Just another "God I Love Jon Stewart" thread

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

This man is a national treasure and if there were justice in the Universe he would be the highest paid man on television.

To begin with, screw the Oprah-Chopra touchy-feely crap that passes for “TV book clubs” on daytime TV, the most intriguing books I’ve bought or wishlisted due to a TV recommendation routinely come from his show: Freakonomics , The World is Flat, Secrets of the Kingdom and I just added Countdown to Crisis, and this is a COMEDY SHOW!

Stewart not only makes no claims to be a journalist but fiercely protests the title, yet his guests in any given month will include senators from both parties, novelists, alternative musicians, and then whatever actor is plugging a movie. Mark Mills told Stewart on the air that he was the single most informed person he’d ever been interviewed by on the subject of energy resources and asked the most intelligent questions, and again- this guy’s not even a journalist! And he’s on COMEDY CENTRAL interviewing a Reagan Administration energy expert! And being funny!

The man interviewed Zell Miller, a man he admits he agrees with on practically nothing, AND TREATED HIM POLITELY AND LET HIM TALK! That’s unheard of for a “real” journalist these days! He asks real questions to public figures without the need for a “Leno’s Guitar Byotch” sidekick or lame Michael Jackson jokes (if he tells a Jackson joke, it’s not going to be an easy “virgin white-skinned weirdo” joke) and while he has a score of talented writers it’s also clear from his ad-libs and banter that the guy thinks far better on his feet than the combined writing teams of all the other talk shows.

Meanwhile, the “real” journalists are shoving a feeding tube into “Runaway Bride” (and Marty Feldman impersonator) Jennifer Wilbanks, asking the parents of (Alabama teen missing in Aruba) Valerie Holloway “So how did you feel when you heard your daughter was missing?”, getting makeovers, having the same old masturbatory shouting matches in which the Right side is always going to crawl over broken glass to give Bush a handjob while the Left side is always going to claim that anything Bush recommends is a sign of the End Times (have the guys on Crossfire or any of the other “dialogue” shows EVER broken party lines or reached consensus?), and Matt Lauer dons a wedding veil and falsies and lets Tom Fookin’ Cruise make him his bitch on nationwide TV when your average college sophomore Psychology student could have ripped him a new one.

I know that Stewart, Colbert, Cordry, Black, etc., are not journalists, but damned if they aren’t the closest things to it and hysterically funny to boot. I learn more from this show than anything I’ve ever seen on CNN or Faux News, can’t even watch Today Show or primetime news without wanting to hork, and if a Gentile can nominate a Jewish guy for the title of Messiah, please let me know where to send my vote.

Sorry- mundane and pointless, but just had to send another love letter in the hopes that Jon Stewart will read this and one day, when he’s over this “straight phase” he’s going through, he’ll come lift me up where I belong… (fadeout to dream sequence…). He is literally the one reason that I pay for extended cable.

2

I agree with everything you said. I would only add Harry G. Frankfurt’s On Bullshit to the Daily Show reading list.

3

I watched Oprah just to see him. He performs quite well without a script.

4

By the way, did you know you can buy a Jon Stewart for President '08 T-shirt?

5

Oh, yeah. If you haven’t already picked up a copy of America: The Book… get off your ass.

6

Jon was on Oprah? Damnit! Will it be rebroadcast, anyone know? I haven’t watched her in years, but for Jon, I’d watch FOX News.

7

Agree with the OP wholeheartedly. I haven’t missed an episode in years. It’s the only thing I currently watch religiously.

Keep fighting the good fight Jon!!

8

I’m gonna go ahead and strongly disagree w/ that. First, just download the paper, which is what it is, because this is the third time it’s been published. Second, don’t bother, because it is sophist nonsense.

The study of bullshit has been an active field since Aristotle, if not earlier. There are myriad books on critical thinking, logic, and argument that not only expose bullshit for what it is, they also instruct the reader in how to detect and avoid it. E.g., the book Crimes Against Logic is one place to start.

Finally, I agree that Stewart does kick ass. I went & bought his book after seeing him on Crossfire. I didn’t want to read it, but I did want to throw some support to him.

9

Best thing was Stewart on Crossfire ripping Tucker a new one.

10

I did that once. He was on the O’Reilly Factor shortly after O’Reilly had been on the Daily Show and called Jon’s audience a bunch of lazy, stoned people.

11

Do you think people would get the irony if I wore a “Jon Stewart for President 08” t-shirt in Canada?

And let me add my name to the list of people who think he is the single best news source to come out of the States in a long time, and best all-around interviewer. His interview with Henry Kissinger should have won some kind of interviewing award. What a pair of incredibly bright men.

12

Love that episode!! Didn’t see Jon on O’Reilly, but I loved it when O’Reilly came on TDS. First thing Jon said as Bill came out “Now Bill is there something you wanna say to these people?” Bill gave a sorta half apology “Come on Jon, you know I was stoned when I said that”.

I must say, I was very impressed with Bill and the interview as a whole. It really made me realize how much of the O’Reilly Factor really is just theatre. (Not that I think he’s any less of a prick).

Would love to see Jon on the O’Reilly Factor if anyone knows where to find it.

13

Heh.

I saw Tucker Carlson (or whatever his name is) from Crossfire on C-SPAN once. He said that people on television, people on shows like his, are like they are on the shows (even more so, IIRC). I think that’s why the way he reacted when Jon Stewart was on was so freaking hilarious. What a tool.