The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart weighed in Monday night on Jared Loughner and the tragedy that occurred in Tuscon over the weekend that left six dead including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition, and many more wounded from the violent rampage. His tone and his remarks were slightly less nonsensical than is custom for the program and he appeared at times to be truly at a loss for words.
On the subject of the blame game, the debate over the angry tenor of the political discourse in this country, and the race to exonerate our respective “side” in the political forum, he offered this…
“Did the toxic political environment cause this? A graphic image here; an ill-time comment; violent rhetoric; those types of things?
I have no F*$&ing idea.
You know we live in a complex ecosystem of influences and motivations, and I wouldn’t blame our political rhetoric anymore than I would blame heavy metal music for Columbine. And by the way, that is coming from someone who truly hates our political environment. It is toxic; it is unproductive; but to say that is what has caused this or that the people in that are responsible for this, I just don’t think you can do. Boy would that be nice. Boy would it be nice – to be able to draw a straight line of causation from this horror to something tangible, because then we could convince ourselves that if we just stopped this, the horrors would end.
You know, to have the feeling, however fleeting, that this type of event can be prevented forever. Its hard not to feel like it can’t. You know you cannot outsmart crazy. You don’t know what a troubled mind will get caught on. Crazy always seems to find a way.”
“It would be really nice if the ramblings of crazy people didn’t in anyway resemble how we actually talk to each other on TV. Lets at least make troubled individuals easier to spot.”
“If there is real solace in this, I think its that for all the hyperbole and the vitriol thats become part of our political process – when the reality of that rhetoric, and when actions match the disturbing nature of words, we haven’t lost our capacity to be horrified.”
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Wow. I was actually surprised to watch that. Who was that guy? If he were that grounded every night I think I’d probably watch. Thanks for sharing that.
I share him often – typically just for a laugh. I can’t stand 90% of it but the other 10 makes me laugh and if we can’t laugh at politics, what is it really all worth? Sometimes, we all take this stuff way too seriously. In that clip, I think Stewart’s Lefty mind finally ‘got it’ if just for a moment.
Thanks for your thought DD. Much appreciated
I think its funny that he states that he hates the political environment when he is every bit as much a part of it as Sarah Palin. Hey pot. Kettle’s looking for you!!
I may have to use that Pot Kettle reference somewhere. I use it all the time in life so I’m surprised it hasn’t emerged here. So if you see it, don’t hate. I didn’t “steal” it per se.
But yes, I think you are correct. I’m not the Stewart hater that most on the Right are though. I think he’s funny. I can take a joke even when it comes at the expense of my side of things. I think he’s a bit of a hypocrite from time to time, but what comedian isn’t? A political comedian I think by definition is supposed to be just that.