Jon Stewart’s first show back after a nine-year absence from hosting The Daily Show was filled with laugh-out-loud comedic barbs. Nothing was off-limits as Stewart, who’ll host the show on Mondays, comically tackled everything from President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump’s advanced ages to Israel’s brutal military response in Gaza to the corporate media’s obsession with having reporters stand in diners to talk to “real Americans.” But most profound were Stewart’s serious words at the end of his monologue about what he learned in his time away from the show.
Most profound were Stewart’s serious words about what he learned in his time away from the show.
“I’ve learned one thing over these last nine years, and I was glib at best and probably dismissive at worst about this,” he said. “The work of making this world resemble one that you would prefer to live in is a lunch pail [expletive] job, day in and day out, where thousands of committed, anonymous, smart and dedicated people bang on closed doors and pick up those that are fallen and grind away on issues until they get a positive result, and even then, have to stay on to make sure that result holds.”
There are two vitally important takeaways from Stewart’s words. First, that if you truly want to make “this world resemble one that you would prefer to live in,” activism must be more than simply voting. And perhaps even more important was his plea that you “stay on to make sure that result holds,” because as we have seen firsthand in recent years: progress is not permanent.
No doubt Stewart’s remarks are informed by his own experience as an advocate. Stewart began publicly championing funding for 9/11 first responders in 2010 as he was hosting The Daily Show. At the time, Congress extended funding for 10 years, but by 2019 Stewart saw Congress dragging its feet to authorize additional financial resources. He testified on Capitol Hill and shamed members of Congress…
Read the full article here
