or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
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"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
October 03, 2007
No Such Thing As Satire In America
Here's Chris Matthews on the Daily Show last night, talking about his book Life's a Campaign:
STEWART: If you treat life like a campaign—MATTHEWS: Yes it is...It is a campaign. Everything about getting jobs is about convincing somebody to hire you. Right? It's about getting promotions. It's about selling products. It's always a campaign. It's a campaign to get the girl of your dreams. It's a campaign to do everything you want to do in life.
And here's the moron newscaster character (played by William Hurt) in the 1987 movie Broadcast News, giving Albert Brooks' character Aaron some advice:
TOM: And remember—you're not just reading the news or narrating. Everybody has to sell a little. You're selling them this idea of you. You know, what you're sort of saying is, "trust me. I'm credible." So whenever you catch yourself just reading...stop and start selling a little.
Later in the movie, the Albert Brooks character says this:
AARON: What do you think the Devil is going to look like if he's around? Nobody is going to be taken in if he has a long, red, pointy tail. No...He will look attractive and he will be nice and helpful and he will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation and he will never do an evil thing...he will just bit by little bit lower standards where they are important.Just coax along flash over substance. Just a tiny bit. And he will talk about all of us really being salesmen.
AND: I think a better name for Broadcast News would be Weep Now for the Terrible Tragedies Suffered by Whiny Oblivious Rich White People. It's undeniably funny, though.
Posted at October 3, 2007 05:44 PM | TrackBackI think broadcast news is nothing but entertainment. Then again perhaps all news media is a form of entertainment though of course there is always the propaganda element.
Posted by: rob payne at October 3, 2007 06:21 PM"I think a better name for Broadcast News would be Weep Now for the Terrible Tragedies Suffered by Whiny Oblivious Rich White People. "
Yeah, but the dialogue was great.
Posted by: slim at October 3, 2007 06:45 PMTake a look at "A Nation of Salesmen: The Tyranny of the Market and the Subversion of Culture," by Earl Shorris.
Posted by: donescobar at October 3, 2007 06:46 PMIn 1991-1992 I lived in a house on Jenifer Street NW in Chevy Chase DC. Chris Mathews used to shop at the local Safeway and I saw him there a few times.
I really should have hit him over the head with a bottle of Pellegrino yuppie water when I had the chance.
Posted by: The Wendigo at October 3, 2007 07:31 PMChris Mathews used to shop at the local Safeway
You mean the Safeway on Connecticut Avenue below Chevy Chase circle, and across the street and up a little from what was then the Cheshire Cat bookstore?
Oh, sweet early nineties Northwest Washington. Where hast thou gonest?
Posted by: Jonathan Schwarz at October 3, 2007 07:35 PMWatching Broadcast News on its release here in Sydney, I was fascinated by one little detail: the bit where the ultra-liberal journalists with their profound commitment to accuracy, objectivity and professionalism file a report arguing that Congress should increase funding to the Contras. To an Australian, this was entirely baffling, at least until I started reading up on the media.
Posted by: RobW at October 3, 2007 11:54 PMYeah, that implicit contra support was what I hated about "Broadcast News", but if you were reading the "liberal" press in the US at the time it wasn't exactly uncommon. There had been some honest reporting of the atrocities of US-backed forces in Central America in the early 80's (which, to be fair, is also when they were the most intense), but by 1987 it was as if that had never happened. We were the good guys, and Ollie North was only guilty of excessive zeal for freedom that led him to subvert the Constitution in support of the contras. Once again, we were the only victims and all Americans had good intentions, with the only debate being about whether it was wimpy to respect the law (American, that is, not international) while fighting our evil enemies.
Posted by: Donald Johnson at October 4, 2007 08:04 AMI really should have hit him over the head with a bottle of Pellegrino yuppie water when I had the chance.
Yes, and because you didn't, we are now all
f--ked. I'm so sick of you Johnny-come-latelys saying that you should have, you should have, about the war, spying, torture, etc.
Very funny line, Wendigo, thanks for the laugh. Laughs early in the day give more strength than those later in the day. (new scientific discovery)
Posted by: catherine at October 4, 2007 10:49 AMWeep Now for the Terrible Tragedies Suffered by Whiny Oblivious Rich White People.
Another move that deserves that title is The Anniversary Party. It's undeniably not funny, though.
Posted by: n8nyc at October 4, 2007 12:32 PMEl Suicida and the Hotel in Honduras, one of Olie's finest sellouts. (if he pats you on the back he's just looking for a rib)
Posted by: Mike Meyer at October 4, 2007 06:02 PM
