Thursday, February 23, 2006

The Daily Show: Bad For America?

I’ve come to the probably unpopular conclusion that The Daily Show is not funny. If not for John Stewart’s impeccable comic timing, I think the show would be about as funny as anything Jim Belushi was ever involved with. I can find some of it mildly amusing but there’s not much propping up the lame “politically charged” jokes other than its willingness to stick it to politicians. Stewart is funny, but he’s milking his legend more than he’s actually being funny on the show. The studio audience and a large following of numbskulls fanatically support The Daily Show and proclaim it provocative with their constant guffawing at Stewart’s easy takes on the state of the union.

I used to watch The Daily Show a lot back when Craig Kilborn was the host and didn’t see any problem with Stewart taking the reigns. But sure enough, like the US Women’s Olympic snowboard team, the great expectations went south quickly.

I’m glad someone’s humorously pointing out the hypocrisy and absurdity of the Bush administration but that’s all it is: comedy. Bush is laughing all the way the Dick Cheney’s bank because the voice of dissention has been reduced to a half hour of comedy on a basic cable channel. Shit, Stewart can riff all he wants, it doesn’t change anyone’s mind. The people watching the Daily Show and getting off on the Bush bashing won’t do shit about it once South Park comes on. And that's just how Bush's gang likes it.

Dick Cheney is a great example. Sure he shot someone but the fact that everyone obsessed over it is just pathetic. Of all the evil, illegal, crappy things Cheney has done, the media is going to beat him up for shooting someone while hunting? Give me a break. People get shot all the time hunting. This isn’t shocking. And when Cheney tried to explain it was the dummy’s fault that he got shot (in true Bush Administration fashion) he was railed for it. You tell me, someone gets shot in the face and you don’t think they might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Jesus. I never thought I’d be defending DICK, but here I am.

The ass pounding Cheney has taken is just further evidence that the Democrats have nothing to offer. They have to beat this guy up over getting drunk and shooting some poor sap (like Ted Nugent hasn’t done that 20 times already) when he’s probably the most vile and corrupt politician since Boss Tweed and Boss Hogg combined. Please, don’t waste your time pondering the time line of the hunting accident when you could be investigating the countless Halliburton contracts awarded in Iraq that are lining DICK’s pockets right now.

Fucking Christ.

The Daily Show is a symptom of this. It’s a lazy way for armchair activists to get angry about the state of the world while never straying too far from the bong or the Cheeto bag. They laugh way too hard at weak Jon Stewart jokes and become indignant when GW displays just how fucking stupid he really is. But once the half hour is over, Bush keeps getting away with it, Comedy Central makes its money, and another liter of Pepsi is liberated from its bottle.

Please save your “But What Are You Doing?” bullshit anonymous posts. I don’t care. Jon Stewart (or his writers) are doing their part by at least being the only media outlet to comment on some of the jackassery going on. But it’s the people, by watching The Daily Show, who feel they’ve made a difference and that’s what’s wrong here. Today’s American can literally watch a TV show, laugh too hard at borderline unfunny jokes and feel they’ve done something to help the world.

It’s kind of like that one guy in the movie theater who’s laughing way too hard at the jokes in the film because he was told it was funny and feels that if he’s not laughing his ass off, he’s missing something. They figure if they laughed hardest, they care the most and were the only ones who “got it.” Well, you don’t “get it” do you? Daily Show viewers are just like that; I guess they’d rather laugh than getting their hands dirty with how fucked up our federal government is. And I can’t really blame them actually. Just don’t think they’re “doing something” by simply watching Jon Stewart mug for the camera.

And on that note, I just want to say that Lewis Black, The Daily Show commentator is the MOST UNFUNNY MAN in America. Why this sad sack of shit is still on this show, I will never understand. He sucks so bad it brings tears to my eyes if I can’t find the remote to get his dismal act off of my TV screen. The entire cast of MAD TV combined can’t equal the level of suckiness that Lewis Black spits up during every episode of The Daily Show…..but again, he’s getting plenty of laughs, so what does that tell you? That Americans have their head up their ass about yet another thing: comedy. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, there’s a reason why According to Jim is still on the air.

JR

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Right on the money again, JR.

If you get a chance, check out a Sundance film called The First Amendment Project. I'll tell you right up front that it sucks, but some times you have to suffer to reinforce your point. The most damning example of why comedians are not political watchdogs comes in the form of the showdown between Bill O'Reilly and Al Franken. Now, we all know what Bill O'Reilly is, and calling him scumbag for the billionth time really doesn't mean shit anymore, and the reason is this: When Al Franken started writing books like Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, and then Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right, Americans acted like he was the second coming of Michael Moore (and don't get me started on that manipulative sack of shit). But in the interviews in this film, he reveals himself as nothing more than a liberal pussy who won't stick to his guns to the bitter end. He backs up his revelations of O'Reillys prevarication with facts, but when really pressed, he throws up his arms and asks what the fuss is all about since, after all, he's only a comedian; why should we take him seriously? When guys like Al Franken roll over to bullies like O'Reilly and throw the "comedian card" they automatically validate O'Reilly's credibility as a legitmate conservative commentator. Which he is not. George Will and William F. Buckley, Jr. are legitimate conservative idealists. They are exceptionally shrewd and intelligent men who I sometimes disagree with, but not because of any fault in their integrity. O'Reilly is nothing more than a big fucking bully without an original thought in his head. He is a Fox cipher, who when cornered, resorts to intimidation to cover the gaps in his arguments.

Somebody needs to tell these losers: you're neither Gore Vidal nor Noam Chomsky. You may not be as out of touch as those uber-liberal socialists, but you can't be taken seriously, either.

Anonymous said...

Kudos to both JR and Tapeball. O'Rielly does suck, and the left is dry, dull and boring in it's rhetoric

J Reidy said...

awesome. i was concerned that no one would get what i was saying because the daily show and franken and all those people have a big following with those who have no other avenue (and no leg to stand on)to vent about bush and his henchmen.

yeah, it sucks all the credibility out of what they're saying when they play the comedian card.

they hammer these points, make it clear to everyone that these bastards are evil and then at the very end, they back off because, well, who are they to tell you what to do?

o'reilly (and embarrassment to Irish everywhere) has no problem telling you what to think. he's such a fucking cock, yet people love him because he never backs down. you'll never hear him say "well, what do i know? i was just the host of inside edition (current affair?)! i'm not credible at all!"

he's not credible, yet his opinions stick to the wall like monkey feces because he never neuters it by admitting he's not someone you should be listening too.

if anyone is going to stand up to these bullies it will have to be someone from the house or the senate, an actual politician (someone who isn't a comedian or ex host of tabloid crap fest) and they will have to put their balls in their back pocket and be a fucking man...or WOman. as much as i hate fox news and all those fuckers, sometimes their analysis of the democrats might just be spot on.

JR

JR

Anonymous said...

Someone really needs to bitch slap the democrats into waking up. For that matter Michael Moore.They have left me outside cold and disenfranchised more then ever. I realize he's supposed to be a hero, and is to many of my friend but he's become what he's supposed to be fighting against... a fat ass hypocrit

J Reidy said...

micheal moore really suffers from what we're talking about: he can tell you all about what's going on but is he going to step up and do something? of course not. he feels he's doing all that he can. i think he's definitely raised awareness, but he's taken about as seriously now as al franken...and that ain't good.

he couldn't get elected to any position and wouldn't want to. he makes too much money doing the other stuff. these days, in the era of the bush controlled media, you can yell all you want; it won't change a thing. it's very apparent that nothing except for a video of bush snorting coke (and that still might not do it) is going send him packing.

the democrats suck hairy sack. it's really a shame when you have all these people who hate bush, hate what he's done and hate the direction the country is taking, yet there's no one in the political system who can seize this and make a change.

it's like a water salesman in the desert who has no idea how to market his product.

JR