A Daily Dose of Dissent

                Imagine concerned citizens looking at their options for the next presidential election. They see a potential candidate speaking at church Sunday night in their Texas town, and some are blown away by his patriotism and strong Christian values. He seems to stand for everything they believe in, and the fears he has for his sweet little grandchildren’s future, in a secular atheist society dominated by radical Islamists, are indeed terrifying. This man appears to be the real deal person of faith and family values people have been looking for, but not so fast. This man has been married three times, divorcing and marrying the other woman each time. His comment about an atheist society dominated by radical Islamist is completely incongruous, and he may have been less than genuine in his entire speech. Viewers might have some idea of this man’s hypocrisy and inconsistencies, as well as many others if they had watched The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; that is one of many reasons why everyone should watch The Daily Show. 

                It isn’t just one party in the political spectrum that The Daily Show goes after. The show did not hold punches when pointing out the absurdity of Obama’s secret meeting, where he received an award for transparency. A secret meeting for a transparency award, it would be funny if it wasn’t so disgusting. The Daily Show, unlike mainstream media, challenges administrations' spin. They follow along closer to the truth than the mainstream media at times and are unafraid of stepping on toes because their first responsibility is to be funny, period.

                While exposing hypocrisy may be the bread and butter of The Daily Show, that isn’t all it does; it can take complicated issues, or policies, and make them easily understandable for everyone. Viewers may not get the in-depth coverage of an issue, but they will get the gist and probably comprehend it better than if they had watched it on a 24 hour news channel. The Daily Show gives you the news the way it sees it. They are unconcerned with balance and there is an argument to be made that balance is overrated. Traditional journalists feel the need to give both sides of the story. The Daily Show does not. That can be extremely refreshing since not every side warrants being heard. 

                Part of The Daily Show’s appeal is that it holds public figures accountable for the things they say and do. President Obama may have said one thing in 2008 and something totally different last week, and viewers better believe that The Daily Show will not let that slide! If someone says, “I never said that,” there will be a clip of the same guy a month ago saying exactly that; it's a fantastic way to hold government officials accountable for their words and deeds. Sure the way it is done on The Daily Show usually incites laughter, but it is still done for the same reasons mainstream media does it with the added bonus of laughter to help take away some of the sting.

                Watching The Daily Show will result in better informed citizens, and much needed laughter. In a time when the 24 hour cable news stations and nightly news correspondents seem to be reporting less and less relevant news, The Daily Show seems to stand alone in challenging the powers that be. For that reason alone, this show is hugely important to our nation’s future. Watch The Daily Show to stay informed, watch it to laugh, watch it because there is nothing else near as good on at 10pm. Watch it because it’s not “fair and balanced”, if you have never watched it, watch it to see what all the fuss is about, but for goodness sake, watch it!