Hmmmm... 10-02-2010 or 10-30-2010? I'll probably need to do laundry that month, and wash my hair, so I may only be able to squeeze in one multi-day trip to another city that will cost me some money.
Which one?
I'll spare you the mystery.
10-02-2010.
But, why would I even need to think about it? Why has the announcement of the Rally to Restore Sanity even attracted any attention at all?
Is it because, as Brian Wilson has said, "He's a necessary branch of government?"
New York Magazine Article
That quote comes from an article in this week's New York Mag. which I received in my mailbox yesterday afternoon. Now, being a big fan of The Daily Show, going back to the Kilborn era pre-1999, I felt a little rush of blood to head when I opened the box and saw Jon Stewart's mug staring back at me. I thought, "This is going to be interesting."
It was.
I encourage you to go read the original. I've decided to pepper a diary, this one, with a few quotes to pique your interest. Unlike some movie reviews, I'm keeping this one short and avoiding some important spoilers to keep your interest up.
As for "branch of government?" Hyperbole.
The best Court Jester we've had in this country, since perhaps, well maybe, Bob Hope? Absolutely.
The Court Jester
It's been pointed out before me many times that the beauty of the Court Jester role is that this person gets to point out the emperor is going commando without being shot by the emperor's commandos. Unless, of course, they say it in a way that is either not funny, or goes way overboard into something the emperor begins to take seriously.
Or, as Stewart says in that article I mentioned:
We're not provocateurs, we're not activists; we are reacting for our own catharsis...There is a line into demagoguery, and we try very hard to express ourselves but not move into, 'So follow me! And I will lead you to the land of answers, my people!' You can fall in love with your own idea of common sense.
I Wonder, Does Rally = Activism, or Entertainment?
I wonder, that announced rally on the 30th doesn't really have any many details behind it yet. The rumor is that so many people contacted the show and suggested they have a rally after GB announced his, that they decided to go ahead and do it. But, in having announced something like a gathering on the National Mall, has Stewart crossed the line into activism?
Keeping this show and the man whose vision is running it in one box, entertainment, or activism, has been a tough and touchy subject since he transformed the show in 2000 with the "Indecision 2000" coverage of that year's election. As prescient as Colbert's "Truthiness" statement years later, that particular election would be the living embodiment of "Indecision," at least as portrayed by the narratives in the mainstream media. And this would become Stewart's long term hallmark on the show. Sussing out the story line, reading the news as if it was written by Shakespeare, or Shakes the Clown, or their love child, and then deconstructing it with the self-effacing aplomb of...Bob Hope.
But, to be fair, since the whole rally thing has been inspired by the insipidness of the GB display, if we ask the same question of GB, activism or entertainment, what answer do we find makes most sense? Is Beck an activist? Or an entertainer? This is where things get interesting, and I suspect to find some interesting answers to this question in the comments below. But, for now, let's go to Glenn:
Jon Stewart is very funny, and if I were in his position, I'd be doing a lot of the same things...He...is more interested in being funny than trying to actually understand the key messages in [my] show...But I don't think he's looking for a Pulitzer...People like Jon, his ratings are good. Good for him, keep doing what he's doing. People seem to like watching my show as well, and hopefully that continues for both of us for a very long time.
Well, that's one vote for Jon Stewart as entertainer.
Not the Final Word
Far be it for me, however, to leave GB the final word on anything I have the ability to prevent or deny. So, this list:
- In February, calling the Fox Network naked to its face, or rather, Bill O'Reilly's face, on on O'Reilly's own show in February 2010.
- Apparently spurring the demise of Crossfire when he called Tucker Carlson a d*#& to his face on his own show on CNN in 2004.
- Oh yes, he also said their insipid, thoughtless squabbling was doing damage to America when they had the power and exposure to have serious, important conversations with significant consequences. Or, as Stewart has since said on his own show, I haven't moved more towards legitimate newscasting, legitimate newscasting has moved more towards entertainment.
- That rally thing on the 30th.
Rally? or Convenient Timing?
Stewart and the Daily Show were already scheduled for a week of broadcasts on-site in Washington DC the week previous to the midterm elections on Nov. 2nd. Adding an event onto the end of that week, say, for October 30th, 3 days before the midterms, was not really that big a stretch.
I have to wonder, though, to top this, if it goes well and people actually turnout for it, what can be done that doesn't cross over into activism?
Quotes too good to pass up:
Jettisoning Shirley Sherrod showed he doesn't quite understand this game yet, does he? He's more than willing to sacrifice someone to the voraciousness of the news cycle than to any sense of what his narrative is. I can't quite figure out who they are.
That sense of narrative is all-important to the news-analysis approach of the Necessary Branch of Government, too. Stewart builds his entire show around identifying where the story about the story is, where it is going, and what makes the least sense about it. And what makes a narrative compelling? Whether it's Shakespeare or Shakes the Clown, it has to sing...
The mistake they make is that somehow facts are more important than feelings.
In that last quote he's criticizing another favorite of mine, MSNBC. But it equally applies to the Democratic leadership for a long time now.
There's got to be a way to translate people's ability to be titillated into a way to inform them that's not necessarily PBS. There'd be money in that.
Has the time for Squirrel-TV finally arrived?
TWLTW
- Monsanto produces Roundup, famous for killing anything green in dirt. Except, apparently, for green things Monsanto itself has genetically designed using a gene that is resistant to...Roundup. These Frankenstein-plants don't self-germinate, so if Monsanto doesn't want to sell you next year's seeds, you're out of business as a farmer. Great story on this scary issue right here. (Until the Stewart cover story, this was going to be the diary this morning.)
- You have one month to get yourself to Vegas and enjoy the splendor of the Liberace Museum. It's closing.
- If you're still changing your oil every 3,000 miles, well, you should probably read this article before mile 3,000!
- We had some rain and thunder the night of the New York Tornado, but our good friend (and bridesmaid) who lives in Queens came home to every tree on her block lying horizontally on or across the street. And if you know domestic streets in Queens, there were a lot of cars under those trunks, too.
- My newest favorite blog: Openinglines. Traces artists and thoughtful celebrities (haven't found Snooki here, despite my intense searching) back to their first public utterances, or interviews them about their beginnings. Really interesting stuff if you find someone you're already familiar with and want to learn more about them. Of course, in looking for that person or people, you're likely to discover 20 more who will become new favorites as well. And that's why I fell for this site. Brilliant use of the blog format for a specific thoughtful theme.
What Did You Learn This Week?