# Is Jon Stewart a Racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 14, 2003, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467 "2003-01-14T04:42:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/1 "2003-01-14T04:42:09Z")
On tonights Daily Show, right after stating that he took six years of German, Stewart went on to make fun of the language, shouting “flufen gaufen houffen glafen” in an attempt to be funny. Was this a racist remark towards Germans? Also, a few minutes later, he said that anything in Italian sounds like “I’m gonna beat your ass”. Are these hateful things accepted just because Stewart is Jewish? ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/2 "2003-01-14T04:48:57Z")
No, they’re accepted because they’re funny. I doubt the majority of German and Italian people found his jokes to be offensive. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/3 "2003-01-14T05:10:35Z")
Would you be offended if you heard a TV personality in Germany or Italy or China or wherever making fun of how the English language sounded? I know I wouldn’t, but YMMV. Happy ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/4 "2003-01-14T05:10:42Z")
No, no, he’s not _really_ Jewish, He’s just pretending, a career move. Kinda like Schwarzenegger pretending to be gay. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/5 "2003-01-14T05:21:08Z")
Is this an honest question, or is it trying to make a point with the Shaq mocking the Chinese language thing? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/6 "2003-01-14T05:46:59Z")
IMHHHHHHHHHHHO, it was a stupid ignorant probably drunken plea for attention. Bugger off. Woo, hoo, ban me! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/7 "2003-01-14T05:52:41Z")
That was directed at the OP, not Jon Stewart. Why do you feel the need to turn everything into a snivelly “ooooh, that’s racist” diatribe? Grow up. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/8 "2003-01-14T06:09:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > \*\*On tonights Daily Show, right after stating that he took six years of German, Stewart went on to make fun of the language, shouting “flufen gaufen houffen glafen” in an attempt to be funny. Was this a racist remark towards Germans? > Also, a few minutes later, he said that anything in Italian sounds like “I’m gonna beat your ass”. > Are these hateful things accepted just because Stewart is Jewish? \*\* It sounds like a sly reference to that Def Leppard song which began with similar made-up words. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/9 "2003-01-14T06:12:11Z")
What kind of lame rant is this? are you racist against Italians with the name **pizzabrat**? I demand an apology on behalf of all Italians everywhere!!! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/10 "2003-01-14T06:24:55Z")
\*Fangool! \* I gotcha 'pology right here, _paisan_! ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/11 "2003-01-14T06:40:30Z")
Ah, ya mook! Fuggitaboutit! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/12 "2003-01-14T06:41:29Z")
First, how are either of those remarks are “hateful”? Second, have you ever seen the Daily Show before this episode? Third, are you, in fact, clinically brain dead? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/13 "2003-01-14T06:53:22Z")
For starter, it would hardly make him racist given that German and Italian are not, in fact, races. Secondly…well, what Miller said. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/14 "2003-01-14T07:03:01Z")
Maybe languagist? In which case my attempts at French in Highschool probably count as hate speech. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/15 "2003-01-14T07:06:53Z")
Whassamatta, you? Hey! ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/16 "2003-01-14T08:24:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > \*\*On tonights Daily Show, right after stating that he took six years of German, Stewart went on to make fun of the language, shouting “flufen gaufen houffen glafen” in an attempt to be funny. Was this a racist remark towards Germans? > Also, a few minutes later, he said that anything in Italian sounds like “I’m gonna beat your ass”. > Are these hateful things accepted just because Stewart is Jewish? \*\* No, no. Ya see, Germans and Italians are _white_, therefore the jokes were a delightful and insightful commentary and not at all racist. In all honesty, there is a weird ironic self-awareness that can make jokes like that “OK” nowadays. He knew that they were prejudiced and dumb, but so did everyone else, and everyone knew that everyone knew it, therefore it was OK to make the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/17 "2003-01-14T08:42:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > \*\*On tonights Daily Show, right after stating that he took six years of German, Stewart went on to make fun of the language, shouting “flufen gaufen houffen glafen” in an attempt to be funny. Was this a racist remark towards Germans? \*\* No, I think Jon was just introducing the show’s guest, Swedish Chef. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/18 "2003-01-14T10:14:23Z")
Is isolating the German people, as though they were somehow identifiably different from other people, for the purpose of asking whether another person, isolated for being Jewish, is racist racist? ---
**Author:** ![Erroneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71c47a/32.png) [@Erroneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erroneous)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/19 "2003-01-14T10:42:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Whassamatta, you? Hey! A few years ago, an Australian sketch show (_The Micallef Program_, I think it was) had a bit with the guy who originally did the ‘Shaddupa you face!’ song. Except he was singing a politically correct and ethnically sensitive version of the song. The whole thing was funny, but I only remember the refrain, which was changed to something like “I would request that you please stop talking.” ---
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467/20 "2003-01-14T11:58:41Z")
I don’t know about racist, but I do know that Jon Stewart certainly isn’t funny. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jon-stewart-a-racist/148467.md?page=2)