Official MSNBC/Fox/CNN/cable news containment thread - Page 22 - Politics and Economics

Later, when Wallace argued that a clip about Sarah Palin from the Daily Show was political commentary, Stewart told Wallace, "You're insane... Here's the difference between you and I. I'm a comedian first. My comedy is informed by an ideological background, there's no question about that. But the thing that you will never understand...is that Hollywood, yeah, they're liberal, but that's not their primary motivating force. I'm not an activist. I am a comedian."

so we're supposed to believe steward that he is a comedian first, just because he says so?

06-21-2011 , 11:20 AM

#528

qdmcg

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 4,870

Well, there is also other evidence, like the fact that he's been doing comedy his entire life.

06-21-2011 , 11:22 AM

#529

hotdogfallacy

banned

Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,180

he is also doing has been doing a show about politics for a while now. to me it seems like being a political commentator and a comedian are not mutually exclusive. i'm not saying he is overly biased, just that he does political commentary.

06-21-2011 , 11:24 AM

#530

FlyWf

It's the other way

Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 58,097

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotdogfallacy

so we're supposed to believe steward that he is a comedian first, just because he says so?

Well, there's also the fact that his entire career has been in comedy, and also that he has a show on a comedy network, and also that I cannot think of an example where his show took a political position and advocated for that*. But besides that, yes, also that he says so.

Unless you think mocking Fox News for being the propaganda wing of the GOP is a political position, in which case you're kind of conceding his point.

*I just remembered, health care for first responders. Definitely had a side there. Not really a liberal/conservative thing, though, more of a New Yorker thing.

06-21-2011 , 11:25 AM

#531

MrWookie

Don't Call Me Meredith

Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 94,159

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotdogfallacy

How about answering this.

1. What issues does Stewart take with Fox News? What does he lampoon them for?

2. What does Fox News hate about Stewart?

06-21-2011 , 11:25 AM

#532

ChromePony

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Quote:

Originally Posted by hotdogfallacy

Did you watch the interview? That's pretty much exactly what he said...he was just stressing that his material is based what's funny on not on promoting a partisan agenda.

06-21-2011 , 11:26 AM

#533

hotdogfallacy

banned

Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,180

Quote:

that I cannot think of an example where his show took a political position.

so? he still provides a lot of criticism. and i'm sure he has taken positions on things in doing so, i cant really name anything specific, because i havent watched him in years. I still don't understand why he hides behind the comedy label.

06-21-2011 , 11:27 AM

#534

kurto

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Quote:

Originally Posted by hotdogfallacy

so we're supposed to believe steward that he is a comedian first, just because he says so?

or you can look at the sum total of his work experience... doing standup, acting, producing and writing comedies. Sure looks like a comedian to me.

06-21-2011 , 11:27 AM

#535

hotdogfallacy

banned

Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,180

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChromePony

Did you watch the interview? That's pretty much exactly what he said...he was just stressing that his material is based what's funny on not on promoting a partisan agenda.

no i just read what was said int he article, that's fair enough

06-21-2011 , 11:28 AM

#536

General Tsao

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ChromePony

Did you watch the interview? That's pretty much exactly what he said...he was just stressing that his material is based what's funny on not on promoting a partisan agenda.

If he can't see the humor in liberal policies (dark humor, as it may be), then the result is a partisan show, whether intended or otherwise. And I know he does criticize liberals, but such moments are few and far between.

06-21-2011 , 11:30 AM

#537

kurto

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Quote:

Originally Posted by hotdogfallacy

comedians have mocked politics throughout history. That does not make them politicians.

06-21-2011 , 11:33 AM

#538

hotdogfallacy

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Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,180

no but it does make them commentators, especially when they run a show every other day doing so. just like fox news, he has a particular point of view that his commentary comes from.

06-21-2011 , 11:35 AM

#539

ChromePony

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Quote:

Originally Posted by General Tsao

Yes but he never claims to be unbaised or to give equal attention to mocking both sides, he said multiple times in the interview that his comedy is framed and influenced by his background and personal beliefs. The key difference is that the purpose of his show is to make people laugh, not to influence the minds of viewers and promote a political agenda.

06-21-2011 , 11:38 AM

#540

hotdogfallacy

banned

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Quote:

The key difference is that the purpose of his show is to make people laugh, not to influence the minds of viewers and promote a political agenda.

yeah, but those things just don't seem mutually exclusive to me

06-21-2011 , 11:38 AM

#541

FlyWf

It's the other way

Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 58,097

I really don't understand the complaint that he "hides" behind his comedian job, though every conservative seems to use that as their all purpose response to that fact that a middling standup comedian and a team of interns regularly wafflecrush the intellectual leaders of modern conservative thought through clever use of remembering what they previously said.

Like, his show's tagline isn't "fair and balanced". What is he hiding from?

06-21-2011 , 11:41 AM

#542

General Tsao

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ChromePony

Who cares what he claims or doesn't claim? As a libertarian, I'd enjoy his show more if he saw the humor in liberal policy as much as he did in conservative policy.

06-21-2011 , 11:52 AM

#543

virtua_fish

journeyman

Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 371

I'm shocked that the free market has not given us an equally funny lampoon of liberal misinformation. I wonder why?

oh wait I think I found one. News Busted

"That's gold, Jerry! Gold!"

06-21-2011 , 11:54 AM

#544

cres

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Quote:

Originally Posted by hotdogfallacy

no but it does make them commentators, especially when they run a show every other day doing so. just like fox news, he has a particular point of view that his commentary comes from.

wow are you reaching. The local club band is a commentator then, they perform on stage every night. Everyone has an agenda or bias, but as Stewart stated in the segment, the FIRST principle is comedy. Look at the bit they did when Trump quit, all that gold material flushed away.

06-21-2011 , 11:56 AM

#545

cres

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Quote:

Originally Posted by General Tsao

Who cares what he claims or doesn't claim? As a libertarian, I'd enjoy his show more if he saw the humor in liberal policy as much as he did in conservative policy.

so you only think it's fair to lampoon both sides, not the one that generates the most yuks? A Fairness Doctrine of comedy perhaps?

06-21-2011 , 12:26 PM

#546

Ineedaride2

Politics Court Jester

Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 25,080

Apparently, Louis C.K. is not a comedian. He is a life coach.

06-21-2011 , 12:34 PM

#547

hotdogfallacy

banned

Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,180

Quote:

Originally Posted by cres

The local club band is a commentator then, they perform on stage every nigh.

if they focus their performance on making political commentary, sure...

Quote:

Everyone has an agenda or bias, but as Stewart stated in the segment, the FIRST principle is comedy. Look at the bit they did when Trump quit, all that gold material flushed away

he might believe himself that his first principle is comedy, but just because he says it, doesn't really make it so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyWf

I really don't understand the complaint that he "hides" behind his comedian job,... What is he hiding from?

from what i read in the article, he apparently "hides" from being compared to fox news in some ways, just because his show is comedic...

06-21-2011 , 12:43 PM

#548

cres

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time for you to stop listening to music, it's full of crazy ideas and brainwashing. All those commentators out there.

06-21-2011 , 12:47 PM

#549

hotdogfallacy

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Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,180

ugh you know, it is possible to make political commentary in a medium other than 24/7 news networks. some band like system of a down clearly makes political commentary in a lot of their songs.