Daily Show Notes Overthrow
In one quip, Jon Stewart may have taught more Americans about the simple fact of the U.S. overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy than lifelong educators and activists have in a lifetime.
Depending on how you look at it, the suggestion that Americans are getting more and more of their news from "The Daily Show" can be amusing, or frightening. Either way, though, the Comedy Central program has massive reach, and may very well be the only reason many citizens know anything about politics. Case in point? Jon Stewart's recent reporting (or lampooning) of a resolution to condemn genocide in Armenia, which is ruffling the feathers of America's ally, Turkey.
In a recent segment on the brouhaha, which obviously skewered the Bush administration's reluctance to call genocide 'genocide,' Stewart consulted with "Senior Armeniologist" Aasif Mandvi. Stewart asks about the value of symbolic resolutions.
Since the clip is likely to be yanked for copyright reasons, here's the noteworthy dialogue:
Jon Stewart: Has congress ever passed these types of resolutions for anything that we here in the states have done?
Aasif Mandvi: Oh, yes, absolutely. Both the bad things we did. Congress formally apologized to Japanese Americans for the internment camps, and Hawaii for overthrowing its queen.
Stewart: But... I'm talking about slavery and indian genocide...
Mandvi: Oh. Well, does 10 extra points for college admission or casinos count as an apology?
