Jon Stewart is known for his ability to turn rhetoric on the original speaker. One of his most common victims is Glenn Beck. In this video, Stewart uses Beck's own rhetoric and props to show the insanity of Beck's usual spiel. Stewart's use of the absurd rhetoric not only inspires laughs, but also deeper thought into exactly what Glenn Beck really stands for. The Daily Show host mocks the pundit's use of visuals and props. The use of these props usually is one of Beck’s go-to moves when giving his discourse on his show. Therefore, Stewart’s use of props not only gets the message that Beck should not be trusted across. Jon Stewart’s ability to take a person who many people disagree with, like Beck, and turn him into a laughing stock is what keeps viewers attached to the Daily Show. Stewart’s mannerisms and different tones of voice make the audience realize just how crazy the spiel sounds, accomplishing his overall goal. Beck often uses fear to get his message across to his loyal viewers so Stewart decided to try to act like he was imposing fear into his audience. No matter what your opinion of the Daily Show is, the one thing that Jon Stewart knows is his audience. The people watching Stewart, who are typically Liberals, love to see him make fun of Conservatives. There is no person targeted more often than Glenn Beck, who stands to be the opposite of Stewart’s Daily Show role. Jon Stewart’s ability to not only give his own rhetoric but to criticize other’s use of rhetoric is what makes his show so effective. This example of his destruction of Glenn Beck’s rhetoric shows this perfectly.
Jon is a genius.
ReplyDeleteAnyways. So many people use imitation as a form of rhetoric. Jon Stewart can get away with it though because he is doing it as a comedian. If someone was going to attempt this in a more formal setting, though, they would probably be ridiculed for using "mockery" as their primary rhetorical choice.
It's wise of Jon to maintain his role as a comedian and repeatedly state that yes, he is on comedy central, he should not be evaluated as a news source etc. If he had let this shtick go and took a more serious (yet just as intelligent) route to approaching politics, he wouldn't be able to be as effective as he is. He has little to no rules about what he can and can't say, and that suits his purpose perfectly.
Love the video. There's a reason i chose Mr. Beck for our question of the day in class...
ReplyDeleteYeah, i agree with Emma, I think this has always been my central issue with Jon Stewart. I think the man is incredibly intelligent and i find his political analysis very insightful, but i often find myself wishing that he would dig just a little bit deeper or not beat around the bush so much just to get that last joke in. But at the same time, Jon's refusal to come out with a political agenda beyond the comedian-skeptic is exactly what lends him so much power to question and pick apart the people and issues he does, and its what gives him so much credibility with his audience.
While i understand this critical balancing act taking place on the Daily Show every day, I don't think i'll ever stop hoping that Jon will allow himself to be taken a bit more seriously.
I disagree with Sebi's views that John Stewart should perhaps dig a little deeper to get at the substance. Jon Stewart is a comedian, and that's not his job. He needs to establish this comedic front to pull in the audience.
ReplyDeleteAs for Glenn Beck, with a personality like that, it's almost too easy :)