“Lucky Life Can be a Comedy…Sometimes”

For those who stay informed about politics, general current events, comedy, and how they cross-pollinate the news of The Daily Show host Jon Stewart retiring is probably still fresh in their minds. Also, if one is paying attention these days the grapevine is still “shaking” with news of Brian Williams and his departure from NBC Nightly News because of apparent continued hyperbole in the telling and retelling of his war reporting during the Second Iraq War in 2003 (RollingStone has a good piece on this). Finally, as if the rule of threes is playing out in a weird way, there was the tragic and untimely passing of 60 Minutes reporter Bob Simon. A person who covered wars going back to Vietnam and as recent as Iraq 2. Tragic irony that he died in a car crash.

These three media events display the blessings of media in the United States and the tragedies. Jon Stewart carved out a niche for himself and others with his commentary and criticism of society and culture, and news media itself. Defining himself as a satirist he blurred those edges of comedy and journalism to present a critical analysis of what the general public has watched. Jon Stewart and The Daily Show were not just a vehicle for news gathering and reporting. They provided social commentary and analysis…at least from one perspective. Lost though in the comedic art skill set Stewart displayed was the fact he was a damn good interviewer. He spoke with guests in a very direct, funny, and respective manner. Hopefully he continues to at least talk with the people who balance society. This is why Stewart and his incarnation of The Daily Show will be missed. The “real” news was left to people like Brian Williams.

By-in-large Brian Williams was the most trusted news anchor on television. He seemed humble, and despite recent events I believe he is still a humble newsman. But with fame comes a hefty price. With all his fame and what seemed to be power and influence, those tangibles quickly became intangible and bought him nothing except heightened scrutiny, intolerance, and what appears to be no second chance. We take such delight and pleasure in building up our idols, if only to take equal joy in watching them be torn down, or just fall. Brian Williams was an investment; a transaction; a commodity that provided great benefits for NBC. But seeing that the brand may be damaged NBC has chosen not to support one of its premiere brands. Instead, the corporation has decided to effectively terminate Mr. Williams. What comes of this is still anybody’s guess, but one thing is for sure, people will watch their news anchors with all the more scrutiny and skepticism.

All that said, Bob Simon was a newsman beyond reproach. As comedians are presented as legitimate purveyors of the news, and anchors defend themselves again accusations of false reporting, a staple for decades was Bob Simon. 60 Minutes is an institution, and Bob Simon was as well. I remember my father watching 60 Minutes every Sunday on CBS, so the show and Simon were somewhat familiar to me. In any regard as far as real newspeople are concerned, Bob Simon was as real as you could get.

In the United States people are fortunate to have a wide range of options as to how they access news. Jon Stewart used satire to analyze news placing a critical spotlight on the mainstream media; he taught us to think (while laughing…hoping that would change our behavior). Brian Williams represented how people, these days, need to take in news; in immediate 2 to 3 minute clips that seem fairly accurate and trustworthy. But now we know we should watch nightly news broadcasts with the same skepticism and critical eye that Jon Stewart has used to create his segments for The Daily Show. Finally, we are extremely fortunate to have reporters like Bob Simon who take journalism out of the theater of comedy and nightly news bits and into the theater of captivating story telling and poignant critical analysis.

How lucky that life in the United States can sometimes be a comedy, while also being deadly serious.

Humor Not Just for Fools

Some things — as this still from Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” illustrates — never change, and the human taste for humor is one of them. Scientists have traced the earliest jokes to 35,000 years ago but believe it may have been around as long as there have been people on Earth.

As this was April Fool’s Week humor was center stage. Everyone loves to laugh. I don’t care what culture you are a part of, or where you are from, everyone loves to laugh. Even more, humor is a part of society in ways that are so sophisticated. Humorists comment on politics, religion, societal standards, thus raising consciousness about issues that might otherwise be ignored. Some people (most people) don’t like to read about boring politics in sterile newspapers. But put that same news in a satirical form and people eat it up, and more importantly, become educated.

So, as I was scanning various ads streamed into my gmail (Big Brother has its advantages for bloggers) I came across a Discovery Channel/Discovery News story on the history of humor. Jennifer Viegas from Discovery News wrote this article on March 25th, 2008 (ahead of the April Fool’s Week) – “Ancient Humor: Raunch, Riddles, and Religion” (click the title to get to the article) that definitely puts humor, and the humorists themselves into a different light. She raises the culture of humor to an academic stature that some academics might throw a pie at, and the corresponding humorist would eat up. In any regard it is rather interesting and enlightening. Keep laughing.

Peace

The Funny Side of Spitz

You know this Eliot Spitzer thing has given the late night comics some good stuff. Check out the videos from the Huffington Post. A side note, Alan Dershowitz, who I wrote about in a previous post blogs for the Huffington Post. Just the whole full disclosure deal, whatever that means on the blogosphere. Oh, yeah, I sent that previous article to Mr. Dershowitz at his Harvard email address, as well as his personal website.

Peace