a reply to:
Southern Guardian
Sometimes, it is the comedic voices and sources, who have the most impactful insights into how the media works. I think that comes of being
counter-intuitive as a part of their job. The sort of absurdity that makes us laugh when it is purely contrived, can also serve to illustrate the
weaknesses of certain media structures, governments, positions and policies.
George Carlin, someone that I know an awful lot of people around here appreciate, was a master at this. Bill Hicks was another, and the list could go
on for pages and pages, of comics who arguably had a better grasp of what is really going on in the world, than many academics and even political
figures did or currently do.
No doubt its this absurdist juxtaposition of totally opposing statements, about the same thing, from the same mouth no less, with one irrelevant
difference (that being which President we are talking about), which appealed to the writer/editor of the Daily Show enough, that making this 41 second
bit seemed worthwhile, and I would say that indeed, it is worthwhile, necessary even.
While it is a shock to absolutely no one that, once again, Hannity has been shown up for changing his tune depending on who he is talking about,
proving that his interest is not in policy but in partisanship, continuing to illustrate that is VITALLY important, now more than ever. While people
like Hannity rant away about fake news, and parrot the President of the United States as long as they happen to be bigoted enough to please the
talking head in question, we all look on in no small amusement, mixed with a little trepidation, because its plain as day that spouting off about fake
news, while having such enormous double standards on the issues, is and should be of great concern to the viewers.
We also know that it is not, because many of his viewers will not accept that saying different things about the same subject, is two faced. They have
been programmed, successfully, to ignore media bias that suits their agenda. Whereas people like me, who identify as leftist in their political
leanings, refuse to accept crap from people like Tony Blair and Hillary Clinton, because their attitudes and actions do not match their alleged
political leanings, making their respective involvements with supposedly left of centre organisations illegitimate at best, and a Trojan Horse at
best.
As for Trumps actually talking to Kim... Everyone around here knows that I have an absolute loathing for everything that Donald Trump has ever stood
for. He has stiffed hard working people out of their money all his business life, with contractors going unpaid, despite being the only people in his
companies who actually, physically WORK for their money, rather than sit about in airconditioned offices doing nothing of any importance. He is, as
far as I am concerned, walking sewer dirt, about as complex as a single celled creature, and less pleasant to study close up. But, even I can look at
this situation and say "At least they are talking!". I LIKE the fact that Trump is using his words, and not the ones on Twitter, but his actual verbal
capacity (albeit childlike, inefficient, slovenly, and disgusting to listen to), to do something which, lo and behold is not objectionable. Do you
know why I like this, why I would have liked it no matter who did it? Because the other, easier and more deadly option, is melting the entirety of
North Korea with one massive nuclear strike, and its the thing I expected him to do, either that, or simply move onto other matters, having inflamed
the situation.
I appreciate that he has followed through, and had a discussion with Kim Jong Un, I really do. If he follows it up with an effective plan to keep the
peace, without continuing to degrade the quality of life of the population of North Korea as well, then I will be absolutely over the moon, I
genuinely will, regardless of my opinion of Trump himself. But folks like Hannity? They change their tune about POLICY and EVENTS, based on who is
involved, not what significance they have, and that is the sort of nonsense that people like me get accused of all the damned time, despite it not
being what I do.