I think if I could choose to meet anybody in the world, it would be Jon Stewart. I certainly aware of the fact that I've picked a television show comedian rather than a world leader, humanitarian, or genius. There is something about his sensibilities that really appeals to me. I think one of the major points of the The Daily Show is that we as humans are hypocrites, show poor judgment, can be cruel, and selfish. Similarly, we as humans are well-intentioned, looking to improve, kindhearted, and generous. These qualities are distributed across political ideology, race, religion, and gender. There are good people on both sides. There are bad people on both sides. There are people who straddle the gray area between good and bad on both sides. Underlying the message of Stewart's show is the idea that we as Americans agree on nearly 100% of all possible issues, but it's the very few issues that we cannot agree on that we spend most of our time talking about. Perhaps this is for good reason. It makes sense that we would focus our efforts on resolving our differences rather than celebrating our commonalities. However, I think Jon Stewart's goal (one of them) is to remind us that maybe we should spend more time celebrating our commonalities. We all have a common goal and that's to make our country the best it can be.

Anyway, I had a point to this, so I'm going to try to get back to it. I really like Jon Stewart. I like how he reveals the absurdities of sanctimonious people and ideologies. I like how he interviews people he disagrees with. I like how he shows those people respect (perhaps too much sometimes). I like how he is always civil and polite to his guests.

On Monday night, Jon Stewart was a guest on NBC's new television news magazine hosted by Brian Williams. Williams has been on The Daily Show like 20 times, so Stewart was on the 1st episode of Williams' new show. The dynamic between them was very unusual, borderline awkward given the context. Here they were on the opening night of a new show NBC has heavily promoted, and Brian Williams, NBC's evening news anchor, is fucking around with his friend Jon Stewart. How did Jon Stewart become so respected and revered that his colleagues will invite him to their shows just to fuck around. They spent 2/3 of the interview talking about kids, Halloween, and socks. They finally spoke about B's least favorite movement near the end.

I guess what struck me is how different the dynamics are with Jon Stewart depending on the context. When you are a guest (mostly political or media guests) on The Daily Show, you know the atmosphere is going to be light, there will be some humor, but in the end you'll be having a serious, knowledgeable discussion. The interviews are rarely particularly notable, groundbreaking, or scandalous.

However, when Jon Stewart is a guest on another show, the interview is almost always notable. There is his famous interview on Crossfire (CNN), his many visits to the The O'Reilly Factor (Fox News), the interview with Chris Wallace (Fox News), etc. When he is a guest on another show, people pay attention. It may be a serious discussion or just friends fucking around, but the conversation is always something worth watching.

You may have realized I'm struggling to really narrow in what it is about Jon Stewart that has made him "the most trusted newsman in America." He is a comedian. A Jewish comedian. Hollywood loves him. His peers love him. Politicians respect him (most?). Even Fox News likes grudgingly respects him.

I want to meet Jon Stewart.

D

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Hello world...

Sometimes... I just can't help myself. A few weeks ago I wrote a post about my grievances with the Occupy Wall Street movement (http://myjerseyboys.blogspot.com/2011/10/occupy-wall-street.html), and today I saw that the Occupy Oakland protests got a little out of control (no surprises there... http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/03/8612741-protesters-set-fires-clash-with-police-in-oakland). Which eventually led to me picking a fight with @BrysonIsGood (known for his role as himself on My Life As Liz). It went like this...

@BrysonIsGood: #occupyoakland STARTED FIRE TO CLEAR OUT TEAR GAS! COPS CAME, AND GOT VIOLENT FIRST! #OWS #OO @CBSNews at least is lying about that.

B: I think because people are starting fires, and putting lives at risk, that it is a pretty good reason for cops to get violent. Maybe they shouldn't have taken over a office building. People have the right to work, just like they have the right to protest

I wasn't really expecting a response, but much to my surprise, he did respond...

@BrysonIsGood: they took over a disused social service building, which caused the tear gas. Then the fire was started to clear the tear gas. and the fire was started in the middle of an empty street and kept well under control, I watched the whole thing. I'm not necessarily defending taking the building or starting the fire, but let's get the story straight first.

B: Actually the fire in question was started on a barricade they had put up. They had taken over the area, blocking exits. They blocked the streets with illegally parked vehicles and chain-link fences. They stopped people from getting to work. The #OWS movement should reach out to the workers, not keep them from going to work and supporting themselves. And I agree with you, getting the story straight is important. That's why I've been reading up on it since your tweet

@BrysonIsGood: I don't dispute the preventing people from getting to work thing, but the tear gas preceded the fire. I watched it happen.

B: And they used the tear gas as a means to clear people from a building they illegally trespassed in, correct? I mean, I think it's awful that people had tear gas used on them, but if you do something causes a response like that, I have a hard time feeling bad about something that's clearly illegal. You can't just take over a building because you want to. Thank you, for responding though. I respect that you care enough to discuss this with a random stranger. lol  

So that's the conversation I've had so far with @BrysonIsGood. I found it mildly entertaining enough to post here. I think it's important to talk about these things, and to get other's perspectives on situations. Plus, I just really miss arguing with people... Which is probably why my mom keeps begging me to pursue a life as an attorney... Not going to happen. I will say this though, I may not agree with @BrysonIsGood's views, but I respect and admire people who are passionate about the causes they choose to follow.

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."

Love from,
I really miss debate...
B

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Apparently trig beats wizards.... Good to know.

Love from,
I have too much free time...
B

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Hello world!

So I've noticed a trend D has made of posting pictures of the food he's been eating. After watching Man vs Food, I decided to do the same. I've made a sandwich with sliced teriyaki steak, sliced ham, turkey, salami, American cheese, and Chipotle mayo.

Love From,
Yum...
B

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This is great. I always dreamed of being a guy on a buffalo and now I know why...you find babies in the grass and get to punch cougars in the face.

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I was sitting at my desk eating dinner when I had a few thoughts I should share:

Are graham crackers not one of the most underrated snacks? I made a classic peanut/pumpkin butter sandwich, but I didn't know what side I wanted. We have a good amount of snacks and candy, but the grams are what stood out to me. I never appreciate how much I love the taste of grams. I have them at Tk's house sometimes. They've been sitting in my pantry the entire time I've lived here, and I've never picked them as my snack. But tonight they won the lottery... I scooped out some nutella and completed my dinner.

As I crunched through the gram-nutella goodness, I thought of how grams are an underrated member of the smores team. The chocolate and marshmallow get all the attention. Grams are just how you keep the boiling marshmallow from burning your fingers. If our hands were heat resistant, we'd eat that chocolaty- white goo right out of our bare hands. But I think grams can be a lot more than just a utensil. Grams deserve attention. They deserve to be restored to their glory days, around the time The Sandlot came out. The movie that coined the term "Gram" gave graham crackers some attention, and they subsequently peaked in popularity. It's been down hill since then. It's time for a comeback.

We need to do the dishes. Pretty Badly. I don't mind using dirty dishes or bowls for things, especially if I'm eating the same thing that I used it for the last time. There are somethings you can eat/drink with non-clean dishes/cups. Milk... is not one of them. Next time I'll wash out a cup.

When you're eating and using your laptop, it's really important to keep one clean finger on the hand you use to control the mouse. I eat while using my laptop all the time, and I always get the mouse-pad dirty with peanut butter or something. Today, I kept getting nutella on the pad. I know it's gonna happen, and I still always forget to keep a clean finger. I guess my mind just goes blank when I'm eating...

D

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Hello world!

C pointed out that I haven't been posting recently. My bad. I've been obsessively watching Daria. It was my favorite TV show back in the day, and I didn't remember a lot of the episodes. So it was fun going back and watching them all. One episode in particular really spoke to me. Daria, who is also a writer, was having some trouble writing a story. She had a severe case of writers block, which I myself have been experiencing. I've really wanted to write something about something that means something. *laughs* You'll understand that last sentence if you watch the episode. Which I will share with you all, at least the link to it, and contrary to some people's beliefs, not all the episodes are boring. Just a few of them...

http://www.watchcartoononline.com/daria-season-2-episode-13-write-where-it-hurts

Love from,
The episode after this one is a musical. Funny to watch.
B

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