THANK YOU! I too used to love Jon Stewart but then I started noticing his sexism. It was subtle at first but the uneasiness within me kept growing. I started noticing how few female guests he had on (how few people of color too which really became noticeable once Trevor Noah became host) and how few female correspondents there were. I became even more uncomfortable with his frat bro humor. Of course, it came out full force when Hillary was running. The Bernie Bros really exposed the misogyny within the leftwing community and it was absolutely disheartening. Still is.
I didn't watch him last time and have no plans to do so. I'm incredibly disappointed to hear he went after Biden's age (or Biden in general) because everything you said is true. Biden is our last, best hope for democracy. Trump made that crystal clear (again) yesterday with his comments about NATO. Stewart knows this. He's a New Yorker. He knows how terrible Trump is and, during his time advocating for 9/11 first responders, he got a crash course in which party cares about people and which party doesn't. HE KNOWS!!! I just don't understand it.
Ramona, did you happen to see Lawrence O’Donnell’s A-block from The Last Word on MSNBC last night? I thought it was particularly good and hope it will be shared widely. Lawrence spoke persuasively about some of the problems (ageism in particular) in how the presidential race is being covered. You may be able to see part of it here, although they left off the interview with Timothy Snyder: https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-biden-on-his-worst-day-is-better-than-trump-on-his-best-day-204101189938
(I’m sure you can hear the whole thing on the podcast, but it would be audio only.)
I saw it the same way, Ramona. It was lazy and more of the same. The great artists evolve -- keep it fresh. Dude had 10 yrs., and we got this lazy nonsense.
I'll give him a try a few more times for a better sample size, but I am admittedly skeptical.
I never liked Jon Stewart in the first place, because I saw the meanness underneath. But I don't like any of the talking heads, no matter what their alleged orientation is, because they're all the same. Don't listen to the words, listen to the tones they use. Same.
I agree with your wholeheartedly. The other issue I don't understand is why the networks cover Trump and his meanness, hate, and lies ad nauseam. He is prime time - all the time.
I thought the ending of the monologue was prescient. That no matter what happens, progress is painfully slow, and takes a lot of hard work. It took Jon literal decades to get healthcare for 9/11 first responders, which is something I still give him a lot of credit for. He was dead right about that, and it would do everyone well to remember that when they expect things to change RIGHT NOW.
The part that irked me was when he compared Biden and Trump and said both were vibrant or capable or whatever. The latter is neither, he is a dangerous madman who shouldn't be allowed to own a houseplant, never mind run the country. That was my main problem. Biden's team is doing a piss poor job, and he is right that Biden should not be above criticism. I don't even care if he makes fun of Biden. What I DO think is irresponsible is acting like there's an actual choice here. There isn't. There wasn't last time, either.
Y'all are missing the point, I think. Trump IS too crazy and old to be Prez. But, Biden is too old too, yet Democrats still back him...see all your comments above. Stewart knocks the Biden campaign as a warning to the party. Stewart is frustrated that the Democratic party won't nominate a young vibrant candidate to blow Trump out of the water. There are so many...Newsome, Buttigieg, Warnock, Whitmer, Beshear, Duckworth, Booker, Brown, Kelly. Yet Biden - at a 39 % approval - is the guy? He has done a great job true, but he is falling behind Trump because......he IS too old. Most of the country thinks so, and they are not wrong. Biden should step aside and the Dems should nominate a younger someone to lead us from and in the 21st century who can blow MAGA away instead of the neck-and-neck race to the bottom we have now. That is Jon Stewart's point.
100% agree with you Ramona. I thought he came back to make a difference, not to bash Biden. You are not the only one. I will not be watching this show at all.
Ramona! Thank you for writing this, for a number of reasons. One of them is that I too used to watch and enjoy John Stewart regularly. Listening to him recently, I was confounded. Had I changed so much? I’m glad for your analysis showing me That he has morphed.
(I mean, of course I’ve changed too. it’s been years. Would be sad if there’d been no evolution.)
THANK YOU! I too used to love Jon Stewart but then I started noticing his sexism. It was subtle at first but the uneasiness within me kept growing. I started noticing how few female guests he had on (how few people of color too which really became noticeable once Trevor Noah became host) and how few female correspondents there were. I became even more uncomfortable with his frat bro humor. Of course, it came out full force when Hillary was running. The Bernie Bros really exposed the misogyny within the leftwing community and it was absolutely disheartening. Still is.
I didn't watch him last time and have no plans to do so. I'm incredibly disappointed to hear he went after Biden's age (or Biden in general) because everything you said is true. Biden is our last, best hope for democracy. Trump made that crystal clear (again) yesterday with his comments about NATO. Stewart knows this. He's a New Yorker. He knows how terrible Trump is and, during his time advocating for 9/11 first responders, he got a crash course in which party cares about people and which party doesn't. HE KNOWS!!! I just don't understand it.
Ramona, did you happen to see Lawrence O’Donnell’s A-block from The Last Word on MSNBC last night? I thought it was particularly good and hope it will be shared widely. Lawrence spoke persuasively about some of the problems (ageism in particular) in how the presidential race is being covered. You may be able to see part of it here, although they left off the interview with Timothy Snyder: https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-biden-on-his-worst-day-is-better-than-trump-on-his-best-day-204101189938
(I’m sure you can hear the whole thing on the podcast, but it would be audio only.)
I saw it the same way, Ramona. It was lazy and more of the same. The great artists evolve -- keep it fresh. Dude had 10 yrs., and we got this lazy nonsense.
I'll give him a try a few more times for a better sample size, but I am admittedly skeptical.
He was messaging the Biden campaign that they are inept, not Biden directly.
I never liked Jon Stewart in the first place, because I saw the meanness underneath. But I don't like any of the talking heads, no matter what their alleged orientation is, because they're all the same. Don't listen to the words, listen to the tones they use. Same.
I agree with your wholeheartedly. The other issue I don't understand is why the networks cover Trump and his meanness, hate, and lies ad nauseam. He is prime time - all the time.
I am sick to my stomach reading the reviews.
Thank you for this. It makes me ill to think that if he continues this vein of "humor" that he could help usher in the return of TFG.
I thought the ending of the monologue was prescient. That no matter what happens, progress is painfully slow, and takes a lot of hard work. It took Jon literal decades to get healthcare for 9/11 first responders, which is something I still give him a lot of credit for. He was dead right about that, and it would do everyone well to remember that when they expect things to change RIGHT NOW.
The part that irked me was when he compared Biden and Trump and said both were vibrant or capable or whatever. The latter is neither, he is a dangerous madman who shouldn't be allowed to own a houseplant, never mind run the country. That was my main problem. Biden's team is doing a piss poor job, and he is right that Biden should not be above criticism. I don't even care if he makes fun of Biden. What I DO think is irresponsible is acting like there's an actual choice here. There isn't. There wasn't last time, either.
Y'all are missing the point, I think. Trump IS too crazy and old to be Prez. But, Biden is too old too, yet Democrats still back him...see all your comments above. Stewart knocks the Biden campaign as a warning to the party. Stewart is frustrated that the Democratic party won't nominate a young vibrant candidate to blow Trump out of the water. There are so many...Newsome, Buttigieg, Warnock, Whitmer, Beshear, Duckworth, Booker, Brown, Kelly. Yet Biden - at a 39 % approval - is the guy? He has done a great job true, but he is falling behind Trump because......he IS too old. Most of the country thinks so, and they are not wrong. Biden should step aside and the Dems should nominate a younger someone to lead us from and in the 21st century who can blow MAGA away instead of the neck-and-neck race to the bottom we have now. That is Jon Stewart's point.
100% agree with you Ramona. I thought he came back to make a difference, not to bash Biden. You are not the only one. I will not be watching this show at all.
Yes. It didn't take long for Stewart to enshittify himself totally, either.
Wonderful post. Thank you!
I miss your writing about anything else but politics.
Ramona! Thank you for writing this, for a number of reasons. One of them is that I too used to watch and enjoy John Stewart regularly. Listening to him recently, I was confounded. Had I changed so much? I’m glad for your analysis showing me That he has morphed.
(I mean, of course I’ve changed too. it’s been years. Would be sad if there’d been no evolution.)
Thank you for writing about issues that matter.
Totally agree. I, too, stopped watching Stewart because of his meanness.