Anyone else use The Daily Show as their ONLY news source?

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  • nobody
    nobody Posts: 353
    fanch75 wrote:
    http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/28/35-the-daily-showcolbert-report/

    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.

    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.
    Godwin's Law:
    "As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
  • mdg164
    mdg164 Posts: 206
    nobody wrote:
    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.

    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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  • fanch75
    fanch75 Posts: 3,734
    mdg164 wrote:
    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!

    But white people in America do not threaten to move to Europe; they threaten to move to Canada (but never do it, of course).
    Do you remember Rock & Roll Radio?
  • fuck
    fuck Posts: 4,069
    mdg164 wrote:
    Obama is as really far left, hence why people call him a socialist!
    Can someone PLEASE explain to me how Obama is soooo far left??
  • nobody
    nobody Posts: 353
    mdg164 wrote:
    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!

    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.
    Godwin's Law:
    "As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
  • nobody
    nobody Posts: 353
    _outlaw wrote:
    Can someone PLEASE explain to me how Obama is soooo far left??

    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.
    Godwin's Law:
    "As an internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
  • LikeAnOcean
    LikeAnOcean Posts: 7,718
    Funny show, but I don't look to comedy to get news. I'll watch and consider the show secondary as a commentary
  • farfromglorified
    farfromglorified Posts: 5,700
    The Daily Show and The Colbert Report really bother me, and I'm largely at a loss for explaining why. My girlfriend is a big fan of both and we often watch them and I certainly would say that both shows can be clever, witty and even occasionally insightful. Still, I really bristle at the thought that so many people turn to these venues as their primary news source.

    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.
  • mdg164
    mdg164 Posts: 206
    _outlaw wrote:
    Can someone PLEASE explain to me how Obama is soooo far left??

    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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  • fanch75
    fanch75 Posts: 3,734
    http://www.terrymeiners.com/images/600_homework_stripper.jpg
    Do you remember Rock & Roll Radio?

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