I am a HUGE fan of Jon Stewart -- watched TDS almost from the very beginning and had nothing but the utmost respect for how thoughtful and well balanced the reporting was, and how reverent he was even when he interviewed people with whom he thoroughly disagreed. The man could do no wrong, period.
I stand corrected.
The problem with The Problem is, what exactly is this show? Is it supposed to be a comedy? Because most of the jokes are anemic rehashes of his "greatest hits" of self effacement. Is it supposed to inspire a new woke generation who has somehow missed all that's legitimately wrong in this country? Because that is already the demographic who's watching! So who is this show for, and what does he hope to achieve? Unlike John Oliver's rapid fire 20 minute delivery of in depth reporting (which, especially since Covid, has actually become pretty heavy handed with the preachiness) where he makes a valiant effort to unravel miles of whatever red tape he's reporting on, Jon's show has only struck me as a drawn out beating over the heads for people who already agree with him.
And can I just say, I am horrified at how patronizing he has been to at least three of his female guests. Amy Jo Hutchinson very appropriately brought up Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Jon jumped out of his chair like an idiot gleefully declaring what boiled down to "Oh! Look who has a bachelor's degree!" which actually left her defending that she had an education! Go back and look at that segment and tell me if I'm wrong. And then when he asked the two women with horrifying lifelong traumas from their domestic abuse nightmares "what's next for the dynamic duo?" I actually cringed. WTF, Jon? Way to absolutely minimize what these women have been through like they're Thelma and Louise. And, oh yeah, the add on funny segments really aren't funny, unless you happen to be a 12 year old.
I still agree with at least 99% of what Jon Stewart has to say, but this show in its current iteration makes me believe that his eloquence and dynamism may have been part of our past, and sadly not our present or our future.
I stand corrected.
The problem with The Problem is, what exactly is this show? Is it supposed to be a comedy? Because most of the jokes are anemic rehashes of his "greatest hits" of self effacement. Is it supposed to inspire a new woke generation who has somehow missed all that's legitimately wrong in this country? Because that is already the demographic who's watching! So who is this show for, and what does he hope to achieve? Unlike John Oliver's rapid fire 20 minute delivery of in depth reporting (which, especially since Covid, has actually become pretty heavy handed with the preachiness) where he makes a valiant effort to unravel miles of whatever red tape he's reporting on, Jon's show has only struck me as a drawn out beating over the heads for people who already agree with him.
And can I just say, I am horrified at how patronizing he has been to at least three of his female guests. Amy Jo Hutchinson very appropriately brought up Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Jon jumped out of his chair like an idiot gleefully declaring what boiled down to "Oh! Look who has a bachelor's degree!" which actually left her defending that she had an education! Go back and look at that segment and tell me if I'm wrong. And then when he asked the two women with horrifying lifelong traumas from their domestic abuse nightmares "what's next for the dynamic duo?" I actually cringed. WTF, Jon? Way to absolutely minimize what these women have been through like they're Thelma and Louise. And, oh yeah, the add on funny segments really aren't funny, unless you happen to be a 12 year old.
I still agree with at least 99% of what Jon Stewart has to say, but this show in its current iteration makes me believe that his eloquence and dynamism may have been part of our past, and sadly not our present or our future.