Four days later, I have just about accepted the end of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, repeatedly listening to Bruce Springsteen songs in tribute to the retired host. I have been watching the show religiously for four years, and therefore can’t say that ‘I’ve been there from the beginning’ or even, god-forbid, ‘Craig Kilborn was better’. All I can say is that during these few years, Jon Stewart’s unique brand of comedy was part of my daily routine, and one I will sorely miss. Throughout my three years at university, I would allow myself 20 minute breaks from study, or allocate 20 minutes to get ready for a night out, to make sure I watched the latest episode of The Daily Show. It certainly made me laugh – the correspondents (especially John Oliver and Jessica Williams) and his impressions (special mention to Mitch McConnell the turtle and Lindsay Graham the Southern belle) in particular always had me in stitches. Other favourite moments include ‘Can You Make Bill O’Reilly pay $4 for a shrimp’, John Oliver’s interviews with hypothetical President Herman Cain, McConnelling, “send your complaints to Brian Williams”, the racoon interview with Ricky Gervais, the Anchorman cast’s visit, and Oliver proudly showing Britain’s attempt at election debates in 2010. Despite Jon’s insistence, however, The Daily Show is about more than comedy.
Long live the Mitch McConnell turtle voice
It is worth noting here that I am British, but have long been interested in American politics. I will even go so far as to thank Jon Stewart for my A* in A-level Government and Politics, as for the final exam on American politics, the higher marks required obscure and recent examples, which I found in The Daily Show. Jon Stewart not only made me laugh but made me think, and, often, made me angry. His takedowns of the hateful propaganda spewed by Fox News, and his spotlights on the hypocrisy of politicians made me more aware of the, as he so often called it, ‘bullshit’ in our political discourse. I maintain that one of the greatest things I have seen on television was the Colbert Super PAC saga, which was hilarious while being remarkably informative about the rather dry topic of campaign finance. The episode when Jon took control of the PAC highlighted the loose rules regarding candidates and PACs ‘coordinating’ (and gave us some amazing moments of the best bromance on TV). Thanks to this segment, I am more educated about the endemic corruption in American campaign finance and its dire need for reform; the same goes for many other political issues. As Jon urged us in his final speech, we need to be vigilant against bullshit, and “if you smell something, say something”. That line, for me, sums up what The Daily Show accomplished with Jon at its helm. He let off no person or party he sensed were misleading the public, and was not the stooge of the Democrats as Fox would have you believe, tackling the GOP’s war on women and the faulty Obamacare rollout with equal vigor.
Clearly not coordinating
But Jon Stewart did not make me cynical. While even Obama worried about the effect of the show in his not-so-secret meetings with Stewart, I can say that the show made me more politically engaged. While Britain was not often covered by Stewart, observing the circus of American politics made me more skeptical about my own government, and the need for every citizen to actively engage in democracy. For The Daily Show’s message was not totally fatalistic. Certainly, the segment during his last week where Jon showed that racism continues with a vengeance, and Fox are ever more powerful, suggested little could be done. But it can’t be forgotten that Jon Stewart did have a very real effect. He did not end Fox’s reign of terror, nor lead to sweeping political reform, but it’s the little victories that matter. He forced the divisive partisanship of Crossfire off the air, and personally championed the 9/11 first responders bill, fueling public outrage at the Republican filibuster of the bill and thus ensuring its passage through Congress. In this case, Stewart was less a satirist and more an advocate journalist, following in the footsteps of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.
Stewart talks to 9/11 first responders on a special episode of The Daily Show
His influence extended in more abstract ways as well. He made the careers of Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Ed Helms, and John Oliver, bringing the world’s attention to a number of gifted comics. Indeed, as Colbert said to a tearful Stewart during his final show, “we owe you”. Stewart’s interviews also gave a platform to international figures like Maziar Bahari and Bassem Youssef, plus, who can forget that wonderful interview with Malala Yousafzai. But Stewart’s most important influence was that, no matter how patiently he insisted he was ‘just a comedian’, he consistently ranked as the nation’s most trusted newscaster – the Walter Cronkite of the internet age – and his viewers were found more informed than major news networks. His joint ‘Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear’ with Stephen Colbert attracted over 215,000 people; these numbers speak for themselves. Such a level of influence, shaping the political mind of the country, is unlikely to be found again.
I feel you there, Jon
I wish Trevor Noah the best of luck in taking on the daunting task of replacing Jon. I have no doubt he will be successful and bring a new edge to The Daily Show – apparently targeting Buzzfeed over Fox – but I will fondly remember my years of watching Jon Stewart. So thank you, Jon. Thanks for the talent you spotted, the jokes you made, the knowledge you imparted, and, most of all, thanks for helping us all see just a little clearer through the bullshit.
And now, a selection of my favourite Jon Stewart quotes:
George Bush accepting Gore’s concession in 2000: I was not elected to serve one party
Jon: You were not elected
On 9/11: “Any fool can blow something up. Any fool can destroy. But to see these guys, these firefighters and these policemen and people from all over the country, literally with buckets, rebuilding…that’s extraordinary. And that’s why we have already won…they can’t…it’s light. It’s democracy. They can’t shut that down.”
On gun control: “To battle the evil of terror, we started two wars, tortured people, reorganised almost the entire federal government, disallowed the air trafficking of shampoo and conditioner, and OK’d the robot sky killing of American citizens, if warranted by, someone. We’ll move Heaven and Earth to do whatever it takes to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of foreigners who might kill our citizens. Because apparently, we think killing our citizens is our job”
On Sarah Palin: “Someone cast a spell on a YouTube comment, and it came to life”
On the War on Terror: “If you don’t stick to your values when they’re being tested, they’re not values – they’re hobbies.”
On Fox News: “I’m not saying speech should be policed, and censored and boycotted. Or that people don’t have a right to say crazy things or to boycott things. I don’t believe that’s true. I think that speech should be much freer. But here’s one thing I do believe: Fox, shut the fuck up about how victimized you and you alone are. Nobody cares!”
Guy against gun control: I think Martin Luther King would agree with me, if he were alive today
Jon: Yeah, how did he die, again?
Bill O’Reilly: Traditional America as we knew it is gone
Jon: Unless your real name is ‘Sitting Bill’, you’ve got nothing to complain about
On the Republicans in 2012: “An alternate reality where Barack Obama is a socialist Muslim, global warming is from polar bear farts, FOX News is fair and balanced, and the greatest threat to our way of life in a time of unprecedented economic inequality and institutional advantage for the wealthy is two dudes who wanna get married…you must be very proud”
On the GOP 2012 platform: “According to the Republican Party platform, and the man who wants to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, if a woman wants to have a baby via in vitro fertilization, she cannot. Rape? She has to”
On Todd Akin’s ‘legitimate rape’ comments: “The female body is amazing! Did you know that the human vagina, besides being able to repel rape sperm, also can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot? And, from what I understand, can detect radon and carbon monoxide, can convert standard DVDs to Blu-ray, and if you are in a car chase, can shoot out tacks or an oil slick to throw off your pursuers! The vagina! The more you know!”
On Romney: “It’s not like Mitt Romney will pursue policies that are unfair to black people because he’s a Mormon. He’ll do that because he’s a Republican”
Harry Reid: The Senate was not established to be efficient
Jon: Well, mission fucking accomplished
On Rush Limbaugh’s birth control comments: “I’m just saying to the people who are upset about their hard earned tax money going to things they don’t like: Welcome to the fucking club. Everybody pays for shit they don’t want all the time. You know what, reimburse me for the Iraq war and oil subsidies, and diaphragms are on me”
On sexism: “Sexism. Does it still exist? Many men say ‘no'”
On Ferguson: “Race is there and it is a constant. You’re tired of hearing about it? Imagine how fucking exhausting it is living it”
On the Charleston shooting: “I honestly have nothing other than sadness that once again we have to peer into the abyss of the depraved violence that we do to each other and the nexus of a just gaping racial wound that will not heal yet we pretend doesn’t exist.”
So much to say, so few people who care 