

Game Changers: Jon Stewart [video] - keeptrying
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/63932062/

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sstone
I didn't realize until now how valuable comedy can be not only to entertain
but to keep things real. Watching him makes me feel like there is still a boy
out there with guts to shout the emperor has no clothes. Making fun of
journalists doing a bad job, doing stupid or even harmful things serves to
keep them in check. At least those with a shred of self consciousness and
decency - not the contract killers. The killers at least get some public
humiliation - not that it gets to them that much.

I don't watch Jon Stewart to make me laugh. I enjoy his show because he uses
funny as a weapon. Like the kid in Kick-Ass trying to be a superhero. Jon
fights injustice with the only weapon he has - his wits and charms. The things
he points at are funny (or make me cry) - not the gags so much.

Jon and his writers and fake correspondents are doing what they do best - make
jokes - incidentally they also make them at the expense of those who need them
most - who need to be put to their place once in a while.

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dboyd
The use of satire to influence political change can have quite an impact. See
the effect that the Superman radio show had on the KKK...
[http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/07.02.98/comics-9826...](http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/07.02.98/comics-9826.html)

If Jon is able to shape the minds of his viewers, I do hope he succeeds. At
the very least, creating a healthy disrespect for the use of hyperbole in
political discussions would go a long way to bringing some 'sanity' back into
what has become a bitter political divide.

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robobenjie
Can you warn us if it is a video, especially since it auto-plays the ad and
cannot be paused.

Thanks

~~~
brisance
It's a Flash video. Download it and view it offline.

<http://videos.bloomberg.com/63932346.flv>

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thehodge
Really good show and impressive that the view plays for us brits and isn't
region locked!

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lukejduncan
It'd be nice if the video player let me skip to a different place in the
video. I accidentally closed my browser after watching for 14 minutes and had
no way to go back to where I was at... I guess I won't be watching the rest of
that...

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melvinram
Pause the video once it starts playing so it can load the video and then when
it loads to where you want to start watching, scrub the player to that spot
and hit play. Tada!

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weaksauce
I know the last time there was a bloomberg video on hn a person associated
with the company read the comments here. Is there any plan to expand the video
options to something more palateable to the iPad/iPhone?

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dasil003
Ah this brings back memories of watching The Jon Stewart show when I was in
high school. I remember thinking at the time that he was the funniest host on
TV, and then he just disappeared.

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mml
it's a little depressing that mr. stewart is considered a game changer. i've
seen the daily show a number of times. i don't necessarily disagree with much
of what he says.

but...his smirking, smug, winking schtick is tiresome, prepackaged drivel
designed precisely for semi-disgruntled but well off (hi advertisers!), cnn-
watching, barely left of center cube-dwellers.

you do realize that he has a team (a TEAM) of writers that come up with "his"
stuff right? he's in the business of selling you. it's a show kids. howdy
doody wasn't a _real_ cowboy either.

~~~
sstone
It is depressing that he is a game changer.

Not because of the quality of his show and the fact that he has writers. Him
having stupid gags is perfectly fine. Having writers watch the gazillion shows
on TiVo with him and deciding what is the funniest thing that happened today -
this makes the show great.

What depresses me is the sad state of the media. It takes a Jon Stewart, a
simple, smart, sincere comic, to show how poor they are doing their job as
journalists. He gives a voice to the people who watch the occasional news
report and think - WTF! - why is Obama's daughters school menu a part of the
news?! There are two wars and half the budget used to pay for them - borrowed
money. People getting swept by hurricanes, toxic oil spills - and the
politicians and media making it worse - not better. The media should at least
show the ineptitude and bad decisions for everyone to see - not what Paris
Hilton had for breakfast in jail.

