"The Daily Show, for Christ's sake"
July 21st 2010 10:23
I am no fan of Jon Stewart, as you may have read, but I had to read this month’s arguments about whether he and his Daily Show are sexist with some bemusement. Back during the Democratic presidential primaries in 2007 and 2008, he was one of the few outlets to openly discuss the crude, misogynistic attacks against Hillary Clinton, many of which came from people on the left and/or people who should have known better.
I also have to say it was disappointing that the take-down of Stewart’s alleged misogyny came from Jezebel, a feminist blog. Not because of his past discussion of Hillary Clinton and others; we understand that sometimes actions speak louder than words. Not because TV isn’t important; it plays such a central role in determining what people think the world is like. Not because suggestion of a hostile or non-welcoming workplace is irrelevant; it is ethically, strategically, and economically wrong to dismiss the talents of half the population based on literally nothing.
It was disappointing because all of these issues and more remain unresolved in our society, and taking aim at Jon Stewart does absolutely nothing to address them. I find him as conceited and unfunny as other people find him clever and hilarious, but why is Jezebel trying to take him down ahead of the dating advice writers who peddle pseudo-science about male and female brain structure, or the directors of Katherine Heigl’s last four movies, or whoever thought it was a good idea to make Larry Summers the head of the White House National Economic Council?
People like to say “Pick your battles,” and Jezebel chose poorly: a battle they thought they could win rather than one they thought they should win. Poor practice, especially when the stakes are as high as they are for these issues. Personally, I prefer to quote a famous country’s Army: “the impossible just takes a little longer.”
I also have to say it was disappointing that the take-down of Stewart’s alleged misogyny came from Jezebel, a feminist blog. Not because of his past discussion of Hillary Clinton and others; we understand that sometimes actions speak louder than words. Not because TV isn’t important; it plays such a central role in determining what people think the world is like. Not because suggestion of a hostile or non-welcoming workplace is irrelevant; it is ethically, strategically, and economically wrong to dismiss the talents of half the population based on literally nothing.
It was disappointing because all of these issues and more remain unresolved in our society, and taking aim at Jon Stewart does absolutely nothing to address them. I find him as conceited and unfunny as other people find him clever and hilarious, but why is Jezebel trying to take him down ahead of the dating advice writers who peddle pseudo-science about male and female brain structure, or the directors of Katherine Heigl’s last four movies, or whoever thought it was a good idea to make Larry Summers the head of the White House National Economic Council?
Wait a minute . . .
People like to say “Pick your battles,” and Jezebel chose poorly: a battle they thought they could win rather than one they thought they should win. Poor practice, especially when the stakes are as high as they are for these issues. Personally, I prefer to quote a famous country’s Army: “the impossible just takes a little longer.”
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