An Uninformed Disapproval

What exactly was George W. Bush’s job as President of the United States? According to Jon Stewart, host of “The Daily Show”, the American people likely did not know and disapproved of him out of ignorance. While discussing the topic of decline in public trust and approval concerning government, a video was shown in class of this short bit from an episode that touched on the approval ratings of President Bush. While the comic routine succeeded in its intended purpose to entertain, it also served to realize in the viewer important truths concerning our understanding of government and the roles government is employed to do. Also the show in general, though full of exaggeration and satire, gives knowledge to viewers who don’t ordinarily keep up with current political events and news, slightly aiding in keeping the public more aware and informed. All of this increase in understanding is necessary, for the good of the democracy and the good of our own interests in it.
Jon Stewart posed two reasons why the President had such low approval ratings; the first reason was that he may not have been doing a good job, and the second (and most likely he added) was that the American people did not know what his job consists of to properly grade him on it. Although this sounds absurd from the start, it is enough to make one think how important it is not only for the President to be the best leader, but also for these polled citizens to have an understanding of what they are disapproving of. This need for understanding is critical for any level of government, be it Federal, State, or local. Without knowing your government you will not know how to get services or assistance that you need and from whom to get it from. Without knowing the issues and how candidates feel about them, you cannot vote in your best interests. This reduction in public efficacy on a grand scale erodes the power of democracy and tilts power from popular sovereignty to having the reins held by the elite, the wealthy, and those with the loudest voices.
The video clip continued to humorously “educate” the viewers on what the job of the president actually was by supplying actual quotes from Bush himself. Vague and ambiguous, we should all know that keeping Americans safe and defending democracy around the world is not the only duties and responsibilities of the president, and this comedy only serves to enforce that notion. Should the president only be graded on wars and economy when he is also tasked with negotiating treaties, vetoing or signing bills from Congress, granting reprieves and pardons, and appointing Supreme Court Justices and other major departmental personnel? Also to be taken into account is the fact that his powers are limited by the constitution and other branches of government. Examples of holding his power in check is the ability of Congress to override a presidential veto, and the ability of the Supreme Court to conduct a judicial review on anything the President enacts. Furthermore the Electoral College was created by the founding fathers to insulate the President from direct election and democratic pressures from constituents. Nevertheless despite all of these facts, and regardless of how our government actually operates, our president will inevitably be graded as the face of our government, and will always be destined to bear the brunt of all negative criticism, including being subject to the wit of Jon Stewart.
What is the consequence of being the brunt of a joke? In the case of certain late night politically-charged comedy shows, it may not be a bad thing. First of all, just by merely introducing the subject to be ridiculed will reach and inform people who would never tune or access other normal outlets of political media. According to the text, people who watch these comedy shows were seen to be just as knowledgeable on politics and world affairs as those who subscribe to get their information from reputable news sources. Once introduced, viewers can form their own opinion about what was skewered by the hosts, which in turn sparks debate and fervor. When stationed in Kuwait, I experienced this first-hand as I stayed away from the media, only to hear about Wikileaks from episodes of the “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report”. This prompted me to go online and learn about more from what I learned. This event proved to me that while comedy shows may not be the most informative, they present newstopics, world events and major political players in such a way as to give you unique perspectives on current events and cause you to research more into what interests you, ultimately resulting in increased knowledge.
Are late night comedy shows such as “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” meant to entertain only, or are they sending out a message to their viewers? Just by this one video clip alone we are met with the perspective of not knowing government enough to approve of it. This in itself is an important concept, which is aided by what these shows are doing for the public in general. There will always be people not politically informed or active, and if it takes shows such as this to add some spice of information amidst hilarity to reach them it can do only good. An informed public is a democracy at its strongest; an uninformed public will spiral into apathy, unrest, and a government not working in the best interests of its people.

Advertisement