Jon Stewart Is Still A god
August 26th, 2008
I am a huge fan of Jon Stewart. Huge, huge fan. He repeatedly uses humor to show how absurd each of us, myself included, can be, and how we can all be guilty of taking our own petty theories and looking for data points to confirm those theories and hence our biases and view of the world. Yet we ignore, over and over and over, the data points that refute how we see the world, how we wish the world to be, and/or that we cannot explain. Humans often do this because we can be lazy as a species and/or do not want to move from our developed country wired way of thinking and comfort zone.
Here are several pieces of advice I give people before they travel to China and/or India for a business trip like ours:
1. Watch and observe. Don’t preach to our hosts about our culture and way of doing things until and before you have taken ample time to learn about their history, culture, demographics, politics, businesses, industries, economy, etc.
2. Things in the world happen for a reason. This includes things that happen in China and India. Look for and study what that reason is. This is your charge and my expectation for you as educated graduate students.
3. China is what it is. India is what it is. Accept that. Get over it. Resist the American tendency to “wonderfulize” or “awfulize” what you see there until you have studied it fully and thoroughly. Depending on the complexity of the issue, this may mean you have to return two, three or more times before you understand what you are seeing. High level learning and personal growth are hard, hard work that require ownership, persistence and endurance.
Exhibit A and B for how we can learn more about a country, and ourselves, and some of the above lessons/advice, through satire and humor:
A. Click HERE (watch each of the brief listed clips) for this special show/feature by John Stewart on the Olympics. In this segment he also, in my view, takes the Chinese to task for some of their own inconsistencies. This is perfectly fair and appropriate, in my view. Absurdity goes both ways. (I have read Phillip Pan’s book, Out of Mao’s Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China, by the way — an excellent book and read.)
B. Click HERE for my earlier post and this prior short segment by Jon Stewart on partisan politics, hackery and hypocrisy, by both political parties in the US. I.e., neither side or party seems that interested, really, in helping us learn more about China (the problem appears to be less acute for India given its democracy status) and how to more effectively interact with the Chinese.
Yes, Jon Stewart remains a god.
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, Beijing, China
12 Comments Add your own
1. Alex Thornton | December 15th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
I have similar rules (that mirror yours) for myself, though in more general terms:
1. Seek first to understand. Once you understand how someone else’s process works, only then should you make suggestions.
2. Humans have a great capacity to turn a negative in to a positive. This typically means that if something bad happens to you, you can usually find a life lesson or a good reason for it happening.
3. I’ll mind my business, if you’ll mind yours. In the the case of your advice, don’t try and change people. And hopefully they will treat you in kind.
2. Lindsay Leaver | January 9th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Here here! Jon Stewart is my favorite, favorite, favorite. I don’t have a TV, nor do I want one, but I do watch The Daily Show online. Never miss it. Unfortunately, the clips you had links to were no longer working, but I do have a comment about Jon Stewart.
More than his humor, I appreciate what he is doing for the media. He seems to be the only “news” show that knows exactly what it is. He doesn’t claim to be news, he doesn’t claim to be unbiased. He wears his bias on his sleeve and fully admits to it. All the other “news” sources try to hide their bias and claim to present facts when all they are doing is pushing their own political agendas. Jon Stewart pushes his political opinions, while being honest about pushing his political opinions. Novel idea, huh?
He seems to be the only person that points out how completely ridiculous it all is. Both sides, all the time! Thank you thank you Jon Stewart for being you.
Apparently we aren’t the only ones who think he is important… see NPR story below.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122375199
3. Jason Silver | January 19th, 2010 at 10:58 am
The Daily Show with John Stewart, although a Comedy Central show, is a mix of current events, politics, and humor. It is a fantastic show which provides a different slant on the way news is being reported. The Daily Show aims to be a fair show, calling out politicians and figures on both sides of the aisle. His shows are always more entertaining and stimulating than the average nightly news show. The younger demographic which watches Comedy Central and The Daily Show can really connect with the humor and attitude that he projects. For those who do not think that The Daily Show is a legitimate news show, I would like point you to a list of past guests he has interviewed, which include former heads of state both in the US and internationally.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Daily_Show_guests
4. Tim Lynds | January 23rd, 2010 at 5:04 pm
The Daily Show is pretty awesome. I believe it is one of the best ways to keep informed of current events and the social and/or political storms surrounding them. Lindsay is right on the mark about good old Jon being honest and upfront about his biases. This is the main reason, other than the fact that Jon is actually funny, that the show is good. I typically cannot stand to watch or listen to any mainstream broadcast news because of latent biases that are cleverly or otherwise covered up (NPR and BBC excepted). I can accept bias either way if it is clearly presented and admitted.
I believe that the three pieces of advice given in the posting should always be kept in mind, even when you are not travelling. We need to understand the reasoning behind any action before we can honestly judge it. This does not mean that we can and should always prevent ourselves from making snap judgments, but that we should question those judgments until we have ample information. The three pieces of advice immediately reminded me of pretty much everything we did in OB last quarter. Dr. Coget would be proud.
5. Catherine Kristensen | February 6th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
You’re right, Tim - Dr. Coget would be proud. Summed up simply, this all boils down to the fact that everyone has a different world view. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can begin to acknowledge and effectively analyze personal and cultural differences.
As you travel and get out into ‘the world,’ you really see the power of the word “world” in the term “world view”; it is not just about your personal view, but the way the whole world is shaped in your mind.
It is too bad that these video links don’t work… I find it ironic that the Exhibit A video references Summer ‘08 Olympics and we are about to start Winter ‘10 Olympics. The 2008 Olympics were in China, making them much more relevant to the topics of this course, but I am sure that Jon Stewart will make many poignant comments this month regarding our world relative to the Olympic Games.
As the world comes together to compete on an international level, we are given the opportunity to see the similarities and differences of people from many different countries. These varied characteristics should be embraced and not taken for granted.
6. Phil Hamer | February 8th, 2010 at 12:46 am
The Daily Show’s coverage of the Beijing Olympics was hilarious here is a link of the Daily Show videos that featured Beijing coverage. My suggestion is to click on most viewed and watch them in that order. Rob Riggle is a riot. There is also a video with Fareed Zakaria referencing his book, The Post American World, which many of us read last quarter.
Since we are more focused on India this year, here is a hilarious clip about India’s mission to the moon last fall. It features one of my favorite Daily Show correspondants (who is Indian American) Aasif Mandvi.
It’s fun to watch old Daily Show clips, but be careful it can be a big time spender.
7. Kirk Story | February 10th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Yea, the Daily Show is awesome. John Stewart’s appearance on Crossfire was entertaining yet sadly true. He schooled Jim Cramer, the ‘Mad Money’ guy, along similar lines. Stewart poses a very realistic issue to the financial media. He asks why CNBC stood on the sidelines cheering as the backroom derivative traders squandered 401K’s for over-leveraged, short-term gain. The link below takes you to part 1 of a 3 part segment. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-12-2009/jim-cramer-pt–1 .
Kirk Story
8. Danielle Steussy | February 15th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Absolutely, Jon Stewart is a God. His take on the news or particularly other people’s take on the news just goes to show how unbelievably ignorant and absurd U.S. media can be. Just like many of the people above have said, the man wears his bias on his sleeve and that is something I can appreciate.
Political beliefs aside, there is plenty of good advice that has been given in this blog post. Not only is it respectful to observe and respect another culture, particularly if you are visiting their country, but it also opens up endless opportunities for students such as ourselves. By opening up our eyes and perhaps keeping our mouths shut, we’ll be able to experience the culture, not just view it with an outside perspective. Furthermore, by simply being gracious visitors, we can make long-lasting connections with these people and expand our network and job potential far beyond the U.S. borders. Now, that’s something Dr. Beaman would be proud of.
9. Erika Bylund | February 18th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
I really don’t think it’s possible to notice the idiosyncrasies of your own culture until you’re surrounded by another. For example, when my cousin from New York comes to visit, I always ask her (jokingly) where she got her accent from. (For example “orange” to a Californian is “ah-ranj” to her.) But she always chimes back, “you’re the one with a Californian accent!” And it’s true! Everyone has an accent. You just don’t realize it until someone with a different one points it out. And culture in general is like that.
Most people I talk to who’ve traveled abroad have told me that when they leave the U.S., they feel like they’ve been locked in a bubble. I felt the same way myself when I traveled out of the country for the first time (and every time after that). I felt like everyone knew about Americans, but I, an American, knew nothing about everyone else. And that really is a symptom of our culture. We are ironically xenophobic for what a melting pot our country is! I used to think that the American way was the best way, but since I’ve lived in different countries, I realize how much I wish we could change some of the ways we do things here in the States (like a 6-hour instead of an 8-hour one)!
10. Jay Ponto | February 28th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
I agree with Erika in that it can be far easier to see idiosyncrasies in your own culture after having been immersed in another, entirely different culture. For example, when I was younger I never thought twice about gas stations being built as they are, off to the side of the road much like any restaurant or shop. It makes perfect sense, right?
Then I went to Ecuador and my opinion changed dramatically. It makes far more sense for the gas stations to be placed in the middle of roads, on the islands! That way, they function as efficient “docking bays” (sort of) for cars to just pull into, get gas, and leave. It is a very efficient allocation of space. I realize there are some deficiencies in this idea (like servicing the underground gas tanks or the danger of cars crashing into the station/pumps). Nonetheless, I thought, and still think, this is a much more practical way to construct gas stations. I would never (or maybe never) have come to this conclusion without visiting somewhere other than my home.
Americans have (unfortunately) inherited a privileged position as a culture that other countries must learn about. Personally, I believe this has hurt us as a nation. I feel like I’m from a backwards nation when my Norwegian relatives speak to me in English better than that of many AMERICANS, and know how to speak at least two or three more languages on top of that.
I’ve gone on some tangents above, but my point is that it is imperative that we approach other countries and cultures with an open mind to learn more about them. There is a breadth of knowledge that can be learned by immersing oneself in any different environment, and I hope to learn much on my trip to India this June!
11. Michael Minasian | March 5th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
I agree with Erika about American’s lack of knowledge about the world around them. I do feel strongly that America is in a somewhat unique situation. For many years America has been a beacon of light and hope for people all over the world. We are a nation of immigrants, and many people want to come here. We are also, or have been, the leaders in many industries for a decent length of time. Whether or not people’s faith or hope in some of America’s ideals is unfounded is up for debate, but the point is that when you are at or near the top, people take notice, for better and worse. It makes us somewhat iconified in places like hollywood and resented at other times.
All of this to say, this is no excuse for our laziness as Americans to research other places, but this idea that everyone in the world is so informed about everything, and we are so Xenophobic is frankly annoying. America is largely responsible for setting up information networks (read: the internet!) that allow the free flow of information around the world. Would the citizens of a South American country who know a lot about America also know as much about…. Canada? We can’t know everything about every country.
Having said that, I feel that if you are going to visit a place, it is completely irrational to do so without significant research and understanding. I think we need to expand our knowledge about a lot of things and a lot of places, but let’s stop spreading this idea about dumb, uninformed, uneducated Americans who only care about themselves, and their culture, because it simply isn’t true.
12. Chase Janvrin | March 7th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Having done a limited amount of international travel one of the things that stuck with me the most was how blatantly, horribly, obviously American, many Americans were. I could always hear them a mile away, talking the loudest, voicing opinions seemingly just to voice them. People frequently assumed that I was Canadian because I was mellow. Ever since this realization I’ve been aware of the foreign stereotype of the obnoxious and arrogant American, and tried to behave in a way that contradicts that stereotype. And it’s trips and experiences like the one we’re about to embark on, that can help to either further solidify that stereotype, or shatter it. I’m doing everything I can to learn about India before my trip, and I hope and believe that my fellow MBA’ers are too.
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