Jon Stewart is an incisive comedian who loves to question authority, no matter who's in charge. He prides himself on being an equal opportunity bullshit detector, the first person in any room to quietly suggest that perhaps the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. These skills served him well during the Bush years when administration officials went to great lengths to deceive the public about their efforts and intentions in the war on terror. But that same inquisitive spirit and subtle eyebrow raise that made Stewart such an astute critic of post-9/11 politics might not benefit the comedian in today's very different comedic landscape where righteous indignation is in and skepticism and satire are out. Consider it a consequence of the Trump administration, but when a sizable portion of the population refuses to accept the results of a perfectly fair and free election, there just isn't much room for the rest of us to question things.
Jon Stewart is an incisive comedian who loves to question authority, no matter who's in charge. He prides himself on being an equal opportunity bullshit detector, the first person in any room to quietly suggest that perhaps the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. These skills served him well during the Bush years when administration officials went to great lengths to deceive the public about their efforts and intentions in the war on terror. But that same inquisitive spirit and subtle eyebrow raise that made Stewart such an astute critic of post-9/11 politics might not benefit the comedian in today's very different comedic landscape where righteous indignation is in and skepticism and satire are out. Consider it a consequence of the Trump administration, but when a sizable portion of the population refuses to accept the results of a perfectly fair and free election, there just isn't much room for the rest of us to question things. Stay cozy and stylish all day, every day. And we have a whole caravan of the season's best. Last summer in the pages of Esquire, I held forth on a cancer that's eating away at our culture: the gussying-up of bad ideas with elegant language and debate-team flair that I call Elevated Stupidity. Zazz your point up with big words, references to Greek mythology, and the condescending tone of the person who shouldn't have to be saying all this, and you can dazzle people out of noticing that your point is: "Maybe your grandma should die of Covid," or "What if people could only vote if they can prove that they'll agree with me," or "Trans people don't exist." It's an embarrassing trend, but as long as there are charlatans with platforms and people who would rather read a flowery defense of what they already believe than a simple fact that challenges it, it's a trend we're stuck with. Obviously, the first anniversary of the insurrection at the Capitol was going to bring a more highly transmissible variant of Elevated Stupidity. They're all registered Republicans. Skip that pricey monthly membership and DIY your home set up. Sal Mineo was a young sensation in 'Rebel Without a Cause' but his career proved to be rocky and his death, downright tragic. The late director recalled his friend in a 1978 essay for Esquire. |
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