Jon Stewart's guest tonight was Bernard Goldberg who wrote the book "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America". It's apparently mostly (but not completely) liberals and Hollywood types. Stewart was in top form doing what only he can accomplish, being both serious and funny at the same time, and in this case a wee bit antagonistic.
Goldberg's argument is apparently that culture is deteriorating and we should clean it up. He said he didn't want laws to do this (good that would be censorship) but that we should be able to have a conversaton about it. Jon Stewart did a wonderful job commenting that Barbara Streisand was in the book (#91) and she "hadn't ruined a culture since Yentl". Goldberg said Chevy Chase called the president a dumb fuck at the Kennedy Center (missed that) and only Stewart could come back with "once upon a time Thomas Jefferson fucked slaves", Making the point that Chevy Chase used a bad word on TV but segregation and slavery no longer exist, sometimes that nostalgia for the past leaves out some important pieces.
So Stewart says it's just words vs. real issues and Goldberg makes a reasonable point that it does matter. Would we really want a bigot channel on TV, basically, doesn't culture matter enough to talk about it? Stewart got the last word: "I think it is the general detritus and static that exists in a world that is complex but in Washington, transparency is the real issue and I wish smart guys like you spent more time not worrying about Barbara Streisand but worrying about, you know, Richard Pearl, Karl Rove or whoever the Democrats would have had in that position during the Clinton years."
Goldberg came across as a pretty reasonable guy just wanting to make a point about culture (and sell a book) and he knew he was on the air with someone who he could make him his whipping boy at any time and he just wanted to survive (John McClain made comment to that effect a few weeks ago). Stewart came off as someone who could do that but had genuine respect for and a disagreement with a guest. I was reminded of Stewart's classic segment on Crossfire. First that Stewart does have rational discourse (he even used the word "detritus" :), but also that Stewart fell back on that he was a comedian and didn't have responsibility to ask hard hitting questions or be a journalist (but CNN did). I agree he's a comedian, but he's so close to real news he needs to be a little careful. Stewart's a smart guy too, if he can be merely a comedian, then Goldberg can comment on culture and doesn't have to limit himself to commenting on government. Though there is a point that the conservatives (media and government) often attack liberal Hollywood (some would say to avoid serious issues) and perhaps Mr. Goldberg is playing into that.
1 comment:
I think he crossed the line and actually was being a real reporter. I have not read the book, but as someone who watches the show daily, my guess is that this book really gut under his skin because he usually lets people off easy. It was fun to watch. Maybe he was inspired by the the White House press core.
PS Here is a followup to your review on the Bush speech. http://www.factcheck.org/article334.html
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