The carryings-on of my fellow human beings are becoming tiresome to me. This Daily Show coverage of the coverage of the Inauguration reflects some of this world-weariness, I think.
And local politics! The Nation Magazine discussion group on the Big Island has been ruined by paranoid Libertarians and strident single issue nuts, especially on the subject of legalizing pot. One of them actually said something like, "First they come for the pot smokers, then they come for the Methodists!" Honestly, how can I hang out with people like that?
Sport seems to be about female athletes showing as much flesh as possible. May the best cleavage win! I was watching the sports channel at the HiLife bar, which is our hangout in Seattle, and I thought it was so boring! It was formatted just like a news channel. But it's not news. And increasingly the news isn't news either, as the Daily Show clip illustrates.
Obviously, we have decided to go to hell in the new millenium. There is plenty of serious work going on, but it's unsung. All the trivia on the surface seems to be confusing people, to put it kindly.
We have gotten tickets to a crab feed and silent auction at The Sons of Norway Lief Ericsson Lodge on Saturday. Terry is hoping to spot some buxom blondes and I'll be looking for craggy faced Nordic gods. I hope there will be beer.
We are all grumps these days if the subject is politics. Watching your Jon Stewart clip--only partially--was so glad that we had seen the real inauguration, wondered at its difference from the past. Lately skipping the Stewart program; he tries too hard to appeal to 20-something base. Often tacky, references lost on these old people!
Seattle does not have cultural life like Portland? We saw two very good, new plays last weekend--one you might have enjoyed, "A Noble Failure," on school reform. Local politics? That's another story: Oregon's doctor-governor cannot quite come out for gun control. Geez, and he was an ER doc.
Posted by: naomi dagen bloom | January 23, 2013 at 07:59 AM
Stewart always makes me laugh and laughter is good especially these days. He nailed it. We watched it on C-span which I heartily recommend to anybody who'd like to just see what happened without someone telling you what to think about it. They had a feature where they took calls from around the country, ordinary people, who came in on a Democratic, Republican or Independent line. I recommend it for the partisan networks as it let the viewer get a clue to how the public was seeing it-- of course, only those who cared enough to take the time to call.
We saw it with 14, 11, 8 and 5 year olds and their interest grew with their ages and how much they could grasp of what was going on. And avoiding partisan jabs made it just what it was. Highly recommend as a way to view any big event like that. Do we really want pundits to tell us what we are supposed to think-- from either side?
Posted by: Rain Trueax | January 23, 2013 at 09:02 AM
Im afraid that the pop culture elements turned me off. But I'll see if there is some extended coverage I can look at on C-Span.
Posted by: Hattie | January 23, 2013 at 10:21 AM
For me, the inauguration was anticlimactic. Obama was officially sworn in on Sunday, so this was ceremonial. I saw parts of the ceremony and festivities, but the networks were rehashing it by late afternoon.
Meanwhile, I was doing work at home, stopped at the Museum, got a haircut. Watching TV at home, I switched it to other things. I saw part of the Star Trek: Generations movie, etc.
I was wondering how the Nation group was going? Is it still run by the same guy?
Posted by: Brandon | January 23, 2013 at 11:50 AM
Brandon: No, he has apparently moved to the Mainland. I'm collecting papers to give to you when we get back. Wish we had something of the caliber of Real Change, the Seattle"homeless" paper, in our town.
Posted by: Hattie | January 23, 2013 at 03:30 PM
Interesting that the link to Stewart is "not available in my country any more."
Oh well, *yawn* same old same old no doubt.
XO
WWW
Posted by: wisewebwoman | January 23, 2013 at 06:48 PM
I LOVE Jon Stewart, but haven't seen him in a while. Thank you for this clip. It was terrific! I enjoyed watching some of the inauguration. I missed a bunch of it because... yes... I overslept. My son was there in the crowd and sent me a text photo. So exciting!
Posted by: Musings | January 23, 2013 at 11:24 PM
Beer might be nice and have you feeling mellow.
Posted by: Musings | January 23, 2013 at 11:24 PM
(:
Posted by: Hattie | January 24, 2013 at 03:22 AM
For thoughtful, uplifting, intelligent news I watch Bill Moyers' Journal. He demonstrates that there are indeed smart and rational people out there.
And, of course, The Daily Show is a staple, as is the Colbert Report. They mock the insanity like no other on television.
Posted by: taradharma | January 24, 2013 at 11:42 AM
Vikings! What a hilarious experience, I want a report!
Posted by: Z | January 25, 2013 at 09:27 PM