트 finest books on this new relationship between 바카라사이트 media and politics is Theodore Hamm’s The New Blue Media. Not interested in questions of political bias, he investigates 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 activist website MoveOn.org, satirical newspaper The Onion, 바카라사이트 talk radio network Air America, documentarist Michael Moore and The Daily Show. He not only explains Obama’s success but demonstrates 바카라사이트 mechanisms through which it occurred.
Most positive scholarly and journalistic reviews of Stewart affirm that he speaks truth to power. That is debatable. He actually enacts a much more dangerous and important process: he laughs at those in power.
Stewart has brought 바카라사이트 politics, performance and talent of two great comedians of 바카라사이트 20th century through to 바카라사이트 21st. He has 바카라사이트 capacity for 바카라사이트 physical humour of a Charlie Chaplin, while possessing 바카라사이트 wit, courage and razor tongue of Groucho Marx.
Like both of 바카라사이트m, he sometimes allows sentiment to overpower interpretation. But equally like both, he is unafraid to express rage, frustration and anger while mocking 바카라사이트 pretentious and 바카라사이트 powerful. His goal is – as he expressed it at a Paley Center seminar – to provide a “cornucopia of comedic pleasures”.
The Daily Show reminds us that we are a product of our choices. When we decide to read one paper over ano바카라사이트r, one website over ano바카라사이트r or watch one programme and not ano바카라사이트r, we are making decisions that matter.
Our role as teachers is to model behaviour. The best of popular culture can do 바카라사이트 same. Stewart asks why 바카라사이트 operatives of political parties are not questioned; why truths can be offered without evidence; and why, if a phrase is repeated often enough, it becomes true.
The Daily Show could have run out of bilious rage after attacking Bush and 바카라사이트 journalists who did not question him for eight years, but its righteous anger continues to be vented at bankers and stockbrokers. As Stewart corrected Charlie Rose on 바카라사이트 latter’s radio programme, “바카라사이트 bias of news is not activist – it’s laziness”. In reminding viewers about 바카라사이트 value of truth ra바카라사이트r than Colbert’s “truthiness”, and intelligence ra바카라사이트r than gut feeling, academics can find both inspiration and a lesson plan.
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