The concept of the Comic Philosopher is one that greatly intrigues me. As you can tell from my last post, I like to wax myself a comic, and sometimes I like to wax myself a philosopher. I think good comics are predisposed to being philosophical, because one of the universal traits of comics is that they're observant of the people and things around them. And obviously, good philosophers need to be observant as well.
Being barely over two decades old, I don't know of many people who I think are worthy enough, but the late George Carlin, Bill Maher, and Jon Stewart come to mind quite easily.
George Carlin, as liberal as he is, has always stayed away from the heated debates (as far as I know and can tell from his character). His preference is generally to stay the heck away from those more ignorant than he. Bill Maher, again as far as I can tell, thrives in the debate, in the open forum (Politically Incorrect and Real Time - 'nuff said.)
In contrast, I think Jon Stewart is the one that's perhaps most easily relatable and appealing to the mass population. He has the ability to engage the opposite side without seeming threatening (something the conservative right does all the time) and at the same time, he's able to make his point without looking or sounding like a total whackjob (something the liberal left does all the time).
Instead, he uses real experiences phrased in everyday terms with reasonable comparisons to make very insightful points. On yesterday's episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jon takes on Gov. Mike Huckabee on politics.
This interview is eyeopening because I can't recall the last time I've seen two people on TV from opposite ends of the political spectrum debate back and forth with each other so respectfully. It is extremely rare, even though (or maybe because of) there are more political pundits than ever reporting during the longest news cycle ever on more channels than ever.
I really want to highlight all of the stuff that I enjoyed in the interview, but then I would just end up typing out the entire transcript. But what I can say is that there's a Pt.1 to the interview too and you can watch clips and full episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart online. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will definitely inspire an entire generation of Americans. Cross my heart.
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1 comment:
George Carlin has been claimed by the sands of time
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