[quote=danthedart][quote=davelj][quote=danthedart] Stewart is just as much a snake as Cramer or any other entertainer is.
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Yeah, but Stewart admits he’s a snake… IN THE INTERVIEW. In fact, I believe he says something on the order of, “Look, I sell snake oil here too, but that’s how I bill it – my show’s not meant to be taken seriously. You [Cramer, CNBC] market yourselves as serious.”
In other words, Stewart acknowledges that he’s nothing more than an entertainer and not to be taken seriously. Cramer and CNBC market themselves as “serious news.” When in fact they are not. They’re just entertainment. Not altogether too far removed from Jon Stewart, as things turn out. Oh the irony.[/quote]
Agreed… but the thing is that he’s being given so much credit for asking good questions. He says that he shouldn’t be taken seriously, but people all over the media and some on this forum do take him seriously. Look at this:
“It’s easy to blow him off as a “comedian” but it says a lot when a “comedy” show asks more important questions than the “news” shows out there. It’s no wonder why the younger generations get their news from Stewart and Colbert rather than Blitzer, Williams, or Couric.”
You think nobody is taking him seriously?[/quote]
95% of what John Stewart does is comedy. But about 5% is actually serious (although also funny). I think the interview with Cramer falls into the 5%. Sure, it was still comedy – but, as I said previously, he nailed the big picture on the head. Just because the guy’s a comedian, doesn’t mean he should NEVER be taken seriously.
Regarding the younger generations getting their news from Stewart, etc., I think that should probably read that “the younger generation gets its entertainment and skepticism about the world at large” from Stewart, etc. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of dummies out there. But I think you’d have a hard time finding anyone who thinks that watching the Daily Show is a “serious” window into current events – even dumb teenagers know this. But that also doesn’t mean that it’s ALL one big punchline… as the Cramer interview illustrates.
