The Daily Show with John Stewart has just won its eighth consecutive Emmy Award, further backing More 4′s decision to continue airing this cutting satire on a daily basis.
The programme swings through formats such as The Mark Thomas Comedy Product, The Late Show with Conan O’Brien, Charlie Brookers Newswipe and Monty Python, with its off the wall short sketches and withering political satire.
Presenter Jon Stewart is on a left leaning crusade against America’s right wing media, and is extremely fond of berating the often laughable doublethinks, misinformation and jingoist mantra spouted by the likes of Fox News.
Last week’s episode dealing with Fox’s linking of money for the much-discussed Ground Zero Mosque (which is neither a mosque nor anywhere near ground zero) to a company called the Kingdom Foundation was a golden moment.
Stewart revealed how the Kingdom Foundation, which Fox’s presenters kept alluding to as some dark and mysterious muslim operated company, was actually owned by none other than Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, who holds a $2.3 billion stake in News Corp, and is Rupert Murdoch’s partner in Fox News.
By logical extension, Stewart concluded, those who oppose construction of Cordoba House should stop watching Fox News since part of every dollar the network earns helps benefit the man who is likely to fund construction of the Islamic center. Zing!
The ubiquitous Go Compare adverts remind me why living in an essentials-satiated communist squalor is preferable to suffering the manifest indignities of Capitalism’s hard sell. I’m looking at a ridiculous man with an anti-gravity corkscrew moustache, miming to an opera singer bellowing “Go Compare!” repeatedly at me through the television. This is expected to endear me to the service he represents, apparently. He may as well be shouting: “I can’t think of anything else, so I’m just going to insult your intelligence and annoy you into buying this!” for all the endearing it achieves. Is it absolutely necessary for business owners to address us as if we’re utter morons?
Buying any car, We Buy Any Car, impossibly, go one step further. Their adverts consist of the constant, unbridled, unapologetic and almost epic repetition of their company’s title, which ingeniously doubles as a description of their service – buying any car. Its the equivalent of a small child pulling at your trouser leg squealing through tears for sweets, except it’s done by professional business men who instead squeal in desperation for your money. There’s a difference between enticement and begging, but this affront to the dignity of an enlightened society blurs the line. Marketing people give it the euphemistic title of “hard sell”, but never trust someone in marketing to call a spade a spade. In fact, that would be the opposite of the right thing to do.
We’re not morons, and we generally make decisions on the weighted pros and cons of any given choice. To convince someone of making a decision all it takes is a substantiated and well put reason or two. “Buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff!” is not an well put or substantiated; it’s the retarded rantings of a desperate idiot.
Speaking of desperate idiots, controversy attracting Richard Dawkins speaks to more than a few in his film The God Delusion, broadcast last week. Unfortunately for him, it’s pretty difficult for a well-educated and posh voiced scientist not to appear elitist, especially when he’s wielding a non-populist agenda with such unfamiliar vigour. He gets a little red faced and visually irritated when debating with some of the more aggressively religious interviewees, but I for one find it refreshing to see. Dawkins makes these films and writes those books because, whether you agree or disagree with him, he appears genuinely worried and concerned about the continued and growing effect of religion on society. Is it bold, compelling and revolutionary or elitist, inflammatory and blasphemous? Well, that’s possibly a matter of debate, but seeing the enlightenment was over 200 years ago, I’m not at all surprised at his frustrations.
Anyway, more next week, Delivisioneers!
