What’s Comedy Central’s Opinion?
link Iran: Riots sign of Islamic awakening – Israel News, Ynetnews.
The most annoying thing about this article is not the rhetoric offered by the Supreme Religious poobah, because that kind of yada yada yada is expected from that camp. What else is he going to say? The virus of political upheaval has infected virtually all of the nations in the middle east beginning with Tunisia a month ago. Apparently, normally compliant citizens are spontaneously rising up as unruly mobs to throw off the yokes of dictatorial leaders who for years have kept them poor, oppressed and isolated from the outside world. According to this Supreme Leader, the mobs want to make a change and would prefer to be oppressed, impoverished and isolated from the outside world by their version of Islamic fundamentalist leadership. Not being a resident in that part of the world, it’s not that easy for me to differentiate between types of oppressive regimes. This is not the absurdity that is amusing to me however.
The absurdity comes later on in the piece where it says that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen,
“…told Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central that he had spoken to his military counterparts in Egypt and was reassured they have no intention of firing on their own people…”
!!!!
Jon Stewart??? One of the most dangerous social and political events of the past generation are unfolding before the world and the Admiral is interviewed by Jon Stewart?? Isn’t he a comic? Wasn’t Stephen Colbert available? Is it not Stewarts’ job to amuse people? For years, Stewart has been treating his loyal liberal audience with witty and biting ‘satire’ on the foibles of the political right. When called on his outrageous comments, he smugly scurries back behind the screen of “it’s comedy, you can’t take what I say seriously!” There was a poll conducted a while ago in which it was determined that Jon Stewart was the most credible person representing the views of progressives in America. This is alarming because Americans who follow and revere Stewart will think that clever irony and wit are more credible than genuine problem solving. To a large extent, this fantasy has gripped a large part of America today.
Charisma and popularity are mistakenly confused with competence and experience. That shortcoming is now obvious on the main political stage. Social and political issues are real and they are complex. When the opinions of actors, comedians and jugglers are more influential than those who actually have experience and knowledge in their fields, it can only lead to grief. What if Admirals started doing stand up? It’s very scary when people who purport to drive the discussions on the major issues of the day are on at 8pm, 7 central time.