Jon Stewart is an American comedian and political satirist, best known for being the host of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was born in New Jersey in 1962. By 1989, Stewart was hosting the clip show Short Attention Span Theater, in which the hosts presented short segments of stand-up comedy acts based on various popular films. Jon Stewart’s performances earned him recognition in the field of comedy. In 1999, Stewart took over as anchorman for Comedy Central’s the Daily Show (Later renamed the Daily show with Jon Stewart). Since the show’s debut with Stewart as a host, it received high ratings of viewers and positive critical acclaim due to the diverse political issues that the show is able to tackle in a comic approach. Stewart’s fast-paced …show more content…
dialog and sardonic wit led him to be the most outspoken critics of American politics and the established news media. In 2008, New York Time’s Michiko Kakutani questioned whether Jon Stewart was the most trusted man in America. Along with hosting a political satirist show, Stewart is considered as a strong political voice among young American voters, with his show constantly ranking as one of the most viewed programs by the 18-34 ages demographic. Despite Jon Stewart’s comic nature, he did not escape criticism while addressing some specific topics.
For example, in August 2014, Stewart criticized comically Israel’s attacks on Gaza. A number of Congressmen condemned Stewart’s immoral satire, accusing him of being anti-Semitist, and though he’s Jewish himself, some accused him of being a “self-hating Jew.” Jon Stewart has been criticized and even accused of being a propagandist by most of his opponents. Stewart was asked whether sarcasm puts him in trouble. In his defense, Stewart answered that he exercises his job in a country where satire is a “settled law,” and if a certain regime is not strong enough to handle a joke, then there is no regime. He adds, “ A joke is a joke.” He …show more content…
continues, We say we add insult to injury. Maybe a joke is an insult, but it never injured anybody…a joke has never shot tear gases to a group of people. It [a joke] is just talk. Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report: Stephen Colbert is an American political Satirist, writer, television host, and actor.
He is known for being the host of the television show, The Colbert Report, a satirical news show, in which he portrayed a caricatured version of conservative political talking heads. Many agree that Colbert’s character in The Colbert Report depicts the caricatured version of the political commentator Bill O’Reilly. After joining Chicago’s Second City Comedy Troupe, Colbert, along with other comedians created and starred in both Exit 57 and Strangers. In 1997, Colbert started appearing in episodes of The Daily show. In 2005, Colbert was given the opportunity to have his own spin-off of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Colbert Report. The Show is a parody of pundits who dominated the talk show airwaves. Colbert’s show was instantly one of the highest rated shows in the United
States. Six years after the Colbert Report started, Colbert appeared as the featured speaker at the 2006 White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner. With the presence of former US president George W. Bush, Colbert gave what was seen as a rude and rant speech that left the audience silent and had the critics divided. While some praised him for his delicate unique humor, others criticized him for being disrespectful. The controversy over The Colbert Report increased his popularity, and Colbert as a powerhouse in the field of political satire. Both comedians Stewart and Colbert embarked on ventures outside of their programs. For example, Stewart and Colbert used their celebrity to host The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Keep Fear alive in 2010. The purpose of the rally is to provide a venue for attendees to be heard above what Stewart depicted as the more vocal and extreme 15-20% of American who “control the conversation” of American politics. Also, Colbert attempted to run for president in both major party tickets in 2008 to vividly tackle controversial procedures in American election campaigns. The show influenced the way some Americans get their news. Moreover, viewers who get their news from only the daily show were more informed than viewers on MSNBC, CNN, or Fox News.
John Belushi was a well-known comedian, but was hiding a troubling life. Belushi first began his career as a comedian in 1971 when he joined The Second City comedy group in Chicago. In 1973, Belushi began airing on The National Lampoon Radio Hour which was a half-hour comedy program played across the United States. Belushi achieved national fame for his work on Saturday Night Live. Once he turned 30, Animal House was the number one film in the United States, The Blues Brothers: Briefcase Full of Blues was the number one album, and Saturday Night Live was the highest rated late night television program. Even with all his success and fame, Belushi had a different lifestyle and behavior that was not seen by the people watching his shows (Peele 2011).
Comedian Jon Stewart gives a speech on the Daily Show during the “Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear”. He wants the viewers of the Daily Show to realize the difference between the real and fake threats and to take a humorous perspective on most of America’s “problems”. Stewart also emphasizes to his audience not to take every person on the media by his word and not to overreact to everything they hear. He uses metaphors, comparisons, and hypothetical examples to get his point across.
Ferrell had a rough start on SNL. However, he had gladly won the hearts of viewers as he did more impressions and skits (“Biography”). Some of his most famous spot-on impressions included James Lipton, Harry Caray, Alex Trebek, Neil Diamond, and perhaps most famously George Bush. His most famous sketches include “The Spartan Cheerleader,” “Celebrity Jeopardy,” and “More Cowbell.”
For example, the comedy shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon expresses satirical humor concerning politics. His show also demonstrates political satire by telling jokes and even impersonating political figures for the audience. He creates humor through sarcasm that focuses on real issues. His sarcastic humor causes others to feel more confident in their criticism toward politicians. For example, “Jimmy Fallon expresses his humor about Donald Trump, impersonating his appearance and imitating his voice while talking about politics. He uses his humor by impersonating Donald Trump and his sweeping generalizations with Madea (Rogo).” Jimmy Fallon shows people his views through humor and it creates a sense of community to express their agreeable and disagreeable views. As we discussed some ideas about satirical humor that affects political changes, it was important to reveal their feelings about changes in life and drove them to look upon their society or government more
Throughout his whole career, Williams was always performing standup comedy. While many stand up comedians were using the same routine for almost every show they performed, Williams was performing a different show every night. He would improvise most of his material based on his audiences reaction instead of going into the show with all of his jokes thought out. This material helped change what stand up comedy was (Lombardi). Late comedian Joan Rivers says: “My favorite is Robin Williams. There's nobody like him. His mind is just wonderful. I respect him because he does what I do. I've seen him get up at The Comedy Store, work out a whole Carson shot and then come on Carson and make it look like it's easy. He takes nothing for granted. He knows exactly what he's doing. Robin Williams is one of those people
Many politically based talk shows focus on controversial topics. Their shows aim to cause discussion over many politically controversial topics. The shows cause people from both sides of politics to argue over topics that usually both sides strongly believe in their opinion. The shows begin to turn into a screaming fest, where one side, of the argument, tries to talk over the other side, while the other does the same thing. It shows that without humor or something else being there to lighten the mood a small debate can turn into a fully heated argument. This shows the power of context and diction. Through the use of a humorful tone, when used in the right time and place, people are able to calmly talk about topics that without it would be a full on argument. Through a comedian’s humorful word choice, he is able to make his points usually without completely enraging his audience. Those who don’t use humor or something else to lighten the mood, end up creating an argument that just grows and grows until both sides are screaming at and denying everything the other side says. However, eventually something is said that lightens the mood. This is usually something somewhat comical that both sides can relate to. Whatever it was that was said becomes the thing that both sides can agrees on, and as a result makes the argument
Mad Magazine, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live. In our society, satire is among the most prevalent of comedic forms. This was not always true, for before the 18th century, satire was not a fully developed form. Satire, however, rose out of necessity; writers and artists needed a way to ambiguously criticize their governments, their churches, and their aristocrats. By the 18th century, satire was hugely popular. Satire as an art form has its roots in the classics, especially in the Roman Horace's Satires. Satire as it was originally proposed was a form of literature using sarcasm, irony, and wit, to bring about a change in society, but in the eighteenth century Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and William Hogarth expanded satire to include politics, as well as art. The political climate of the time was one of tension. Any criticism of government would bring harsh punishments, sometimes exile or death. In order to voice opinions without fear of punishment, malcontented writers turned to Satire. Voltaire's Candide and Swift's Modest Proposal are two examples of this new genre. By creating a fictional world modeled after the world he hated, Voltaire was able to attack scientists, and theologians with impunity. Jonathan Swift created many fictional worlds in his great work, Gulliver's Travels, where he constantly drew parallels to the English government.
"Where have I been?" Dave Chappelle asked a San Francisco crowd in 2005. "It is a long story. It is a long, uninteresting story ..." Perhaps it is. And perhaps it isn’t. One thing is for certain. Today, Chappelle is considered by many to be one of the most influential comedians. He is particularly well known for his lively, controversial, and sometimes bordering on the obscene stand-up comic acts. In 2006, he was labeled “the comic genius of America” by Esquire. More recently, Billboard (2013) proclaimed him “the best.” Amazingly, it has been more than ten years since his comedy series, “The Chappelle Show” first aired. What’s even more amazing is the fact that his main body of work comes from only the first two seasons.
Robin Williams started his soon-to-be successful career as an improvisational comedian in comedy clubs. After achieving major success as a comedian, he began guest starring on a television show called Happy Days. After the show reached its end, he landed his own television show called Mork and Mindy (Robin Williams Biography.com). According to Dave Itzkoff article, “Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Comedian, Dies at 63,” it says that Robin Williams television show Mork and Mindy, was debuted in September 1978 on ABC. Within two weeks, it had reached number seven on the Nielsen ratings.
Satire is the most powerful democratic weapon in the arsenal of modern media. Sophia McClennen, the author of America According to Colbert: Satire as Public Pedagogy, describes it as the modern form of public pedagogy, as it helps to educate the masses about current issues (73). In fact, ”a Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey in 2004 found that 61 percent of people under the age of thirty got some of their political news from late-night comedy shows” (McClennen 73). This statistic shows how influential satirical shows such as The Colbert Report or South Park can be.
John Marwood Cleese, an English actor, comedian, writer and film producer said, “If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And if I can persuade you to laugh at the particular point I make, by laughing at it you acknowledge its truth”. The point he brings up is the ideology of satire. Satire, by definition, is a technique utilized by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society. This can be done by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule ("Satire - Definition and Examples", para.1). Often times, the humor used opens the audiences’ minds to the underlying problem that the writer is trying to reveal. By examining the purpose and methods of satire, dissecting literary works, and displaying examples in the media, satire is shown to be a valuable tool.
James Conroy argues that laughter in serious topics has been regarded through the ages as dangerous, deviant, and subversive; yet equally as refreshing, challenging, and constructive. Political humor is extensively used in almost all countries, but political satire is perceived differently from one country to another. The research question is as follows: what factors make political satire an effective tool that affects politics and policy? I argue that humor is more influential when blended with serious topics, such as international relations or politics. Laughter is a great means to put serious topics under the lenses of critical thinking. The use of humor, and political satire specifically can bring about serious political change. Humor can play all sorts of roles in the political process through being informative, educational and influential while keeping its captive entertaining
Television network Comedy Central, obviously known for their comedy programs, has a show called the Daily Show which doubles as a news broadcasting program of sorts. The broadcast is hosted by a South African comedian and actor named Trevor Noah. During the episode of the Daily Show following the democratic debate in Las Vegas, Noah and his news team did a post debate analysis where they presented a few of the main topics of the debate as well as their own remarks on each of the five individual candidates. While the Daily Show focused primarily on the satirical commentary of the top news headlines, the content and presentation can be analyzed through Nosich’s Standards of Reasoning to determine if the comedy show could be considered a reliable news source.
Satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues” (Oxford). The best satirical writers can make the readers believe that an idea is “logical and practical.” This is seen in great abundance in Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. Through his writing, Huxley uses satire to effectively point out the flaws of society at the time. Even though Brave New World was written in 1931, the satirical points Huxley makes are still relevant in today’s world.
Peyser, Marc. “The Truthiness Teller; Stephen Colbert Loves This Country Like he Loves Himself. Comedy Central’s Hot News Anchor is a Goofy Caricature of Our Blustery Culture. But he’s Starting to Make Sense.” Newsweek 13 February 2006: 50