Jon Stewart Takes Satire to the Big Stage

On the National Mall this weekend, Jon Stewart, comedic news anchor of the Daily Show, hosted the “Rally to Restore Sanity” which tens of thousands of people attended.  The rally was publicized as an event “for … people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat,” displaying the events desire to promote constructive, informed debate on the nation’s issues, as opposed to the polarizing commentary and fearmongering that often clouds debate.

While Jon Stewart has often bashed conservative pundits and politicians on his show, and though his audience is primarily liberal, I believe the rally was actually very apolitical, and to judge it as political would be to miss its point. The majority of attendees mirrored the Daily Show’s audience – middle class young adults with center-left political leanings – but the event itself did not promote liberal ideals and was not the liberal counterpart to Glenn Beck’s” Restoring Honor Rally.”

Stewart’s declaration that the intent of the rally was “not to ridicule people of faith or activism” is an inherently unbiased statement.  Stewart attacked neither republicans nor democrats, but rather the media for generating an environment where conflict can thrive.  He calls on the media not to be a “perpetual panic conflictanator,” but instead to use its power to bring the problems of the country into focus and illuminate low-profile issues.

Ultimately, this event was presented through a comedic lens not as a political attack on leaders of the right, but as a satirical commentary on the state of political discourse in this nation.   I think this is the point we should take away from the rally and that should be used as a guide for change in the media.

–Matt Friedrichs