Stewart's Shades of Gray

When Jon Stewart takes a vacation, the news of the world gets a little harder to take. I'm not one of those people who rely on The Daily Show for "real" news, but Stewart's "fake" newscast takes the edge off the ridiculousness and hypocrisy of politicians, talking heads, everyday racists, and everything involving South Carolina.

When my boyfriend and I load up the latest show (one day delayed), we experience one half-hour of camaraderie with other people who actually see the world in shades of gray.

Instead of getting down in the dumps when Stewart takes a vacation, we've started watching archived episodes of The Daily Show. Our TV is connected to the web (we ditched cable, hallelujah) so we have all 11 years of the show at our fingertips. Neither of us watched the show regularly before about 2007 (night owls, we aren't), so we've had a blast going back and "discovering" correspondents like Steve Carell, Ed Helms and Steven Colbert.

But The Daily Show is so much more than comedy. Sure, some mistake it as a mouthpiece for the Left, but that characterization only holds water for lazy thinkers who see the world in black and white. That kind of thinking is for Fox News and MSNBC blowhards who want you to turn off your brains and tune in their channel for some adrenaline-pumping cheerleading.

Stewart, on the other hand, is the referee. He cuts through the bullshit, blows the whistle, and calls foul on anyone who step out of bounds. He uses humor to get your attention and, more importantly, illuminate the convenient narratives being shaped by politicians, media, and the corporations who own them all.

In effect, Stewart is America's mainstream media critic and, as far as I'm concerned, should be essential viewing for anyone who wants to see the world more honestly.

Since my review of "The Tillman Story" ran last Friday, I've received only two kinds of feedback: kudos for "telling it the way it is," and disdain for implying that the military or the Bush administration did anything wrong. Sides are clearly drawn - black and white, Left and Right.

But I'm curious to know what both camps will think if and when they actually see the film, which throws every assumption we're pressured to make -- about politics, war, honor, football players, family--into question. It's a film about shades of gray.

With "The Tillman Story" still on my mind, we decided to dig into The Daily Show archive and watch episodes from significant events in recent history. First we went to March 19, 2003, the day before the U.S. invaded Iraq. Then further back to February 6, 2003, the day after Colin Powell's presentation to the United Nations about Iraq's hidden weapons of mass destruction. If you need any proof of Stewart's good-natured ability to cut through the crap, these video time capsules are it, especially his interview with Bush speechwriter David Frum, whose smugness and phony "awe" of the President are sickening.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
David Frum
www.thedailyshow.com
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You also can't help but notice how much sunnier Stewart was back then in the early days of the Bush administration. Of course, he's older now, fuller-faced with more gray hair and better suits. But he's also angrier, more frustrated. I was a bit startled by the levity he displayed in talking about our run-up to Iraq. Still sharply funny, but without the "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" vibe he has now.

You know why? Because he knows that his gray-shaded take on the world is losing to the inanity of the Birthers, Tea Baggers and Glenn Becks of the world. And all these years he's been preaching to the choir. The very small, cable television choir.

We need more Jon Stewarts, more mainstream media critics, more angry, clear-thinking people insisting that Americans shove aside the black and white lazy-mindedness and start thinking (and acting) our way out of this mess of stupidity.

Start by going to see "The Tillman Story"-- and bring everyone you know.