Jon and Stephen
So I checked out the Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s “Restoring Sanity and/or Fear Rally” today. I have to say it was actually sane. While obviously making fun of the politics of fear that we are constantly bombarded with by the media, they managed to blast both sides of this problem, right wing and left. No one was spared as much of the restoring sanity part was about the lack of civil discourse in our politics. There were many entertaining antics like the giant puppet Stephen had made of himself but there was also a message. My favorite part was when the Jewish John Stewart brought out the Muslim Yusuf, formerly Cat Stevens, to sing the “Peace Train”. My only regret is Yusuf should have been allowed to finish the song and sing more. He was interrupted by Stephen Colbert bringing out Ozzie Osborne to sing “Crazy train.” I remember a few years ago when Yusuf was banned from coming into the country so it was great to see him be a part of this rally.
Of course Stephen Colbert did everything he could to try and keep fear alive. He started out bunkered down somewhere under the platform like he was in a cave kind of naked. He was afraid to come out because he wasn’t sure many people would come to the rally. The numbers were huge. There must be many Stewart and Colbert fans as the mall was full and crowded. Ozzie was interrupted by Jon and Stephen and but in the end they decided on the “Love Train”. The crowd was to get on the “Love Train”. Much of the rally was aimed at people being able to have a civil discourse and get along. The ideas were very simple but it almost felt like the two zaniest characters, Jon and Stephen, are the “sane” people during this political season.
I am so tired of seeing al of the negative political ads. It was refreshing to see something political that didn’t tell anyone how to vote. Voting didn’t even come up. The rally was simply about restoring sanity and I have to say I found it to be both hilarious as they gave awards for both restoring sanity and keeping fear alive or something like that. Of course the fear award was on a ribbon and showcased a naked guy running with scissors! Leave it to Colbert to be the most absurd of all!
A surprising part for me was when Kid Rock and Sheryl Crowe got on stage and sang a new song that Kid Rock had just written. It was unlike anything I’ve heard from him and I really enjoyed it.
I hope more people could have seen the rally and see how silly so much of this back and forth discourse really is. The two video clips that Stephen showed to try and keep fear alive were so telling. He had both sides Fox News and MSNBC, and people that consider themselves to be both liberal and right wing conservatives saying things that just keep the negative discourse going. He also showed how we are constantly bombarded with things to fear. It’s amazing that most of us actually live a normal life with all of the garbage that is thrown at us from both sides and the mass corporate media. Most of it is just rhetoric to try and show how evil the other side is but I think it is time to restore sanity.
Most of us get along with our friends and families even if we don’t agree on anything. Washington D.C. politicians should have gone to the rally or turned it on maybe they would learn something.
In the end Jon gave a speech that sounded very sane and better than most politicians. I was thinking, “Is John running for something?” He sounded like a politician without the “hate” speech about the other side. Whatever he was selling, I’m all for it. His speech made me realize just why he was voted the most influential man in America by Askmen.com.
Jon for all the silliness is like you or me, a normal guy. When I think about Christine O’Donnell’s ad where she says, “I’m you!” I think John is really one of us as well, but a “rich, successful” us. I remember when he was on Crossfire and that show went off the air shortly after.
Jon was fed up back then with the discourse that the media constantly kept going with the right and left constantly fighting and shouting at each other. He called them out and that seems to be what he was doing today with the “Restoring Sanity Rally”. Jon and Stephen are both powerful in such a funny way. Live and let live! I’m all for it. Jon showed many people in cars figuring out how to go down to one lane to go through a tunnel and he said we seem to be able to figure this out even if the bumper stickers are the opposite of what we believe in. The point he was trying to make was that we all figure out how to get along every day. He said that Washington D.C. could learn something from the American people and I have to agree. We get things done in our own communities. We rise to occasions when we need to do something even we don’t feel like it. We go to work and do our jobs and some days suck. However, we keep on going and we don’t find a thousand different ways to put each other down and belittle each other about what we believe.
Politicians could learn something from the American people. We all love our country and we all want to prosper and succeed, so we all need to just get along. We are greater together than we are apart. We are stronger when we join together to solve our problems. Whatever happens on Tuesday, I sure hope the Democrats, Republicans and the few Independents can set about to do the work of the American people without the constant discourse! Jon and Stephen made it safe to remember to be “SANE” when talking about politics. I hope the politicians “get it”.
Here is an article on the rally!