# Iranian interrogators confused by The Daily Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620 "2009-11-23T09:28:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alienhand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8edcca/32.png) [@Alienhand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alienhand)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/1 "2009-11-23T09:28:01Z")
Shortly before the Iranian elections Jason Jones shot a series of segments in Iran for The Daily Show called [“Behind the Veil”](http://www.thedailyshow.com/videos/?term=Behind+the+Veil&start=0) mocking Iran’s evilness. One of the people he interviewed in Iran was Maziar Bahari, a journalist for Newsweek. Bahari was arrested shortly after the elections as part of the crackdown on journalists. Bahari was [released a month ago](http://www.newsweek.com/id/218283) and recently did an [interview](http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/podcasts/fareedzakaria/site/2009/11/22/gps.podcast.11.22.cnn)(10:00) with Fareed Zakaria for GPS. > [@](#): > > ZAKARIA: One thing I wanted to get to, which I forgot. So, when you’re in the prison, they start asking you about an episode on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart. > BAHARI: Yes. > ZAKARIA: Talk about that. > BAHARI: That was really absurd. As you know, I was on “The Daily Show” maybe a week before my arrest. And in that sketch, Jason Jones, the correspondent for “The Daily Show,” he pretends to be a spy. He pretends to be this redneck American who doesn’t know anything about the Middle East. He had this Palestinian keffiyeh scarf with sunglasses. > > And one day my interrogator told me that “We have really damning video against you.” And I was just wondering what it is. They showed me this video. And I was just – I was going to ask them, what have you been smoking? It’s just – it’s unbelievable. > > And I asked them, “I hope you don’t believe that he is a real spy.” > > And then they said, “We’re sure that there is something suspicious about him, because why is he pretending to be a spy? And why did he choose you to be on his program?” Jason Jones: The Best F\*\*king Spy Ever ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/2 "2009-11-23T13:10:15Z")
I guess Iranian interrogators don’t have a sense of humor. Who’da thunk? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/3 "2009-11-23T13:12:42Z")
I can’t wait for the show to bring this up later this week. That should be pretty hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/4 "2009-11-23T14:31:54Z")
On hiatus for the holiday - and I don’t think they’ll bring it up when they get back. ---
**Author:** ![StoutHearted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@StoutHearted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StoutHearted)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/5 "2009-11-23T14:46:57Z")
I’m trying to remember… didn’t the Japanese show footage of a bumbling Abbott and Costello to their soldiers during WWII as evidence of American military stupidity? Or is that an urban legend? The Jason Jones story reminds me of that. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/6 "2009-11-23T15:24:23Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I can’t wait for the show to bring this up later this week. That should be pretty hilarious. They’re off this week, but I hope they talk about it next week. As always, fanatics are very bad with sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/7 "2009-11-23T15:45:51Z")
For some reason (or probably for the obvious reason) I read the OP’s name as **Ahmadinejad** - which would be a cool OP/username combo. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Alienhand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8edcca/32.png) [@Alienhand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alienhand)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/8 "2009-11-26T02:18:58Z")
Bahari is scheduled to be on TDS on Monday. I guess they’re going to talk about it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/9 "2009-11-26T03:00:28Z")
I love the Daily Show…absolutely love it…but come on: do Iranian government officials have a sense of humor? Obviously not, and if they do it’s probably nowhere near “our” sense of humor. Someone somewhere in TDS staff or even Bahari must have realized that that would look suspicious to the Iranian authorities. Autocratic governments don’t usually have the best senses of humor and I should think it would be common sense for someone to not want to put someone else in harm’s way just for the sake of a comedic bit or a sketch. I mean, this is the very same government that publicly hung a teenager for being gay (among other atrocities against its own population). Would they have just laughed it off? People should think these things out more thoroughly, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/10 "2009-11-26T11:17:24Z")
Bahari knew what he was getting into, even if TDS didn’t. Still, I’m sure Jon feels awful about the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/11 "2009-11-26T17:52:59Z")
Here’s the Jason Jones in Iran clips from the Daily show website. [June 17, 2009: Jason Jones: Behind the Veil - Minarets of Menace](http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-17-2009/jason-jones--behind-the-veil---minarets-of-menace) [June 22, 2009: Jason Jones: Behind the Veil - Persians of Interest](http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-june-22-2009/jason-jones--behind-the-veil---persians-of-interest) [June 23, 2009: Jason Jones: Behind the Veil - Ayatollah You So](http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-23-2009/jason-jones--behind-the-veil---ayatollah-you-so) I liked the man in the last clip who did an impression of Stewart doing an impression of Bush. Found myself wondering if he’s all right. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/12 "2009-11-26T18:26:37Z")
You forgot the last part: [The Kids are Allah Right](http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-25-2009/jason-jones--behind-the-veil---the-kids-are-allah-right) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/13 "2009-11-26T19:13:41Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I guess Iranian interrogators don’t have a sense of humor. Who’da thunk? maybe not _self-deprecating_ humor. Maybe a worthwhile thread topic: “which torturer would you prefer: humorless & clinical, or sick & twisted?” ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/14 "2009-11-26T20:30:25Z")
According to Bahari’s article in _Newsweek_, two others Jason interviewed for the series were also arrested by the government. Coincidence? Probably, since I’m sure they swept up “dissidents” first and looked for justification later. Must still be mildly uncomfortable for the show. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-interrogators-confused-by-the-daily-show/518620/15 "2009-11-27T03:40:29Z")
> [@StoutHearted](#): > > I’m trying to remember… didn’t the Japanese show footage of a bumbling Abbott and Costello to their soldiers during WWII as evidence of American military stupidity? Or is that an urban legend? The Jason Jones story reminds me of that. I recall a similar story about the Soviet Union showing troops the Three Stooges to indicate how incompetent yet tough Americans were and therefore difficult to kill. I’ve never been able to verify that and think it is likely an urban legend.