MSNBC is reporting that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has ruined the lives of some of the subjects of its fake news stories, and also that Jon Stewart likes clubbing baby seals on his days off. Okay, I made up the part about the seals and exaggerated the “ruined the lives” thing, but the article does say that there are sometimes negative consequences for allowing oneself to be humiliated on national television. Go figure.
Consider the case of Susan Buzzi, a former arts administrator in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Broward County Art Guild fired her after she appeared in a field report by Ed Helms, who made the trip down from New York to lampoon an exhibit Buzzi put together on politically controversial art.”
Oops. What did she think was going to happen? Of course Ed Helms is going to make her look like a jerk. Note to self: If someone wants me to be on a fake news show, watch the show a couple times before agreeing to be on it.
Rick James ran this year for the City Council in Hattiesburg, Miss. … James, the candidate, was having trouble getting traction, because fans of “Chappelle’s Show” kept stealing his campaign signs. … That brought Stephen Colbert and “The Daily Show” to town. He came off pretty good in the piece – self-aware, funny and relaxed. You would think that would be a boon for a struggling local candidate. You would be wrong. “It did not really help my campaign,” he said this week. In fact, “it really hurt me for a local race.” … Worse, he said, was that the story – which was jumped on by the Associated Press, CNN and MTV – only fed the thieves’ hunger for his signs. … The end result, he said, was that “the same old person got into office.”
It’s tough to believe that Mr. James really thought going on Comedy Central would stop the sign thieves. That’s a bit like wearing nothing but leather chaps and stripper heels to the grocery store an expecting people not to hit on you. I know. I’ve tried it.
I love The Daily Show. And whether or not I may agree with all of their political opinions, it’s a daily inspiration for me to ridicule the clueless. It’s also the only news source for youngn’s who don’t read the paper or watch “real news.” And while some may frown on that, it’s refreshing to know some of them break away from their video games and Internet porn long enough to soak in some current events. Furthermore, if you agree to be on the show, you are going to look like an idiot. You just are. It’s like that feeling the cheater must get when he sees Joey Greco and the lights and cameras from Cheaters just when he/she was about to get laid. “It was worth a shot, I may look like an idiot now, but at least I got on TV.” I’d rather not have my 15 minutes if its going to go down like that.
