Current Events > Some of Jon Stewart's thoughts on recent events

(+) Yeah! (+)

Would recommend the whole written interview, it's awesome.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/15/magazine/jon-stewart-interview.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Here are some of my favourite parts:

... But in a way, Donald Trumps presidency has been a positive, because it shows that American democratic exceptionalism is not a birthright. Hes like a white-hat hacker. You go: I think weve done a great job of building a safeguarded system. Could you test the vulnerabilities? The hacker goes boop, boop, boop Im in through the back door, and I stole all your information. With Donald Trump its like: We have a very fair and impartial judiciary. What do you think, Donald? He goes boop, boop, boop Actually, if I move some people around, I can turn it into a corrupt partisan affair.

...

How about on the other side? What do you make of the campaign that Joe Biden is trying to run in the middle of this?

I feel like it hasnt begun. I can tell you that without the pandemic, it would have been three months of Will Bernie supporters ever forgive Biden? And the questions to Biden would have been: Do you think the Bernie Bros are out of control? What do you make of this statement that one of them posted on Twitter about a woman? That would have been the majority of the coverage. The pandemic canceled that story line.

...

... Id like to say Im surprised by what happened to him, but Im not. This is a cycle, and I feel that in some ways, the issue is that were addressing the wrong problem. We continue to make this about the police the how of it. How can they police? Is it about sensitivity and de-escalation training and community policing? All that can make for a less-egregious relationship between the police and people of color. But the how isnt as important as the why, which we never address.

The police are a reflection of a society. Theyre not a rogue alien organization that came down to torment the black community. Theyre enforcing segregation. Segregation is legally over, but it never ended. The police are, in some respects, a border patrol, and they patrol the border between the two Americas. We have that so that the rest of us dont have to deal with it. Then that situation erupts, and we express our shock and indignation. But if we dont address the anguish of a people, the pain of being a people who built this country through forced labor people say, Im tired of everything being about race. Well, imagine how [expletive] exhausting it is to live that.

...

Imagine the anguish of living in a country that profited off the forced labor of your ancestors, and is still having this conversation: Hey, do you think we should fly the flag of the people that fought to enslave your ancestors? What do you guys think of that? Good idea or bad idea? And then you hear, Its history. Its not history! Its hagiography. If you go down there and read the plaques on the Confederate monuments, they arent, This [expletive] thought he could enslave people based on the color of their skin. Thats not what the plaque says. The plaque honors them! Enraging doesnt begin to describe it.

Ahh why is it that the for real smart people are not the ones sitting in the oval office and congress.

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I wish the dude would run for some sort of office.

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Here's another:

"And when I went down to Washington for the 9/11 victim-compensation bill, I learned something that shocked me. We had a program that was working. Bureaucratically, it wasnt broken. What is broken about Washington isnt the bureaucracy. Its legislators ability to address the issues inherent in any society and the reason they cant address them is that when you have a duopoly, there is no incentive to work together to create something better. Plus, you have one party whose premise is that government is bad and whose goal is to prove that, which makes them, in essence, a double agent. All these things coalesce to make problem-solving the antithesis of what weve created. Were incentivized for more extreme candidates, for more extreme partisanship, for more conflict and permanent campaigning, for corporate interests to have more influence on the process, not less. The tax code isnt complicated because poor people have demanded that it be that way."

Stalolin posted...

Here's another:

"And when I went down to Washington for the 9/11 victim-compensation bill, I learned something that shocked me. We had a program that was working. Bureaucratically, it wasnt broken. What is broken about Washington isnt the bureaucracy. Its legislators ability to address the issues inherent in any society and the reason they cant address them is that when you have a duopoly, there is no incentive to work together to create something better. Plus, you have one party whose premise is that government is bad and whose goal is to prove that, which makes them, in essence, a double agent. All these things coalesce to make problem-solving the antithesis of what weve created. Were incentivized for more extreme candidates, for more extreme partisanship, for more conflict and permanent campaigning, for corporate interests to have more influence on the process, not less. The tax code isnt complicated because poor people have demanded that it be that way."

Im getting off to his way with words.

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ScazarMeltex posted...

I wish the dude would run for some sort of office.

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JuanCarlos1 posted...

Ahh why is it that the for real smart people are not the ones sitting in the oval office and congress.

Because those same people are the ones not interested in power or engaging in our shitty political environment. Our founding fathers, while flawed in various ways were nobodies who didn't want anything to do with that kind of shit job running govt but they were obligated to.


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What do you think of the news medias handle on this political moment more generally?

I dont think it has ever had a good handle on a political moment. Its not designed for that. Its designed for engagement. Its like YouTube and Facebook: an information-laundering perpetual-radicalization machine. Its like porn. I dont mean that to be flip. When you were pubescent, the mere hint of a bra strap could send you into ecstasy. Im 57 now. If its not two nuns and a mule, I cant even watch it. Do you understand my point? The algorithm is not designed for thoughtful engagement and clarity. Its designed to make you look at it longer.

Remember how Jon Stewart made The Daily Show relevant during his tenure?

The new dude had the show handed to him on a silver platter with amazing content to work off of...and look at the state of it...nobody talks about the show anymore. It's a shame.

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Are the controversial things that President Trump says structurally motivated? Do you believe hes thinking on that level?

I think he understands very well and the right understands very well that undermining the credibility of the institutions that people look to for help defining and making sense of reality is the key to bending reality to your will. Its a wonderful rhetorical trick. He had a great one on Memorial Day weekend:

Were getting great reviews on our pandemic response. But of course, not getting credit for it. The twisted logic of that: If youre getting great reviews, Im pretty sure thats considered credit. Its like saying, Im being praised, but of course I wont be praised for it. Language is utterly meaningless. Everything is placed into its category in the tribal war and who its real victims are: Donald Trump and his minions. Poor little billionaire president who cant catch a break. Its incredible. Are we all just extras in this guys movie? But I do feel as if his approach has worked for him his whole life.

He did become president.

Right. Hes a man who has suffered no consequences. His is a recklessness born of experience. Hes like a malevolent Mr. Magoo. He always knows the I-beam is going to swing down and the building is going to collapse but who cares, because hell walk out unscathed. Thats what he has learned.

Stalolin posted...

... But in a way, Donald Trumps presidency has been a positive, because it shows that American democratic exceptionalism is not a birthright. Hes like a white-hat hacker. You go: I think weve done a great job of building a safeguarded system. Could you test the vulnerabilities? The hacker goes boop, boop, boop Im in through the back door, and I stole all your information. With Donald Trump its like: We have a very fair and impartial judiciary. What do you think, Donald? He goes boop, boop, boop Actually, if I move some people around, I can turn it into a corrupt partisan affair.

i dont trust our politicians to be smart enough or aware enough to recognize this.

pogo_rabid posted...

Remember how Jon Stewart made The Daily Show relevant during his tenure?

The new dude had the show handed to him on a silver platter with amazing content to work off of...and look at the state of it...nobody talks about the show anymore. It's a shame.

Trevor's has some good moments and IMO has improved a lot over the years, but yeah he'll never measure up to Jon.

Also god damn Jon is such a damn good speaker.

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Tired-Insomniac posted...

Trevor's has some good moments and IMO has improved a lot over the years, but yeah he'll never measure up to Jon.

A polished turd then?

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he needs to be back on tv man is needed in these dark times

Stalolin posted...

I feel like it hasnt begun. I can tell you that without the pandemic, it would have been three months of Will Bernie supporters ever forgive Biden? And the questions to Biden would have been: Do you think the Bernie Bros are out of control? What do you make of this statement that one of them posted on Twitter about a woman? That would have been the majority of the coverage. The pandemic canceled that story line.

Holy shit, this is absolutely correct

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"... The truth of the American experiment is that government is messy. Its hard to manage. We are melding cultures and religions in a way that most countries dont. But we have an exceptionalism that we have taken for granted, and we get lost in the symbolism of who we are rather than the reality. The reality of who we are is still remarkable. You cant take the anecdotal and pretend its universal. You cant take a picture of the Lake of the Ozarks and people on top of each other drinking and say, Thats how America responded to the pandemic. Because its not. The boots-on-the-ground response has been phenomenally resilient and responsible and courageous. The sense that this could all turn into Mad Max tomorrow always hangs over everything but it hasnt.

There are issues, but again, we point a spotlight on the anecdotal and pretend that its universal. What that does is feed the narrative for people who want to use it for their own purposes. Thats what drives me bananas. Were basically having giant public fights about symbolism, while the reality of our situation goes unexamined."

Stalolin posted...

What do you think of the news medias handle on this political moment more generally?

I dont think it has ever had a good handle on a political moment. Its not designed for that. Its designed for engagement. Its like YouTube and Facebook: an information-laundering perpetual-radicalization machine. Its like porn. I dont mean that to be flip. When you were pubescent, the mere hint of a bra strap could send you into ecstasy. Im 57 now. If its not two nuns and a mule, I cant even watch it. Do you understand my point? The algorithm is not designed for thoughtful engagement and clarity. Its designed to make you look at it longer.

Another great one, the new organizations are porno for their base aren't studies that show that extreme rage gives off the same stuff as extreme lust

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Stalolin posted...

Language is utterly meaningless.

Stalolin posted...

Hes like a malevolent Mr. Magoo.

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I just love that Mr. Magoo comparison so much.

Does he have a podcast or any other platform? We need this mans wisdom now more than ever.

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I'm just gonna give this a little bump.

Plus, you have one party whose premise is that government is bad and whose goal is to prove that, which makes them, in essence, a double agent.

I've been saying for years now that Republicans hate America, and the proof is in the pudding. They themselves admit that they hate "the government" despite, you know, BEING THE GOVERNMENT.

Language is utterly meaningless. Everything is placed into its category in the tribal war and who its real victims are: Donald Trump and his minions. Poor little billionaire president who cant catch a break. Its incredible. Are we all just extras in this guys movie? But I do feel as if his approach has worked for him his whole life.

He did become president.

Right. Hes a man who has suffered no consequences. His is a recklessness born of experience. Hes like a malevolent Mr. Magoo. He always knows the I-beam is going to swing down and the building is going to collapse but who cares, because hell walk out unscathed. Thats what he has learned.

Really, how can anyone feel bad for Trump? He's been living a charmed life since he was born and hasn't been held accountable for anything.

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Stalolin posted...

Right. Hes a man who has suffered no consequences. His is a recklessness born of experience. Hes like a malevolent Mr. Magoo. He always knows the I-beam is going to swing down and the building is going to collapse but who cares, because hell walk out unscathed. Thats what he has learned.

This is so perfect

Bump!

Okay last one I promise.

Stalolin posted...

Okay last one I promise.

yeah, sure

whatever you say

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HylianFox posted...

yeah, sure

whatever you say

Well now I'm in a lose-lose position so just for that I'm gonna bump again.