The Day Television Completely Lost Its Mind
Or maybe just the day that I realized it. I was watching the Daily Show last night, a show that I used to really enjoy but now cannot stomach (save for Ed Helms), and witnessed Jon Stewart (actor) arguing with Kimberly Strassel (journalist, The Wall Street Journal) about economic policy. Let's review what I've just said: Jon Stewert = ACTOR, Kimberly Strassel = at least somewhat educated. You could see the look on her face. She was asking herself why she would ever put herself in a situation where she would be arguing the most basic points of market economics with a the host of a fake news show who obviously had skipped the day they taught exactly what it means to be a "capitalist society" in college. If he even went to college.
Now, I'm not one to base the entiire downfall of the television community on one show. Not at all. My second example comes from MTV, the network who started the slow-motion suicide (to borrow from Ted Rall, the only idea of his worth borrowing) of American media responsibility. I've lived through Tom Green, Beavis and Butthead, and even Jackass, but their newest show really takes the cake. Yo Momma pits contestants from different "tough" (let's see them go to Oakwood) neighborhoods against each other in a battle royale of, and I'm not kidding about this, "Yo Momma" jokes. Yo momma jokes... you know, like "Yo Momma so old that she sees rainbows in black and white." And that's just round one. In round three, the finalists are taken to each other's house in order to find things out about their opponent and are then given categories of insults.
Is this seriously what we've come to? A comedian who instructs college kids and idiots in the ways of economics and politics and a show with a bunch of assholes making fun of each other? It's no wonder why we're in a learning slump.
Here's my two step remedy:
- Turn off the TV
- Read Betacrat, provided it ever gets finished.
Comments
I find it amazing how far lost some people can get in their own superiority complexes. Yes, Jon Stewart has no place arguing anything with Kimberly Strassel, oddly it is that very thing he has protested against for most of his Daily Show career.
But when it comes to MTV, they claim to be nothing more than entertainment, not some amazing source of globally relevant information. If you don't like what they have to offer for entertainment, don't watch. I don't.
Not everything has to be deep and meaningful and earth shattering. Some people just want to be able to numb out to their choice of entertainment. And they have every right to do so without being told how rediculous THEIR choices are.
I suppose we could continue this ad nauseam, but why? No one choice for something as trivial as entertainment is better than another. No one's opinion is more valid than anothers.
The real problem comes when people think it over too much. You don't like these programs, I appreciate and understand that. Don't watch them and save everyone a lot of time.
Posted by: Yepsen | April 27, 2006 8:39 PM
Yeah, I was just saying that the show sucked. And that Jon Stewart peddles mindless bullshit to a crowd of people that often times don't realize it's mindless bullshit. The guy takes himself more seriously than I do.
Posted by: Jameson | April 27, 2006 11:32 PM
Now if it were Stephen Colbert arguing with Kimberly Strassel, then it would be a worthwhile debate ;)
In related news, I've posted Colbert's speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner on my homepage. Conservatives beware, you're not going to like this.
Posted by: Greg | May 3, 2006 1:59 AM