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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Debate vs. Satire

Jon Stewart and his crew at The Daily Show have done it again. His segment called The Parent Company Trap lambastes Faux Noos and their fear-based reporting of the controversial mosque proposed near the former WTC site. He uses their own "follow the money" logic to deduce the following conclusion:

"If we want to cut off funding to the Terror Mosque we must, together as a Nation, stop watching Faux Noos." --Jon Stewart

He then goes on to assert that Faux Noos is either evil or stupid for not mentioning that Alwaleed bin Talal is News Corp.'s largest shareholder.

"Staggeringly, achingly, almost inspiringly stupid." --John Oliver

"It’s a level of knowing obfuscation that can only come from having a heart of pure evil." –Wyatt Cenac

Skewering them with logic = debate. Skewering them with their own logic = brilliant satire!

Watch the segment here: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-23-2010/the-parent-company-trap

2 comments:

  1. Two problems here that I see... most people don't fully comprehend logic OR satire all the time - or even some of the time (I number myself among them) - and satire sometimes doesn't come across well in writing. (Brilliant satirists can do this - I don't count them in very high numbers, however.)

    So does this mean we're left with "our" logic alone when wishing to debate? Or does satire also count as a debate style/tool/weapon? And is satire limited to the skewer-ization of "their" logic?

    Since too much of what I read lacks/hear "logic" (in all senses of the word), that would then limit opportunities to engage in satire, wouldn't it? And if you or I must always develops "logic/s" in order to "debate", that may be too limiting, too.

    Besides, it's tough to use logic against the utterly ludicrous...

    Satire, irony, etc., are sometimes in the eye/ear of the beholder... As for logic? As I said, perhaps absent, misused, abused or unrecognized?

    Maybe this means we're back to swords and dueling pistols... Sigh... and I don't own either weapon.

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  2. The top story tonight, my weekend… How could you not laugh at the money trial logic (if A = B, and B= C, then A=C) and the way John Oliver and Wyatt Cenac highlighted the questionable intelligence of some Fox newscasters? Leave it to Jon to flip a serious topic to nonsensical humor. Very funny.

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