Jon Stewart, still a ‘tiny, neurotic man,’ back to remind Americans what’s at stake

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Jon Stewart, still a ‘tiny, neurotic man,’ back to remind Americans what’s at stake

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

It’s an uncomfortable truth: Jon Stewart and Donald Trump both tapped the same well of latent public disaffection with politics and the media in the 2000s. Trust in

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and

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had been declining for several decades. But the symbiotic relationship between the White House and the press during the Iraq War highlighted the dangers of a lap dog press.

It was against this backdrop that Stewart and Trump used their positions outside the fray to ally themselves with their audiences and draw pointed contrasts with the artifice of postmodern politics. But they did this—and continue to do this—in opposing ways.

Trump lashes out when politicians and journalists bring us closer to truth. Stewart criticizes them for keeping us in the dark. To Stewart, the solutions to America’s political spectacle are political accountability and increased transparency. To Trump, the solution is far simpler:

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.

In 2003, maybe Stewart could call himself “

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.” But today, with his

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to host “The Daily Show,” he is part of the school administration trying to keep the lights on and the students learning.

Criticizing Bush’s war

During the George W. Bush years, Stewart perfected the art of ironic satire, playfully critiquing politicians, the press and the public, while implying something better was possible.

He feigned incredulity as he critiqued the Bush administration’s

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and cynical invocation of

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in its justification for the Iraq War.

Stewart used irony to describe failures of ********* policy as though they were fabulous successes. Like on July 16, 2007, when he said enthusiastically, “As you know, we are now entering our fifth year of making … very good progress in Iraq. Obviously the president defining ‘progress’ now as ‘moving forward in time.'” Stewart invited his

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to conclude the opposite: “Things should not be this way, and we deserve better.”

Around the same time, Trump was also criticizing Bush, but through

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. In 2007, he told

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“everything in Washington has been a lie. Weapons of mass destruction—it was a total lie. It was a way of attacking Iraq.”

By 2011, Trump aimed his hyperbole and outrage at a new target: President Barack Obama. Trump challenged the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency by

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and suggesting

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. The “Birther Lie” launched Trump’s political career. It also solidified his appeal among those whose worldview was amenable to authoritarian populism: those high in

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and

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.

Authoritarianism vs. democracy

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with concentrated powers in the executive branch. If reelected, he has vowed to use the Department of Justice

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and has explored ways to use the

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stemming from his reelection.

Trump’s critiques of the press echo an authoritarian perspective, too. When Trump lambastes the press as “fake news,” it is in response to negative coverage of himself

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.

To Stewart, though, journalism’s failures are not ideological or personal, but professional. He criticizes them for not getting us closer to the truth. He has critiqued

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, give time to “both sides” and “leave the conversation there,” even when one side is demonstrably wrong. He has criticized politicians’ reliance on

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who

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to get more favorable coverage.

Stewart’s new old role

Though a political outsider two decades ago, Stewart now finds himself inside the political and media institutions whose roles include making the public aware of—and thus safeguarding them from—the antidemocratic and destabilizing forces of

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.

Since Stewart’s return to “The Daily Show” after his 2015 departure, he has interviewed democracy expert

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on ways to protect democracy,

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about the complex forces shaping U.S. immigration policy, Middle East-focused journalists

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on *******’s war in Gaza, and legal scholars

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on Trump’s efforts to avoid prosecution.

Through these conversations, Stewart showcases guests who espouse a pluralistic ******** vision of democracy. And through his satire, Stewart himself shows that democratic institutions and processes may be messy, but their ability to protect the will and liberty of the people makes them indispensable.

Or, as Stewart said in a February episode, “The difference between America’s urinal-caked chaotic subways and Russia’s candelabra’d beautiful subways is

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.”

Stewart explained his 2024 return to “The Daily Show” as wanting to “have some kind of place to unload thoughts

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.”

But having studied the

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since Stewart became “The Daily Show” host in 1999, I see his return as evidence he recognizes the protective role he can play for ********* democracy. Because even if ironic satire isn’t great at persuading people to change their minds, research shows it does subtly shape how we think about and engage with our political world.

When satirists cover an issue, viewers become more likely to

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. Satire also shapes how people think about politicians and issues. In the early 2000s, I conducted a series of studies that revealed that exposure to jokes about presidential candidates provided study participants with criteria they then used to evaluate those candidates—like Al Gore’s

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or George W. Bush’s lack of intellect or performance on Iraq. And when study participants didn’t have a lot of political knowledge, satire helped them fill in the gaps.

Satire is also great at highlighting

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, such as the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the

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campaign finance decision.

Satire encourages audiences to pay

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and

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politics in new ways, motivating them to seek out other information or talk about politics with friends. And even though satirists like Stewart may be critical of journalism, their programs highlight the importance of an independent press to a democratic society, increasing viewers’

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There’s always a role for the satirist

Because Trump’s rhetoric is so explicit and outrageous, some have suggested it may

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. But despite its explicitness, there is still a lot that authoritarian populists like Trump don’t ever say.

This is where satirists like Stewart can help fill in the gaps: By juxtaposing populist authoritarians’

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with the ugly reality of life under authoritarianism.

For example, in a recent episode of “The Daily Show,” Stewart deconstructed Tucker Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir ****** and Carlson’s glowing reviews of Russia’s grocery stores and sparkling subway system.

“Perhaps if your handlers had allowed,” Stewart says as though addressing Carlson, “you would have seen there is a hidden fee to your cheap groceries and orderly streets. Ask

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or any of his supporters.”

In a 2021 discussion

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about ********* democracy, Stewart lamented Democrats’ endless hand-wringing over Trump’s threat to democracy. Instead, Stewart proposed: “Action is the antithesis of anxiety.”

What we see in Stewart’s return is him reminding us that ********* democracy is never done. It takes constant action.

Stewart may still be “

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,” but far from throwing tomatoes at the chalkboard, now he’s standing tall in front of the class, and school is in session.

Provided by
The Conversation

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Citation:
Jon Stewart, still a ‘tiny, neurotic man,’ back to remind Americans what’s at stake (2024, March 24)
retrieved 24 March 2024
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