UPDATED: Stewart, Colbert to rally...for irony we can't believe in
UPDATED: Stewart, Colbert to rally...for irony we can't believe in
As you were warned last week, I've written a story for today's Daily News about the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally in D.C. this Saturday, the people from Philly who are attending, and what it all means. Here's an excerpt:
But - in perhaps a commentary on the absurdness of the American political moment - there remains little agreement over what the rally is actually about, even among those who've plunked down hundreds of dollars for train tickets and motel rooms.
Is it, indeed, an in-your-face rejoinder to conservatives Beck and Sarah Palin, who drew a large throng to the Lincoln Memorial on the other end of the Mall for their Restoring Honor rally in late August?
Is it nothing more than a big outdoor comedy show with rock bands on a glorious October day - with no grander purpose than biting satire, and perhaps moving a few copies of Stewart's new book?
Or, is it what Stewart himself has said, "a rally for the people who've been too busy to go to rallies, who actually have lives and families and jobs (or are looking for jobs) - not so much the Silent Majority as the Busy Majority"?
As they say on Facebook - where as of yesterday some 221,543 people claimed they would be attending - it's complicated.
I have my own thoughts about the Rally to Restore Sanity -- in fact, I wrote an op-ed that's scheduled to run in the Los Angeles Times on Friday -- but I'm a little tied up with a midday event, so this is a chance for you to weigh in. I'll update the post with my commentary later today.
UPDATE: The headline for the post refers to "irony," which Stewart and Colbert are the masters of -- the arched eyebrow and what not. They are also, as I've argued here several times over the last couple of years, arguably two of the best journalists working in America right now -- because they're not afraid to ask tough questions from time to time (that's mainly a reference to Stewart) and because they've done so much to expose hypocrisy, from politicians (an easy target!) and in the media (also an easy target, but one that rarely gets its proper due because the media doesn't like to report on itself). Last night was a good example, tracing all the times over the last 21 (yes, 21 years) that Sen. John McCain has proclaimed that "Washington is broken!" You think maybe with all this time he would have fixed it by now.
That's what the Comedy Central duo do. They function not just as comedians but as ace journalists from the comfort zone of their studios in Manhattan -- but journalists generally don't stage large outdoor rallies, not even for a cause as vague as "sanity," and with good reason. Rallies are typically for something -- and not for irony.
Like most members of my Generation Jones coming in the wake of the tragically sincere Baby Boomers (maybe peace love and understanding is funny, afterall!), Stewart and Colbert revel in irony, the constant hypocrisy of our pop-culture that now permeates political culture. Irony is "hipsters" who go out on the town and have a grand time wearing a trucker hat and drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon, the joke being that they are not the kind of person who would really wear a trucker hat and drink PBR...except that here they are doing exactly that. Ironic, huh? Now here come thousands of liberally leaning folks but not the kind who would ever attend a real political rally for a controversial cause. Yet now they're enjoying the comaradarie and good times of a rally, without commiting to anything -- except the irony that they are attending a rally of their own.
I guess I'm predicting that the Rally to Restore Sanity will be the trucker hat and PBR of political rallies -- but Stewart and Colbert still have three days to prove me wrong.
Vitriol = Cruel and bitter criticism. Not sure TPS's quotes fit that. His quotes are just name-calling, is all.— pj katauskas- "Because it is an analogy, it can't be vitriolic." Its vitriolic to compare a rally to an animal. Got it. so is it vitriolic when you compare others to trained seals? I'm confused with the analogy rules. You've now accused people of both racist and vitriolic for making an animal analog. Yet you cosntantly do the same. A step further, why is calling Stewart/Colbert "punks" vitriolic, but you calling conservatives wackjobs not?— RG
If I do make it down there this weekend is it BYOB or will bongs be provided??? Also any truth to the rumor that Eric Cartman will be making a special guest appearance???— bird11- RG, he sometimes gets himself into linguistic pretzel positions.— pj katauskas
- You seem to be confused yet again, RG. Where did I ever say that my comments (at least many of them) at Attytood aren't vitriolic? Yet more evidence that you can't even conceive of people who are willing to be held accountable.— Talking point sleuth
- "I'm confused with the analogy rules. You've now accused people of both racist and vitriolic for making an animal analog. Yet you cosntantly do the same. A step further, why is calling Stewart/Colbert "punks" vitriolic, but you calling conservatives wackjobs not?"
RG - if you want answers to those questions you'll need to attend the David Letterman/RuPaul "Restoring Logic Rally".— bird11 - {{{---}}} I'm confused with the analogy rules. {{{---}}} Too funny. So now there are "rules" about what words mean? Yet more evidence that you can't even conceive of any worlds outside of those shaped by ideology.— Talking point sleuth
- {{{---}}} Got it. so is it vitriolic when you compare others to trained seals? {{{---}}} Wow! I guess it really does sting when I do that, huh RG? Would it help if I apologized? Too funny.— Talking point sleuth
- PJ - be it vitriol or just name-calling it better not stop - how would Attyttod survive without it???— bird11
- {{{---}}} why is calling Stewart/Colbert "punks" vitriolic, but you calling conservatives wackjobs not? {{{{---}}} More classic logic there, RG. I never said that calling conservatives wackjobs isn't vitriolic. Clearly, it is vitriolic. Once again, we have evidence that you can't even conceive of people not needing to apply ideologically distorted logic. Oh, and RG, I don't call conservatives wackjobs - I call "conservatives" wackjobs. In case you've missed my numerous explanations earlier, I put "conservatives" in quotes specifically to distinguish the vast majority of conservatives from the Attytood Republican toadies and libertarian extremists who call themselves "conservatives." And yes, RG, as vitriolic as it is, I maintain that our much beloved Attytood Republican toadies and libertarian extremists are, in fact, wackjobs.— Talking point sleuth
- Oh, and RG - I just got a couple of pounds of cyber-smelts for your dining pleasure. Maybe downy will post a racist comment, and you can jump through hoops to defend him. As much as I'd like to give you some regardless, seal-training only works if the seals perform tricks for their rewards.— Talking point sleuth
- "Where did I ever say that my comments (at least many of them) at Attytood aren't vitriolic? Yet more evidence that you can't even conceive of people who are willing to be held accountable." So in the last two weeks we've learned that your idea of accountability is criticizing people for being virtriolic, but then engaging in the same behavior. Another fine example of your accountability is criticizing Gonway's ads in the Ky race, but then admitting you'd vote for him. You're one accountable fellow.
— RG - Talking sleuth, did you get a job yet? I doubt it.— frankfj
- {{{---}}} TPS just went upstairs and high fived his fat mom after those awesome posts {{{---}}} Wow! Tuffy steps up a bit in class. He's now gone from potty jokes to yo' mama jokes. Now watch pj and witless clap (like trained seals) in response. Of course, no offense meant by that. I wouldn't want anyone to think that my saying pj and witless act like trained seals is vitriolic, or anything like that. Too funny.— Talking point sleuth
- "Of course, no offense meant by that. I wouldn't want anyone to think that my saying pj and witless act like trained seals is vitriolic, or anything like that." You already admitted it was vitriolic, now you're issuing clarfiying statements? Bad day, huh.— RG
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