The Daily Show started in the mid 90s. The show's original host was a guy named Craig Kilborn who left the show to become host of CBS's The Late Late Show. How'd that work for you, Craig? Oh, right, you were replaced by the Scottish guy from The Drew Carey Show.
The Daily Show's new host starting in 1999 was John Stewart, but I'm still counting his rise to comedic brilliance as part of this decade because it took the decline of genuine, modern journalism for Stewart to truly find his show's niche as the one place where you're guaranteed to find out the various hypocrisies and contradictions at heart in our modern political system.
Stewart was voted "America's most trusted anchor" in a recent poll. He called it the result of "the fuck you vote," but there is good reason behind this. On no other show are you likely to find two people with differing opinions having a genuine debate and discussion about the issues, without all the screaming, ranting, and certainty of one's absolute rightness despite any and all facts to the contrary that seem to have conquered our so-called "legitimate" media. Even time constraints don't stop Stewart, on The Daily Show's website, you can find interviews/ debates that last as long as twenty minutes without a single break.
And they're still funny! That's part of what makes it all so great, the show's sincere search for truth in the media and politics is brilliantly balanced out by their mockery of anyone and everyone involved, making the show a one of a kind combination of joke and genuine news.
And then there's Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report, bringing to life the maxim that the best way to do a satire is to take yourself completely seriously. Lampooning the modern media blowhards who get such high ratings by presenting their own opinions as fact; Stephen agrees with them, acts like them, and insults them all in one half-hour of over-the-top hilariousness. Hell, he's become such a celebrity himself, he's gotten the American people to help fund the US Speedskating team.
Is it sad that the best source for real, in-depth talks about modern politics is on Comedy Central? Maybe, but you can't sell a news show to most people now without some entertainment thrown in, so as along as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report keep up their high ratings, we'll keep getting at the contradictions and stupidity behind the people we trust to run our country.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Just a quick comment-I think Stephen Colbert is the funniest man on earth. Parts of his book, I am America (and so am I) had me laughing so hard I almost got sick. And John Stewart officially introduced most of us to the brillance of Lewis Black. For that alone Stewart would be remembered fondly.
ReplyDelete