Politics – Page 8 – The View From Sari's World

“There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.” William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

We haven’t done this in a while, so it might come as a shock, but we need to talk politics. I’ve got a few issues to bring to the table, so this week we focus on the Presidential candidates and the topics at hand. First up, Trump, whose to blame and why.

I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, Et tu, Brute? After all, what is there to say about the bloviating, arrogant, grandiose, windbag? Surely, if we just ignore him, Trump will go away. I get it. In fact, this is how I felt at first; his bid for the White House had to be a joke, right? Was he doing it for ratings or did he just like the press coverage? It turns out, even after being fired from his Television show, The Apprentice, and losing his spot as a Macy’s brand, Trump continued with his shtick, which turns out, may not be shtick at all.

As I watched his first few interviews I thought perhaps he was a Democratic plant, or a very, very well played troll, out to make the GOP look bad (as if they needed the help) but as time goes on, and his popularity grows we have to ask an important question: What the hell is going?!

Love him or hate him, one thing is clear, Donald Trump has hit a nerve and the blame for his popularity rests squarely on the shoulders of the GOP and the 24 news cycle.

Trump’s racists, misogynistic message is indicative of all that is wrong with the GOP. For the last 8 years we have watched our do-nothing but scare people Congress, sink into a cesspool of hate and fear. Their refusal to work with our President and spew nonsense about issues, especially women and Climate Change, goes hand in hand with the willingness of certain “news” organizations who are all to happy to repeat and sometimes, lead in the spread of such nonsense. Everyone sees that the system is broken, and those that continue to “want their country back” are all too willing to have Trump as their spokesperson. Ever distrustful of the government, but yet have bought into the fear mongering, these people yearn for someone who will take on the establishment and put it in its place. Trump is a loud mirror that projects what these people are thinking; and they are thinking racist and misogynistic thoughts because they have been spoon fed by the GOP and the media who supports the party. Trump is their monster let loose. And just like in the book Frankenstein, the GOP created him, but now does not want him. Oh the delicious irony!

It would be easy to dismiss Trump as just another crank, whose 15 minutes of fame has continued far longer that it should have, thanks to the mainstream media, but we can’t. Not now that we’ve seen other candidates take up his message. Just this week, after Trump announced he wants to get rid of the 14^th Amendment, many of the other Clown Car, GOP candidates repeated his idea as if it were their own. Scott Walker, one of the least informed of the candidates, actually said he would get rid of it and enforce our existing immigration laws. Sir, how do you uphold existing laws while simultaneously wanting to strip a Constitutional law? What kind of mental yoga is this?

This repeating of his message is only fanning the flame that is Trump. Instead of pushing him away, they are embracing some of his crazier ideas. This in turn makes Trump the stronger candidate, as he always says it first! His ideas become their ideas, but people will not look to the GOP, they will look to Trump because he is always a step ahead of them. This is one reason why he is leading in the polls.

The mainstream media is not helping either. Trump is now the leading American zeitgeist. Whether they are cowering to him or making fun of him, Trump is the central story. Even the liberal news channels are now taking him seriously and talking as if he will be the GOP nominee. Can you imagine? I can, and it scares me.

This is because of the GOP’s continued move to its crazy, paranoid base. They have embraced the cranks and duped them into thinking their fears are well founded; that the bogymen outside of our borders are coming to get them and take their jobs and religious freedom. The system is broken. Make no mistake, Trump won’t fix it, but to many he may be the best defense against a crumbling political body and nation. They don’t see that he is merely a Golem created by the GOP and 24-hour news cycle (they are the ones who planted these ideas in his head). Or maybe they do, and don’t care. This thought to me, is as scary as anything Trump says.

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/ But in ourselves.” William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Before Comedy Central became the juggernaut it is today, it was a low budget cable channel called “Ha!”. I don’t recall what I was watching the night I first saw him, but I do remember being taken in by the leather jacket, good looks, and sharp wit. Sometime in the fall of 1993, I fell in love with Jon Stewart.

As the years went on, I followed Stewart’s career. When he became the host of “The Daily Show”, I was thrilled, and for 16 years I never missed an episode. But now he is retired, and already I am left feeling the void. Don’t get me wrong, my young crush on him is not why I’m feeling this way; crushes come and go. Rather it is what Stewart did and what he stood for that I will miss. He was the voice of reason when it seemed insanity reined supreme. For many of us, Stewart was the beacon of light in the shit storm created by the media and our government. Through wit and biting intellect, Stewart called out those who tried to sell us bullshit. Now that he is gone, we are left wondering what we will do without our beacon?

In the last few weeks critics have argued over Stewart’s enduring legacy. Some say it is the long list of comedic legends that got their start on the “Daily Show”. Others argue that he created the current face of the news media. That now, many news outlets try to capture the popularity of The Daily Show, while simultaneously keeping a serious news tone. Rachel Maddow admits her show is based on the foundation laid down by Stewart. As much as I enjoy her show, the truth is, the two are nothing alike.

I’d argue that his legacy lay not in what he created, be it the “new” news or new comedic faces, but in what he did. No other satirist successfully lifted back the curtain as far as he did in order to show the world just how human and flawed our politicians truly are. He proved there are no wizards running the State, just imperfect men whose desires are purely selfish. Stewart didn’t just make fun of them, he called them out, and held them accountable. Will Rogers was good for a short zing or two, but he never sat a politician down, looked him in the eye, and asked, “Really, you thought that was a good idea?”

That will be Jon Stewart’s legacy. He, like no other, had the courage to stand up to pundits, politicians, and hucksters. For 16 years we loyal viewers watched as Stewart said what many of us were thinking. No actually, he educated us on how we should think, and on the importance of such thought. Stewart was unintentionally America’s greatest professor of humanities. And like all students whose classroom is now empty, we ask, “What will we do without our beloved professor”?

Stewart answered this question beautifully on his last show. It was his last lesson and the one that we fans should take seriously. He gave us 16 years of unyielding rage against all that would, at worst, tear us apart, at best, try to keep the masses pacified. Stewart taught us that it was okay, nay, it was better for us to question those who would rather we didn’t.

We should honor his legacy by taking his final words to heart. We may not have Jon Stewart to guide us, but we can model ourselves after him. Those of us who watched him because we needed to know there was someone else out there who thought like us, who was our voice, must now raise our own. If we all become our own Jon Stewarts the world will be a better place. If we do this, Stewart’s legacy will become cemented in the American psyche. I can think of no better way of honoring the 16 years he has given us and all that he has taught us.

I give you Jon Stewart’s final lesson; Bullshit is everywhere.

Remember, if you smell something, say something. You know I will!

Tag: Politics

Donald Trump, the monster the GOP created

Jon Stewart, America’s Professor of Humanities

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