According to “Entertainment Weekly,” he was voted “The Second Funniest Person in America” and was recognized as one of America’s “Fifty Most Beautiful People” in 1999 by “People” magazine. Jonathan Stewart Leibowitz has taken over the political scene for many teenagers and young adults, who turn to his show “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” for his satirical and witty view of politics and the news.
“I think he’s really funny,” senior journalism major Emily Gauthier said. “A lot of kids our age get their political information from him because he has a great sense of humor and he makes politics a lot more interesting. His show is never boring.”
“The Daily Show” tries to stay non-biased on political issues, and pokes fun at both extremes of politics. Stewart has called himself “the distracted center” between liberal and conservative.
“That’s the beauty of our show,” Stewart said in a report from www.imdb.com. “Comedy or politics. We’re sort of a mix. A space age polymer of both. A synthetic comedy-like material.”
Although the show is satirical, some find it difficult to see when Stewart is joking and serious and find his jokes inappropriate.
“I think Jon Stewart is a funny comedian,” Will Davenport, a sophomore political science major, said. “I think the trouble lies in the fact that far too much of America can’t tell the difference between comedy and real political reporting. Far too many people claim to get their political information from late night TV (“Daily Show” to Leno and such). The late show is intended to be a farse and not an actual news report.”
Dennis Walker, a junior International Business major, agreed with Davenport. “Jon Stewart is hilarious,” he said. “I don’t get to watch it often, but his politics and humor are really funny. I can appreciate both sides.”
It seems as though college students enjoy his humor more than adults, possibly because he is humorous and witty rather than serious. He does not give clear-cut news; instead he makes politics and news funny to attract a younger audience. Those who are extremely interested in politics may have a hard time listening to his antics.
“When we spot silliness, we say so out loud,” Stewart told the Internet Movie Database. “We’re not really Democrat or Republican. We’re out to stop that political trend of repeating things again and again until people are forced to believe them.”
