Why does it take a court jester to wake us up to the obvious?
When Tina Fey parodied Sarah Palin, she gave us permission to say "There is no there there." Last night, Jon Stewart went one-on-one with Jim Cramer from CNBC and forever changed our view of financial reporting. [video below]
For too long now reporters have become "repeaters" - repeating the marketing and PR talking points of the powerful, to gain access. Comedians don't need to worry about access. Isn't it ironic though, that when a comedian shows us "The emperor has no clothes," the emperor wants access to the comedian. Sarah Palin came to Saturday Night Live, McCain came to David Letterman's The Late Show, and last night, a humbled Cramer (as the face of CNBC) came to Stewart's The Daily Show.
It was an epic moment. Stewart weaves nuanced humor with dead-serious social commentary, challenging a financial "guru" and his global network, showing the greed and manipulation behind the curtain of financial news reporting and analysis.
This is the real "must see TV".