Last Friday, Fox News had religious scholar Reza Aslan on their show “Spirited Debate” to talk about his new book “Zealot”, and all the interviewer manages to ask him in about 10 minutes is why a Muslim would write a book about Jesus. She quotes two “experts” or “reviewers” but fails to score a single original question. It’s almost comedic, if it weren’t so sad (and apparently representative of how a lot of people seem to feel).
Especially amusing is that, by 1 minute into the interview, Mr. Aslan is addressing the Foxette with the slow exaggerated diction one uses with hard-to-teach nine year-olds.
(… BTW, FWIW, Jesus is the 4th of the five Ulul Azmis of Islam.)
It’s like that Russell Brand fiasco on Morning Joe recently. Is there anyone in television journalism who isn’t a superficial idiot? Even the folks who used to make an effort seem to have been lobotomized.
It’s no wonder Comedy Central is now a leading news source for many; at least the comedians have to understand the news in order to make jokes about it.
If you haven’t seen it and are interested, watch John Oliver’s in-depth interview:
Exclusive - Reza Aslan Extended Interview Pt. 1
Exclusive - Reza Aslan Extended Interview Pt. 2
Exclusive - Reza Aslan Extended Interview Pt. 3
Every time I see a Daily Show interview of an interesting personality (they do interview some duds), I have to shake my head and wonder why is it that we have to turn to comedians to get meaningful interviews of people who have interesting stuff to say.
It’s stupid, but I doubt this is a low point for Fox News- and if it is, it’s temporary.
Point taken.
I like this comment from the article:
“We’re not just talking about people who disagree with you. Many scholars disagree with you as well.”
Ouch.
Sometimes, picking on Fox News feels like picking on the mentally disadvantaged. But then I remind myself that they are willfully ignorant and so I allow myself a laugh at their expense.
Yeah, the interviewer meant “everyday, ‘normal’ people.” It’s part of the distrust and hate of the “intellectual elite” whom they believe wants to control everyone else they think is stupider than them “for their own good.”
Fleeting, even.
Well, I’d never heard of this book before reading this thread, and now I have ordered it from Amazon, as an addition to my “books that piss off Fox News” reading list.
The jokes are almost superfluous at this point.
Alley Dweller is right about that Daily Show interview, by the way. I’m not going to get this book, but it’s about a subject I hadn’t thought very much about. And of course John Oliver was really interested in the subject instead of playing dumb to score some phony outrage points.
As an aside, has anyone ever taken the time to count the number of times Fox News has uttered the phrase “Some say”?
It has to number in the millions.
I was waiting to hear him say, “I’ve written many books on religion and I’d welcome discussion with you about any one of them after you have read it.”
Of course she could have countered that reading is a Muslim conspiracy. :smack:
I’m waiting on her next FOX book review where she interviews a writer of a Math textbook:
“If you are just joining us, we have here today Ron Larson, co-author of Elementary Statistics: Picturing the World (5th Edition). Mr. Larson, its good to have you here to discuss your book.
But before we do, I would like to ask just when you were going to disclose that the book that you wrote is based almost entirely on Hindu-Arabic Numerals???”
Or a microbiologist’s treatise on bacteria: “How can you justify writing this book when you so clearly are eukaryotic yourself?”
Or an economist: “Sir, we have received information that you are not currency and yet you consider yourself knowledgeable to write this book?!”
I think it’s a great tactic and they should move forward with it at full speed.
Just watched the full 3 part interview on the Daily Show vs. the Fox interview. Its like…two entirely different planets. Aliens could watch both and decide there are 2 distinct forms of life on this planet, one sentient, and the other barely elbow deep out of the primordial muck
They’ve probably said it more than Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear.
It’s like Fox is following Joseph Pulitzer’s business model, when he pushed for war with Spain as a way to boost circulation.
1898: USA 75 million, Spain 18.4 million
2013: USA 314 million, Islam 1.6 billion