Anyone else use The Daily Show as their ONLY news source?
musicismylife78
Posts: 6,116
my other thread got me thinking...
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But mostly I read the newspaper (cause I travel most weeks and live in a hotel) and read articles on the internets
25% from here
20% CNN
5% Water Cooler
i sure hope not
scary, important issues cant be adressed on a comedy show
think........
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Agreed. But for everyone that gets all of their news from the Daily Show, there are probably 5 or 10 who get it all from AM talk radio.
I agree. There is a grave danger in both approaches. I find it's best to get information from as many sources as you can, taking into account the known biases of each source (a missive from MoveOn.org is as unlikely to be factually correct as the rantings of Rush Limbaugh) ... and then try to synthesize it all together and decide what I believe on the subject.
for the least they could possibly do
20% from John Stewart
I am also thinking if you didn't hear news from another source, it would be hard to get some of his jokes.
sort-of-related - my son has a "John Stewart for President" bumper sticker on his ride-along-jeep
I don't listen to AM talk radio, but FM talk radio is the best sources of news I have found. People call it "biased" just because it doesn't lean left like just about every other form of news. I hear so called biased talk radio hosts rip Bush many times. That is what I like about it. They speak out against those who screw up, whether it is republican or democrat. Just so happens that the democrats screw up WAY more.... so that makes then very "biased." That being said, most hosts openly claim to have conservative values. But those values won't stop them from criticizing anyone. I'll take talk radio, at slightly right of center, than most other forms of far left media.
The left really demonizes talk radio, because they have tried so hard to break in to it, and failed miserably. Apparently nobody wants to listen to their BS on the radio. So they keep bringing up the "fairness" doctrine in an effort to kill talk radio, even though it is completely un-constitutional. Just more fascism from the left.
This is really scary; it is a FAKE news show! Granted I think Jon Stewart is hilarious, but I can see through his far left agenda. I've got a great story about this....
After a tsunami hit, Bush sends an aircraft carrier to ground zero. Stewart says, "as if things weren't bad enough, now Bush is going to bomb them!" I agree it is really funny, as long as you can see the truth behind the joke. The ignorant masses think... Bush is an idiot. But the truth is, that aircraft carrier carried thousands of troops to help. They had fully staffed hospitals on board to help. They had plenty of fresh drinking water. They used the nuclear reactors on board to send power on shore. Short of stopping the tsunami from hitting, which I am sure the left probably has blamed Bush for, there is nothing he could have done better. But you will never know that if you only get your news from the Daily show, your hatred of Bush will just grow.
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I always have the impression that what is considered "far left" in the US is for the most part pretty mainstream (or even center conservative) in most other "western" countries. I know it's all about regional reference points when it comes to political stance, but a look outside the US just once in a while wouldn't be the most inapprobriate thing to do...
for example the daily show I wouldn't consider far left...in an international context...
m.
"As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
True. What's considered 'left' in the U.S is just standard conservative. The corporations run the show.
This is one reason why so many Americans are completely ignorant about what's happening in the Middle East. If they really knew where $15million of their tax money was being spent every day there would be some major shit hitting the fan. Instead the population is mostly indoctrinated, and passive.
I mean, the fact that even on a Pearl Jam message board there are so many supporters of the illegal Israeli criminal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is frightening. And Pearl Jam are supposedly a 'left-leaning' band with intelligent fans. It certainly makes you wonder about the rest of the population.
well, I don't know if I would put it so drastically...;)
the fact is there never was a "real" political left in the USA...some (social/political) scientists claim it came that way cause in the beginning there was always the exit strategy of going west available if someone had problems (e.g. bad housing, low wages etc.); and because of this alternative wages had been relatively high from the very beginning (and I'm talking the very beginning;)) because the industry had to offer the people something to make them work for them and not seek their fortune on their own land...but I digress;)
what I think is that there was never a political left established, because first there was no real need for it because there was always the possibilty of individual exit...and later, well it possibly was demonized right away because of soviet communism...
but...it makes me laugh what is considered socialist in the US;)
m.
"As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
I'd say there have been enormous, and successful popular movements within the U.S from the first Union struggles right through to the civil rights movement, and beyond to the massive demonstrations against the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
I'm sure Howard Zinn would have something to say about this subject - i.e, A peoples history of the United states.
Still, today the population appears to be mostly apathetic and generally ignorant about the world beyond it's own borders.
right, but that is already a lot later than I was talking about:)
while Marx was already brimstone and fire about "satanic mills" in Europe everything was still pretty much okay in the US (for white people)...the movements came up as soon as the exit I mentioned was fading away...in the first quarter of the 20th century with depression, war and the race antagonism...
in short: while in other countries a left was established relatively early (in the aftermath of industrialisation and also because of a repressive state, which never really existed in the US), the US never devoloped a traditional political left (partly for said reasons)...->no welfare state, big private educational sector, little state regulation...
m.
"As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
Interesting.
And nice board name by the way!
I am reading a lot about Industrial Revolutions in a comparative perspective for an exam at the moment...so I'm just wise-cracking;)
yeah...you can do a lot of silly wordplay with it;)
funny, none of the american posters commented on my far left remarks so far...;)
m.
"As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
Stuff White People Like
#35 The Daily Show/Colbert Report
January 28, 2008 by clander
The Daily Show/Colbert makes up a duo that is held in such high regard by white people that to criticize it would be the equivalent of setting the pope on fire in Italy in 1822. It just isn’t done, in fact it isn’t even considered!
White people love to make fun of politics, especially right wing politics. It’s a pretty easy target and makes for some decent humor, but white people are actually starting to believe that these two shows are becoming legitimate news sources.
“Oh, I don’t watch the news,” they will say. “I watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. You know, studies show that viewers of those shows are more educated than people who watch Fox News or CNN.”
White women all consider John Stewart to be the most perfect man on the planet. This is not a debate, it is law.
The Daily Show also features guests like John McCain, writers, policy analysts, and actors. It is comforting for white people to see boring celebrities get interviewed in a funny fashion. It fills their need to do something productive, but also not work that hard at it.
Take note that Tuesday through Friday during the working week, you can break ALL awkward silences with white people by saying “did you see the Daily Show/Colbert Report last night?” At which point they will start talking until it’s time for you to move on to more interesting activities.
See post #20.
I guess it's save to say not all white people here like it...
and honestly: I don't consider it a news source...more a source of intelligent entertainment...whereas a guy like Bill O'Reilly is entertainment too...but in a different way...you don't need Colbert-"Spin" to make that dude hilarious...
and taking both shows as news sources doesn't seem so off when other people use "Stuff White People Like" as source of everyday wisdom;)
m.
"As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
I've spent alot of time in Europe, and from the words of a European friend. "Our conservatives are like your liberals, our liberals are socialists." Obama is as really far left, hence why people call him a socialist!
So I agree with you, but who cares how we match with the rest of the world? Instead of trying to make this country more like Europe, they can just move to Europe. America is the greatest country in the world because it is different. If you don't beleive that, then you should probably go somewhere that you think is better. If you don't beleive that, you wouldn't live there now!
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But white people in America do not threaten to move to Europe; they threaten to move to Canada (but never do it, of course).
well, it's fine with me if you believe america is the greatest country in the world, as long as you don't deduct any feeling of superiority or condescendence from it...
I don't think my country is the greatest in the world (I would never be so bold as to claim that), but it sure is a nice place to live, so I stay here...
there are a lot of great countries out there that are at least equal to the US in terms of individual freedom and welfare...it's not the year 1950 any more...of course if you consider military power, then you're solely the greatest, I give you that...
(and just to make sure...please nobody call me an anti-american, please!!!)
m.
"As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
In my country (germany) he would be a moderate conservative...and now some might claim that I live in a socialist country...and in fact I DID...before the wall came down...;)...so let me tell you...there is a difference between liberals,social democrats, democratic socialists, socialists, and communists...
m.
"As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
Both programs obviously swing left, but that's really not a big deal. I don't think either pretends to be unbiased. Furthermore, it's far easier to make jokes about right-wing politics and those jokes are more relatable to most people. One could certainly take issue with the programs' bias affecting their viewers, but that's not really the programs' fault. If viewers wish to be well-rounded thinkers, they need to get their information from a broad spectrum of outlets.
One thing that really bugs me is that people often laud Stewart and Colbert for their interviews. These claims leave me completely baffled. The interviews on these programs are short and the guests are constantly being interrupted by one-liners from the hosts. It's wonderful that both men will stop a guest when they get into vacuous party-line rhetoric, but the fact that guests hardly ever are allowed to delve deeply into a complex issue or topic far outweighs any benefit from the former. So, in essence, nearly every interview on these shows devolves into a series of jokes, partially completed statements and awkward pauses. I find them painful to watch.
I think both shows deserve lots of credit for getting people interested in world events that might not be otherwise. This can be a double-edged sword in some regards, but I think it's a good thing in the long run.
I think, in the end, my beef with these programs is that they seem to further push the modern agendas of unprincipled cynicism and political convenience. As a very politically cynical person, I feel a twinge of guilt for criticizing another body for being cynical, but I see a difference between being cynical based on consistent principles as opposed to being cynical based on knee-jerk reactions. That differentiation may be a stretch to many, however.
The political convenience agenda, however, I think is a very fair beef. It seems to me that the Daily Show pushes the modern neo-liberal and neo-conservative agendas of ends without means. It seems that far too many people involved in our political process simply want society to fit their mold, regardless of what it takes to get there. In this, I find two shows embracing a very unprincipled political perspective.
See his voting record. He was ranked the most liberal senator. Even a left leaning source like NPR has reported this:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2008/01/obama_ranked_most_liberal_sena_1.html
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