Each generation of Americans has embraced a unique comedic style, which often reflects the values and culture. In the 50’s we had the straighlaced Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, The seventies had George Carlin, with his complete willingness to cross the line. All of these comedians and performers have pushed the limits, yet they have done so in a way unique to their era and political climate.
So what does Post-millennial comedy say about my generation? Currently I think it says that we’ve had enough. Where other generations have had George Carlin and Richard Pryor, we have Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Where other generations have had slapstick, and witticisms, we have intensely satirical television shows that mock the government and our leaders in no uncertain terms. It is admirable that in the United States we have the right to engage in such dissident activities, but the popularity of this style of comedy is telling as well.
So why is satire such a popular style these days? I personally think it’s because when you can’t cry anymore, you have to just laugh. Laughter is a complete release, of worries, of tensions, of everything. It’s therapeutic and cathartic. It is nice, as an American, to step back from the big picture and just laugh at you’re political leaders. It’s nice that someone is pointing out how stupid they often sound, but it frustrates me that no one gets outraged. It’s as if we’ve come to accept it, or feel that we are powerless to change it.
Maybe it’s a hangover from the 60s and 70s. Our parents where so convinced that they could make the world a better place, but I’m not convinced that they did, and truthfully I’m a bit disappointed that they’ve made such a mess for me and my peers to try to clean up.
Satire is fundamentally an intellectual style of comedy; we are laughing because we understand what is wrong, but don’t know what else to do. Poking fun is not a way to cause change; it’s an escape from the harsh realities of our predicament. The mortgage crisis (and debt crisis) may not go away, we are overcommitted in areas of the world where we have no control, we aren’t any safer at home that we were before September 11, 2001, but the government has more control and our civil liberties have been eroded.
As Jon Oliver, an actor on the Daily Show put it, you have to forgive us Americans for laughing so hard at Jon Stewart’s jokes, it’s all we currently have. I admire Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart for having the courage to confront anyone, anytime, with satire and mockery, and to embarrass themselves and others. They tell the truth; they present the clearest picture of the state of the nation, whether they mean to or not. Jon Stewart often speaks of the desperation he feels regarding the United States, and American politics. I have to concur, I am desperate for honesty and candor in the media and in politics, and unfortunately, I am not finding any.
In 2006, Stephen Colbert got up in front of the entire White House press corps, the President of the United States, and a huge television audience and mocked the president. He didn’t make anything up, he just told the truth. His jokes fell flat, but that wasn’t the point, it was political commentary at its most forward and I found it incredibly refreshing.
I have nothing but admiration and respect for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert; I consider them two of the greatest political commentators ever to grace television, and I hope that they continue in their quest to mock everyone. They hit hard, they hit home, and they tell the truth, but most importantly, they make me feel like I’m not the only one despaired by the state of the nation, and that at least we can commiserate together.
Jon Oliver's Essay on "The Daily Show" is available at: http://www.mrjohnoliver.com/
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