Here is Jon Stewart's opening from tonight re: Tucson

[wndycty]

http://tv.gawker.com/5730178/watch-jon-stewarts-poignant-speech-on-the-arizona-shooting

Watch Jon Stewart's Poignant Speech on the Arizona Shooting
Tonight, Jon Stewart opened with a segment about Saturday's deadly shooting in Arizona, and immediately noted that he didn't know what to say about it/how to process it. Notwithstanding, his speech that followed was incredibly heartfelt and insightful. Watch inside.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[wndycty]

2. C'mon people can't we make it fricking posts without getting deleted?

:kick:

[MadBadger]

3. Sorry, I just cant stand how many here have turned on Stewart

[wndycty]

6. It is sickening. . .while we are right to criticize the right, we need to learn how . . .

. . .talk amongst ourselves on the left.

[greyl]

9. Some people tend to clutch their beliefs more tightly than their heroes.

It goes hand-in-hand with defining oneself by what one hates rather than what one loves.

[CrawlingChaos]

19. Excuse me but HE turned on US

Code Pink and Keith Olbermann do NOT equal Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. That was inexcusable.

[MadBadger]

21. Show me where he said they were equal

[Tsiyu]

4. maybe Jon can explain this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x155821


How do we fight against that?


Any idea, Jon? She's talking about your kids, too, Jon...

[Rex]

10. After watching the clip, I honestly think Jon has no clue.

He has no idea what to do about the problem and no clue as how to address the problem. He talks about stopping the hate talk, but can go no further. A lot of pencil tapping. I think he is just as tense about this as we are.

[MrMickeysMom]

15. I kind of think Jon would like to be taken seriously, since..

... his show historically has managed to deliver more news during Bush era insanity. I think some of us here get angry over his non-comedic timing, rather than comedic.

We're all wondering like this guy. He just happens to have a format and audience, so if he sucks, we'll know it by the ratings drop.

[Berserker]

5. I watched

and I think NOTHING about this is funny. Our country is facing a shit storm and comedians don't amuse me right now.

[MadBadger]

7. Then you didnt watch, because nothing was amusing about what he was saying.

[Berserker]

12. why the laughter

then?

[wndycty]

8. He wasn't telling jokes

:kick:

[Berserker]

13. then why the

frivolity? He could take a shit and people would laugh?

[Ozymanithrax]

11. Damn, he is good... n/t

[Fuzz]

14. It would be really nice if the ramblings of crazy people didn't in any way resemble how we actually

talk to each other on television.

[starroute]

16. I think he's totally wrong in saying "you can't stop the crazy"

Yeah, there are always some crazy people. But these kinds of events don't always happen. They don't happen over and over and over. They don't happen in most other countries the way they happen here.

There are specific causes for people running amok, and those causes can be examined and possible solutions debated. The chief causes that I see -- and I may be missing some -- are these:

- The general level of tension, anger, and helplessness that comes from the growing inequality in our society is sufficient in itself to make sane people crazy and crazy people crazier.

- Our society is permeated with right-wing conspiracy theories and eliminationist rhetoric that serve to legitimize violent reactions. Social norms are usually sufficient to keep the potential for violence under control, but when authority figures begin to suggest that violence is acceptable or even desirable, those norms break down, leading to a kind of sanctioned lawlessness.

- The easy availability of guns in our culture enables anyone to mow down their neighbors without warning or even practice. Guns might not be a problem in themselves -- but the combination of guns and a society which romanticizes gun violence is toxic.

[annm4peace]

17. I'm usually compassionate but I couldn't stand Stewart tonight

I honestly couldn't believe what he was saying. I had to turn it after just 5 minutes.

Yes we can condemn the Hate talk. Yes, the guy was mentally ill but he wasn't the 1st right wing listener to kill people and he won't be the last.

[kimi]

18. No, it was not funny

but I don't think that was what he was going for.

EVERY responsible, reasonable person in the entire frickin US has to realize how horrible this is. I think Stewart struck the right note, personally. I got the sense that this thing bothers him incredibly - and it should. It should bother us all.

Whether or not this guy who shot all those people was a lunatic right-winger (which it doesn't appear so much that he is) or if he was simply a person whose mental illness slipped through the cracks and he did not get treatment before this happened - whatever the situation, it's tragic. Tragic.

If folks want to place blame, put it on the fact that mental health is not a priority in this country right now.

[emilyg]

20. +100

[Catherina]

22. Rec'd. He nailed it. n/t