[H&F] "An unedited, stream-of-consciousness, but rational piece on the Jon Stewart rally"

[rfmcdonald]

Over at History and Futility, The Oberamtmann reacts to Jon Stewart's rally. What I saw and heard of the rally was fantastic. My co-blogger's reaction makes me appreciate it more; the rally was really about the antithesis to fear, a new sort of mobilization in a time of tension.

Pundits say there is too much political apathy among the younger voters. We just do not care, what with our video games and facebook. We do care. We care a lot. Growing up in the current poisonous American political culture means that apathy is often the only sure way to prevent insanity or depression. We cover our ears and go LALALALALA because it is the only way to get through the day. We could stop and listen, but all we learn is that the other side hates America and wants to kick our grandmothers and rape our goldfish. Sure, we could pick one of the screaming sides, but that is not what most people want. We want to be heard without shouting and we want to hear the news without being bombarded with idiocy. Satire seems to be the only way to cut through the crap. If you want us to be more engaged, try treating America’s citizens like intelligent, rational human beings who know how to handle large amounts of critical information. The biggest joke may be that it takes a Comedy Central program to not only recognize that, but deliver the goods.

Go, read.