# One of the signs of the great sickness of our society is that news and current event comedians are more honest and more real about what’s going on than any sort of news station or anyone else is in the mainstream public discourse **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162 "2026-01-29T19:38:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/1 "2026-01-29T19:38:24Z")
> [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1279): > > Very emotional bit here by Jimmy Kimmel on the Alex Pretti murder: I watch very little TV news (only when clips make the sdmb or reddit, basically) and not much more in terms of talk shows or other sort of current events entertainment on TV. So I may be wrong about this. But I used to watch more TV and I suspect it’s only worse since years ago. One of the signs of the great sickness of our society is that news and current event comedians are more honest and more real about what’s going on than any sort of news station or anyone else is in the mainstream public discourse. The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight, Kimmel, Colbert - I trust all of these things to be more honest in calling the world as it is than any mainstream news source. Even mainstream news sources (that the right would call the liberal media) are extremely favorable to conservatives and normalize the evil that benefits those in power (both in government and the wealthy). I wouldn’t be surprised if 10 minutes of Kimmel called out the situation more accurately than weeks of 24/7 coverage by CNN, MS NOW, or any of the more blatantly propaganda networks. The fact that comedians are the only ones allowed to get away with telling the truth is the sign of a sick society. Of course, trying to silence those comedians, as Trump has systematically been doing, is the sign of an even sicker society. Without exaggeration, I would say that Kimmel is an American hero for calling it out for what it is. It comes at great personal risk and it does a great public service. > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1291): > > I watched both vids. Of course I agree with 100% of what was said in both. But I found them somewhat depressing, because I wondered what the point of them was. Who are they going to reach who does not already have their mind made up? Who that supports Trump/ICE will they persuade to change their minds? I understand your point, and there’s truth to what you say. But think about how much our media landscape shapes our opinions. A lot of the absolute batshit insanity of our times comes from having domination of media landscapes where hardly anyone is telling the truth or having a reasonable take on current events. Imagine if we had a media landscape where a lot more people were like Kimmel. It would absolutely influence people to a more reasonable, more reality-shaped view. Part of the reason that everyone is so hardened and it’s hard to reach a target audience is exactly because there is a lack of content out there like Kimmel, calling out things as they are and a willingness to show a genuine human reaction to it. Think about how honest what Kimmel is saying is compared to the rest of the media and how human, and imagine what the range of views people in the US hold if there were more of this in the mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/2 "2026-01-29T19:58:46Z")
Let me know if you have a preferred title for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/3 "2026-01-29T19:59:12Z")
Just delete the post, this isn’t written to be its own thread ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/4 "2026-01-29T20:00:21Z")
No. Please watch out for blatant hijacking going forward. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/5 "2026-01-29T20:01:59Z")
It is fucking ridiculous that you took a post of mine in another thread, spun it off into its own thread, and refuse to delete it because having this thread here is, what, punishment for what you consider off topic for another thread? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/6 "2026-01-29T20:05:37Z")
---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/7 "2026-01-29T20:08:49Z")
It is normally a warning for arguing moderation when you ignored how many modnotes to not hijack the other thread. We don’t delete posts, I think you’re aware of that. I could have hid it under a detail spoiler instead of spinning off, but oddly enough I thought it was a really good post and deserved to be replied to. This was not a punishment. I immediately asked for what you would like to call it in fact. Now I am going to reopen this in 3 minutes, please stop arguing. I really don’t want to issue the warning. I just want to curb the hijacks of that thread. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/8 "2026-01-29T20:11:04Z")
This topic was automatically opened after 2 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/9 "2026-01-29T20:14:49Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > One of the signs of the great sickness of our society is that news and current event comedians are more honest and more real about what’s going on than any sort of news station or anyone else is in the mainstream public discourse. The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight, Kimmel, Colbert - I trust all of these things to be more honest in calling the world as it is than any mainstream news source. I’ve seen it said in the past that it’s a human universal that you can get away with more truth by couching it as comedy than you can any other way. It _is_ unhealthy for society though I agree, no matter how universal or not it is. Especially when the lies are so large, pervasive and malignant. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/10 "2026-01-29T20:21:02Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’ve seen it said in the past that it’s a human universal that you can get away with more truth by couching it as comedy than you can any other way. There’s a reason why Shakespeare used fools in his plays to express the truth to the audience. Often in history, they were the only ones who got away with telling the truth without being punished for it. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/11 "2026-01-29T20:21:52Z")
Its was no suprise to me that Zelenski was a comedian before he was the leader of Ukraine. Comedians can report what they see without corporate approval or editing by cloaking it under the guise of comedy. They are basically taking the place of social commentary that was once a regular part of broadcast news, but has since been sold to the highest bidder. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/12 "2026-01-29T20:52:30Z")
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**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162/13 "2026-01-29T20:53:00Z")
Thread locked at the apparent preference of @SenorBeef. For those who wish to continue this discussion, please start your own thread. Thanks.