By Eli Solidum
Jon Stewart is a comedic genius, so it's a pretty rare occurrence for one of his humorous political rants to cause a reaction that isn't laughter. His monologue on the situation in Ferguson, Missouri was one of those rare occurrences. It incites emotions of anger, sadness, and even heartfelt compassion. Let's face it, for regular watchers of The Daily Show, the content has become so predictable that the most emotion we display while watching it is probably a few chuckles and a lot of head shaking. It's not that it is boring or unfunny by any means, but the show takes the same path every episode. Poking fun at an ignorant politician's statement, and absolutely shitting on Fox News. Same stuff, different episode.
But what Stewart showed us in his segment about Ferguson was far from his norm. Stewart's been around for a while, and this side of him has rarely ever been seen. Scripted or not.. this is one of the most powerful and heartfelt speeches covering Ferguson, racism, and just plain compassion for other human beings.
Jon Stewart is a comedic genius, so it's a pretty rare occurrence for one of his humorous political rants to cause a reaction that isn't laughter. His monologue on the situation in Ferguson, Missouri was one of those rare occurrences. It incites emotions of anger, sadness, and even heartfelt compassion. Let's face it, for regular watchers of The Daily Show, the content has become so predictable that the most emotion we display while watching it is probably a few chuckles and a lot of head shaking. It's not that it is boring or unfunny by any means, but the show takes the same path every episode. Poking fun at an ignorant politician's statement, and absolutely shitting on Fox News. Same stuff, different episode.
But what Stewart showed us in his segment about Ferguson was far from his norm. Stewart's been around for a while, and this side of him has rarely ever been seen. Scripted or not.. this is one of the most powerful and heartfelt speeches covering Ferguson, racism, and just plain compassion for other human beings.
"Race is there and it is a constant. You're tired of hearing about it? Imagine how f***ing exhausting it is to be living it."
It is incredible when one of the most honest and real reactions to the drama in Ferguson comes from someone who does comedy for a living. Racism is an issue, whether you witness it or not. Like Stewart said earlier in his monologue, people that say racism does not exist because they don't see it are like the ones that say global warming isn't real because it snows where they live. All too often I hear my privileged, upper-class Caucasian friends deny that racism is an issue.
Well, until you experience the fear when a police officer pulls you over... or the daggers of judgment when people see you with a white woman... or retail employees following you and only you around the store... then you have no right to say that racism does not exist. Racism exists. It is there for blacks. It is there for Muslims. It is there for Hispanics, Asians, and yes, even Caucasians.
Martin Luther King had a dream. Let's be the generation to finally fulfill it.
It is incredible when one of the most honest and real reactions to the drama in Ferguson comes from someone who does comedy for a living. Racism is an issue, whether you witness it or not. Like Stewart said earlier in his monologue, people that say racism does not exist because they don't see it are like the ones that say global warming isn't real because it snows where they live. All too often I hear my privileged, upper-class Caucasian friends deny that racism is an issue.
Well, until you experience the fear when a police officer pulls you over... or the daggers of judgment when people see you with a white woman... or retail employees following you and only you around the store... then you have no right to say that racism does not exist. Racism exists. It is there for blacks. It is there for Muslims. It is there for Hispanics, Asians, and yes, even Caucasians.
Martin Luther King had a dream. Let's be the generation to finally fulfill it.
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