I found out the other day that Jon Stewart, the host of the Daily Show on Comedy Central, is holding a rally to "restore sanity" in American discussion. Also, his counterpart, Stephen Colbert, is holding his own rally at the same time with the goal of preserving fear. Now I recognize that both of these guys are known to be quite the goofballs, but I think that just because something is funny doesn't mean that it doesn't have a message, even a very serious message. The kind of sensationalized politics that finds its way into the media doesn't reflect the actual feelings of American people as a whole and makes serious discussion about politics impossible. The voice of moderation seems to be disappearing from our political sphere, but this is the only voice that can successfully accomplish compromise. So I endorse this event as an important realization for America. Also, it will probably be entertaining.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI wonder how John Winthrop or William Bradford would respond to the comic genre of today's public discourse. Would they be as perplexed as we sometime are when we read their writings that conform to the conventions of their culture?
LDL