"The Daily Show": Week of 10/13/14

[dusang]

Work is sending me to NYC in a couple of months (yay!) but there are no tickets available for TDS or TCR (boo!).

[ganesh]

If only okonomiyaki could become a popular thing here. Everyone I make it for always loves it, but it's never offered at the local restaurants. It is by far the food I miss most since having moved from Japan.

 

I was a a restaurant in Yokohama where the table is basically a skillet and you make them yourself. 

 

It looked to me like BO wasn't prepared for the conversation. Wouldn't JS tell him beforehand what they were going to talk about? I don't really get the point. Yes, if you work hard, you can be successful, but your upbringing is a factor in how hard it is to overcome. And? Unless I missed the point. I would have preferred if they talked about the book. 

[Hanahope]

BOR is such a jackass.  Like can he really believe that because one day blacks were finally allowed to live in those sort of towns and Obama became President that all blacks "magically" got infused with the same values and "racism doesn't exist anymore"?  I mean really?  More blacks than whites in jail on drug charges when more whites use drugs?  More blacks than whites in poor inner city schools because they really 'choose' to live there?  More unarmed blacks getting shot by police and so-called "neighborhood watch" guys.  Its like with women.  We work twice as hard as men in many jobs and still only get paid 80% of the wages.  Its a lost cause Jon, quit trying.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Hanahope

[Julia]

BOR is such a jackass.  Like can he really believe that because one day blacks were finally allowed to live in those sort of towns and Obama became President that all blacks "magically" got infused with the same values and "racism doesn't exist anymore"?  I mean really?  More blacks than whites in jail on drug charges when more whites use drugs?  More blacks than whites in poor inner city schools because they really 'choose' to live there?  More unarmed blacks getting shot by police and so-called "neighborhood watch" guys.  its like with women.  We work twice as hard as men in many jobs and still only get paid 80% of the wages.  Its a lost cause Jon, quite trying.

 

BOR thinks he's a blue collar success story because he pretends he grew up in the middle class town next door to the insanely affluent town on Long Island he actually grew up (and went to expensive private school) in. Of course he doesn't believe in white privilege. If it existed, he'd owe all his success to it. 

[attica]

Back in my early adulthood (before I learned about the concept of White Privilege), whenever I and my crew were trying to decide to do something or other, I had a thing I'd say to move the debate along: We can do what we want; we're young, white, and American!  Part of it was a joke (these were usually teeny-stakes debates about which restaurant we should go to), part of it was an affirmation of free will, but all the rest of it was an acknowledgement that we were accorded access and rights-of-way that other people weren't. Not that we were entitled to, just that we were accorded.  

 

I will enjoy what TDS does with the FL-debate, I'm betting.

[iMonrey]

I don't know why Jon chose this particular issue to discuss with O'Reilly - probably something O'Reilly has talked about on his show, which I wouldn't know about since you couldn't pay me to watch Bill O'Reilly's show. But Bill's position on White Privilege itself didn't bug me so much. I mean, he's an idiot, and I can't imagine what colossal balls it takes to go on TV and claim racism is basically a thing of the past. What really bugged me is this Republican held notion that getting ahead in America is something anyone can accomplish with just the right amount of work and drive. It's what capitalists think of as The American Dream. Unfortunately, it's simply not true anymore, regardless of race, as millions of college graduates will affirm. We don't have The American Dream anymore, what we have is, as Michael Moore says, a pyramid scheme where the richest 1% control 90% of the wealth, and those at the top say "Now if you just work hard enough, you can get up here too!" but that's just not true anymore.

[Julia]

African american soldiers were systematically shut out of their GI bill college benefits after WW2 and Korea. Anyone who doesn't recognize that benefit as the basis of a broad-based middle class in this country isn't really worth paying attention to. 

[ChelseaNH]

Once, in high school, I was able to attend a meeting of the Horatio Alger Society, which honored people who "went from rags to riches."  There were several speeches inducting the latest crop of millionaire success stories.  All the stories - every single one -- started in the Depression.  That was the "rags."  Granted, not everyone who was poor in the Depression went on to become a millionaire, but somehow the national economy never got much credit for giving them a boost out of poverty.

[Victor the Crab]

Work is sending me to NYC in a couple of months (yay!) but there are no tickets available for TDS or TCR (boo!).

 

dusang, if you have a Twitter account, follow this site. It'll give you updates as to when TDS/TCR tickets to the public will be available. If there's a date available for you, click on the link provided. If it shows tickets available, order it immediately, as they get snatched up very quickly. They usually have them available as early as two months prior to showtime, right up to the day of the taping.

 

If you don't have a Twitter account, get one. That's what I did to get mine when I last went to New York.

[Fremde Frau]

I was thinking of Coates' article, too, @peeayebee. It was clear that Jon had read it (or was otherwise familiar with the information it contained) and that O'Reilly hadn't. He was so obtuse with his "They're forced to live there? They have to live there?" He must have immediately realized he was in over his head on that point because as soon as Jon's demeanor changed and he said, "You're getting into a bad place, my friend," O'Reilly changed the subject by joking about white guilt.
 
O'Reilly being the guest makes this particular conversation a pointless dead end, but from the standpoint of the overall dialogue about privilege gaining traction in mainstream media, I think it's a good thing for a popular host like Jon to discuss the topic as directly as possible on his tv show. And, although it ends up being yet another instance of white guys discussing race, if there's one thing someone with privilege and a platform (Jon) can do, it's to educate others who share that privilege but fail to realize it (O'Reilly and--more importantly--the general white audience out there who will see this interview). That said, there is this perfect layer of insulation that too many white people have built up to prevent honest, problem-solving dialogue: they don't have to listen to someone like Jon (because he's white, and what does he know about it?), and they don't have to listen to people of color (because they're too close to the issue and are "professional victims"/"racists" who are irresponsible and incapable of being objective about race). So, their own lack of being directly affected by a systemic problem becomes confused for objectivity, and the only perspectives of merit are their own. The same thing happens with feminism, LGBT rights, disability rights, etc. Then they shift the topic to another systemic problem, real (income inequality) or bullshit (white genocide), and away they go...

In any case, I appreciated that Jon acknowledged before the MOZ that he isn't the perfect spokesperson for this issue. The show has a pretty good track record of providing people of color the opportunity to represent themselves, rather than Jon just speaking for everyone, so I don't think it's insignificant that they are trying to address this directly with someone who is essentially the face of white privilege denial.

[Victor the Crab]

I could only imagine Jon & Co. saw what transpired down in Florida last night and were chomping at the bit to get it on tonight's show. This was Dick Cheney shooting a man in the face territory. The glee in Jon's face the entire segment was apparent, and Samantha was hilarious in her description of the events. If Rick Scott manages to get re-elected, Florida needs to be sawed off and sail away, like Bugs Bunny did in the cartoons.

 

Republican voters realizing their policies may not be good? There may be hope yet for America.

[Lantern7]

As a resident of New York's 11th Congressional District (the Fightin' 11th!), it's nice to see that there are worse places to live. Like Florida. And Kansas. And as inexperienced as Dominic Recchia might be, he's preferable to the incumbent, Michael "Boy Breaker" Grimm, which is why I'm volunteering for the guy.

[Wax Lion]

If only okonomiyaki could become a popular thing here. Everyone I make it for always loves it, but it's never offered at the local restaurants. It is by far the food I miss most since having moved from Japan.

 

 

One of the things I miss about San Francisco was the Japantown restaurant that specialize din okonomiyaki. They were a little heavy on the sauce but it was great. There was also a great crepe shop a couple doors down.

 

I don't know why Jon chose this particular issue to discuss with O'Reilly - probably something O'Reilly has talked about on his show, which I wouldn't know about since you couldn't pay me to watch Bill O'Reilly's show.

 

IIRC, amid the Ferguson protests BOR did a talking points about how white privilege doesn't exist. It got discussed a lot on sites like Gawker.

[LADreamr]

Seems like Sam's piece was missing a "dangling chad" opportunity.

[alexvillage]

 

If Rick Scott manages to get re-elected, Florida needs to be sawed off and sail away, like Bugs Bunny did in the cartoons.

 

I propose we, residents of Florida who are not ignorant, have some time to ask for asylum in another state. I hope that when the sea rises Dick Scott is the first to be swept away. The man is worse than yo think. It is not even funny when yo actually feel, in your skin, how his policies hurt. And then we also have the supermajority in the legislature that hates The Dick but still bow to his whims. He does not have a drop of goodness in him. To me he is right up (down?) there with Cheney.

[peeayebee]

I have to say that I'm disappointed in how Jon covered the debate fan story. Ball fan? Not my kind of humor. Plus, the whole thing was putting the joke on Crist, whereas the buffoon was Scott.

[attica]

Jessica's coaching her interview subject to set aside his nerves about being with 'a superstar' made me curl my toes with glee. I heart her so heavily it hurts.

[dubbel zout]

I loved her tractor-dancer idea. It must get boring being in the thresher for hours on end.

[Judois]

She was ridiculously cute in that Dorothy outfit.

[dubbel zout]

I liked how honest the farmer was: "The extra money [from tax cuts] went into my pocket. Why should I hire employees I don't need?" I'm pretty sure Brownback didn't think things through at all when he put his "experiment" into play.

[Fremde Frau]

I wasn't really feeling the fangate coverage; it was too crude and about a story that had already outlived my interest. But Jessica was as sublime as ever. I hope Kansas is a wake-up call for conservatives and libertarians still pushing that kind of system, but I doubt that it will be.

 

The interview with Stevenson was very nicely done, I thought. That became a wonderful follow-up to the O'Reilly interview, exposing precisely what O'Reilly was too obstinate to accept or Jon too inarticulate to convey in the heat of that moment. I'm looking forward to seeing the extended version.

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

1. If there is a petition to ask Jon not to ever have Billo on again, let me know and I'll sign it

 

2. Remember a few years ago when Billo went to a restaurant in Harlem and made a big fuss about how "normal" those people were? No one was running around yelling "more ice tea, motherfucker", etc. Obviously Billo has lower expectations of black people, intelligence and behavior-wise. But he'd ASSUME white people at a restaurant would behave normally.

 

I'd say that you benefit as a white person when people assume you are well-behaved, and that you are disadvantaged as a black person when people assume you are not. That is what white privilege is all about, Charlie Brown

[Hanahope]

The Kansas story is a prime example of why the Republican mantra of "tax cuts will spur economic growth because the 'job creators' will create more jobs" is nothing but a fallacy.  If people can't afford to buy your products, there's no need to hire more workers to make/sell your products.  Business owners are not going to hire people they really don't need.

[iMonrey]

 

I hope Kansas is a wake-up call for conservatives and libertarians still pushing that kind of system, but I doubt that it will be.

 

Brownback's Democratic opponent, Paul Davis, was actually ahead in the polls for quite awhile. So was Republican Senator Pat Roberts' Independent opponent, Greg Orman. Unfortunately, the negative attack ads have put both Republicans back into the lead in the most recent polls. It seems all they had to do was link their opponents to Obamacare, and wammo - people are back to supporting the idiots in office. {headsmack}

[dusang]

1. If there is a petition to ask Jon not to ever have Billo on again, let me know and I'll sign it

 

I totally read that as "Bilbo" and wondered how Martin Freeman upset you so.

[ganesh]

It seems all they had to do was link their opponents to Obamacare, and wammo - people are back to supporting the idiots in office. {headsmack}

 

Even thought the deficit is at the lowest since before the crash due to Obamacare, as the GAO (I think) says. They need to get over it. 

 

 

I liked how honest the farmer was: "The extra money [from tax cuts] went into my pocket. Why should I hire employees I don't need?" I'm pretty sure Brownback didn't think things through at all when he put his "experiment" into play.

 

The Kansas story is a prime example of why the Republican mantra of "tax cuts will spur economic growth because the 'job creators' will create more jobs" is nothing but a fallacy.

 

Wasn't this used to be called trickle-down economics? I thought it was definitively proven that it doesn't work. 

 

I can't imagine why they wouldn't think that most people would just keep the money for themselves. They're asking these people to hire other people with the extra money rather than keep it? If these are the same people bitching about giving their money away (in taxes), why are they going to still give it away to another person?

 

I don't understand how KS thought they'd take in money to fund education, infrastructure, etc., without the taxes. 

[Hanahope]

I can't imagine why they wouldn't think that most people would just keep the money for themselves. They're asking these people to hire other people with the extra money rather than keep it? If these are the same people bitching about giving their money away (in taxes), why are they going to still give it away to another person?

 

Because we read in the news all the time that business say they "can't hire more people because its so expensive due to all the taxes and benefits they have to pay."  Most of us realize that cutting taxes only lines the pockets of said business (the owners, upper executives, shareholders) and does absolutely nothing for the employees or people looking for work.

 

It seems all they had to do was link their opponents to Obamacare, and wammo - people are back to supporting the idiots in office.

 

Sometimes people really do get the leaders they deserve.

[iMonrey]

 

Wasn't this used to be called trickle-down economics? I thought it was definitively proven that it doesn't work.

 

Not to Republicans, it hasn't. They still embrace this theory as gospel and will pull out all kinds of statistics to prove it does work.

 

 

Sometimes people really do get the leaders they deserve.

 

Kansans may get the crappy Governor and senator they deserve, but the US does not deserve to suffer as a result of Kansan stupidity if Republicans take control of the Senate.

[ganesh]

It seems the republicans in KS are realizing that it's not working. 

 

I tend to think the people saying "cut taxes so I can hire more people" know full well they aren't going to do that and just want more money. 

[Fremde Frau]

Poor, working class people believe it, though, and continue to vote them in. The Democratic Party really needs to use their campaign money more effectively to show what they've done about jobs, the economy, etc., rather than framing their ads with the same "us vs. them" appeal to emotion that the GOP uses. I was out voting early today, and it can honestly get extremely disheartening when you live in a state where seemingly every incumbent is Republican. Part of me was thinking, Fuck it, what is it even worth? But the other part of me was playing the Chariots of Fire theme in my head and thinking, If you don't run, you can't win. *sigh*

[Gulftastic]

Jessica really was a find for the show. She's easily my favourite correspondent (Sorry Sam). Her pieces are always good value.

[alexvillage]

 

Poor, working class people believe it, though, and continue to vote them in. The Democratic Party really needs to use their campaign money more effectively to show what they've done about jobs, the economy, etc., rather than framing their ads with the same "us vs. them" appeal to emotion that the GOP uses. I was out voting early today, and it can honestly get extremely disheartening when you live in a state where seemingly every incumbent is Republican. Part of me was thinking, Fuck it, what is it even worth? But the other part of me was playing the Chariots of Fire theme in my head and thinking, If you don't run, you can't win. *sigh*

This is all true but there are other factors that is "our" fault.

People just don't vote. Either because they don't "feel" it or because they can't. One of the reasons why there is such gerrymandering is because conservatives tend to vote more and the groups who tend liberal does not. When it happens that more people voted democrat than republican it is because it was a general election with a candidate that, despite the silly polls (they are rigged, but this is for another post) saying that Obama's approval is very low, people would still go out and vote for him. By then, the gerrymandering was done and the republicans retain their seats. That and the fact that politicians in both sides only care about their seats.

Some people cannot vote because of voter ID laws that just today (yesterday) received the green light from the supreme court. Now every state is going to use this ruling as a means to change their laws (the ruling was about Texas).

That's why I believe voting should be mandatory. In some countries, if you don't vote you either pay a fine or cannot apply for things like their equivalent of Social Security benefits, Medicare, free health care and things that are financed by the government. The elections are held on a day nobody has to work and there are several polling places so people don't have to travel too far (usually the places are in their area, the neighborhood) 

Not a very popular idea but everyone (even the tea baggers) want something from the government but they don't want any obligations. Mandatory voting would guarantee that minorities had their say (theoretically, at least)

I am probably dreaming too big here, but citizenship is not only about having rights, it is about being involved. Some people need to be pushed not being involved.

[dubbel zout]

The First Amendment would need to be changed to allow for mandatory voting, though. If the government can't impede speech, it can't force it, either.

[alexvillage]

I said my dream was too big. Besides, there is no way back from the mess we are in. It is an oligarchy and the ones in power have no interest in changing that. Maybe a revolutions would, but this is not going to happen either because Americans are either too passive and complacent (apathetic even) when it comes to the realities of out culture, or prefer to fool themselves into believing (or really believe) that we are "the greatest nation on earth".

[ganesh]

Bill Mahar says this on Real Time too: Democrats just do not get the message out of what actually has been accomplished. The ACA is working. The deficit is at its lowest since before the crash. Those are pretty good things. 

 

The problem is, more pissed off people vote than people who like what's going on. The entire context needs to be changed. 

[alexvillage]

I am pissed off at things too, just not the ones its talked about in a serious way. The media also makes things worse, plus the fact that Americans in general are not the most informed people. 

Democrats have always been bad at campaigning. I don't know why but there is a little bit of what I mentioned, that nobody can seriously question our culture and values without the whole world collapsing. And most of them are not much better than the republicans anyway - talking about the elected ones, not necessarily the voters.

About the ACA point. Yes, it is working. And I feel this strongly, since the hospital bill in my house would be, just in a period of 10 days over 3 months about 90,000.00. With the ACA it came down to 6,000.00. Still not good, but much better and manageable. But every day this past week I have read about all the problems that we still face despite the ACA, some articles actually blaming the ACA and saying it does not address the issues. The good things about it are maybe one line in the whole article, then an avalanche of problems. This from the "liberal media". I am all for fair criticism, but this close to the election and about things that are not really the "fault" of the law, it is maddening. A democrat in a swing state could list all the goodness of the ACA but it would take one article from the NY Times to be used to "debunk" this, according to the republicans. And the uninformed voters will see this as government overreach without any real benefit, higher taxes, and all the usual spin.

american voters are not very smart.

[dubbel zout]

american voters are not very smart.

This kind of generalization makes me very uncomfortable. It's hard to be a smart voter when the choice is more between the lesser of two evils and not whose ideas you like. And why should good people run? The campaign process is brutal—you and everyone in your life is under a microscope, whether you deserve it or not. You're constantly having to raise money. You have to prove you're a "regular" person. (Like Jon, I want my elected officials, especially the president, to be smarter than I am.) You have to have an opinion on everything, instantly, in a way that can be distilled into a soundbite. There's no such thing as a positive campaign. Campaigns go on way too long.

 

That's a lot to put yourself and your family through. I'm with ganesh: The entire context needs to be changed. I don't know how you do that, unfortunately. It doesn't help when the Supreme Court rules that corporations are people and campaign funding has laughably few limits.

[alexvillage]

 

It's hard to be a smart voter when the choice is more between the lesser of two evils and not whose ideas you like

It is a generalization. Most people where I live don't think like this. They believe what the TV says, they refuse to let go of the "we are the best in everything", the ones who would benefit from democrats' positions - when they are really about social justice - don't vote. Everyone, EVERYONE, wants less taxes, even when the math does not add, even when they "fight" for more government services, and that's a big driving reason for voters. It is not because they cannot do the math, it is because they evade reality, and this is not smart. The schools don't teach social studies anymore, history in schools is a joke. Where I live, the newspaper praises the schools that get "A's" and "B's" in the test scores, call them the best schools in the State. Then you check the scores and what the kids are learning and it is a joke. The "great" schools are mediocre compared to the rest of the world. I believe this happens in a lot of places. And then we have statistics that show how young people tend to vote only when there is a Presidential candidate in the ballot. So, the majority of dedicated voters end up being the minority and the "not smart ones" become the majority.

I do agree that it can be a lot to put the family through but really, most candidates don't seem to care. they keep running. The ones who gave up did so because they saw where Congress was going and did not want to go there. 

You are absolutely right about the how candidates need to have an answer about everything and that's mostly the media's fault. and I wish the "good" candidates, the smart ones, would say so when being on TV, live, how ridiculous the media coverage became. But they don't, and when one calls it out, it is usually to spin something false, and THEN the media keeps silent. 

The supreme court needs to get Ebola and go on quarantine - forever.

 

I am rambling. This is all very frustrating and I am very close to becoming an anarchist. 

[ganesh]

I want my elected officials, especially the president, to be smarter than I am.

 

I don't need them to be smarter than me. I do think they should have a commitment to actually governing the country. I think there should be a third party. 

[Brandi Maxxxx]

The First Amendment would need to be changed to allow for mandatory voting, though. If the government can't impede speech, it can't force it, either.

They wouldn't necessarily have to change it. You would be required to turn up to the polling place and receive a ballot but they can't force you to make a selection.

[annabel]

I don't even have the option of showing up at the polling place anymore, which I really miss.

[Fremde Frau]

If only the Supreme Court did not have utter contempt for the voting rights of citizens, true reform might be possible.

[alexvillage]

 

If only the Supreme Court did not have utter contempt for the voting rights of citizens, true reform might be possible.

Only the non-white citizens. 

[Fremde Frau]

Well, but that was sort of my point, what with them fucking with the Voting Rights Act and so forth.

[rachel11]

Hi everyone! I'm a little late to this forum because I just got caught up on The Daily Show. This week they did a section on what is happening in Kansas. I have lived in Kansas for 14 years and I am Democrat. I have dedicated a lot of my time to this year's election and I'm hoping the people of Kansas will vote Sam Brownback out of office.  I was extremely excited to see The Daily Show do a segment on Kansas because we have some weird and crazy politics here. They did a wonderful of showing just how much Sam's conservative experiment has failed Kansas. I hope this segment gets people talking about what's happening in Kansas!