Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Bill Maher takes on the false narrative that both the Right Wing and Left Wing in America are prone to unsubstantiated hyperbole.
Though I really enjoyed the "Rally to Restore Sanity" I do have to agree with Maher that saying MSNBC is simply the progressive version of Fox News is complete bullshit.
I also went to the Rally, Gryphen. But it was more for my respect for Stephen Colbert than Jon Stewart. Lately, I've been screaming at my TV when Stewart has picked on MSNBC. He has failed to really LISTEN to the propagandist agenda put out by Fox every single day.By rather glibly suggesting that Olbermann or Ed Schultz or Rachel Maddow are just the polar opposites of Hannity or O'Reilly or...well, Beck is in a demented bubble of his own...Stewart is so far off base it makes me wonder if he's actually watched MSNBC. I think the heroes of "The Daily Show" are the editors and researchers who find footage from the past that incriminates Fox pundits and exposes their hypocrisy. It's glaring. And I was thrilled last Friday, when first Rachel and then Bill Maher, both fought back against Stewart's new, and very very misguided, belief that MSNBC is just as biased as Fox.
OT. This was written in 2008 by Dick Cavett, but is still very relevant. My favorite part besides the title (The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla)..."I feel a little sorry for John. He aimed low and missed."
MSNBC is fiar. They hold people regardless of party affiliation to the same standards and evaluate them equally. Facts matter and lies are pointed out @MSNBC and challenged equally regardless of party affiliation. If the MSNBC anchors gave any misinformation they make a correction on air. Holding all people to the same standards is "fair" and "balanced" is the effort to ask substantive questions of people with different political affiliation.
When I have watched Fox it seems to be a forum to promote a specific agenda and vehicle for spewing talking points and spewing lies for political gain. Fox hiring Sarah Palin as a consultant, commentator was bogus. She gets paid to spew nonsense, void of accurate facts for self promotion via habitual lying. I find MSNBC to have standards of ethics and principals. I have found Fox to be limited as an attack the other guyor side forum and the newscasters join in the frey perpetuating misinformation including sick and twisted lies.
He hit the nail on the head. My son refused to watch the rally because he is so disgusted by the false equivalency Stewart propagates. Sad day when our own liberal voices kowtow to the Fox News meme that the media is biased in favor of liberals. Seems to me the only acceptable bias in the media these days is a conservative one.
Jon Stewart has been of late too mushy towards the lies and stupidy. I do not know if he has a divine plan with this attitude or not but some of his "stuff" lately is not correct in it's truth.
Great job, Bill and he is correct. Fox makes up news for example ACORN, black panthers, Shirley Sherrod, death panel, etc. MSNBC on the other hand debunks the lies and myths that is spread on Fox. In addition, they also hold democrats accountable including the President. Fox, is always lock step with Republicans and teabaggers regardless.
I watched Jon Stewart a few days ago with Chris Wallace and I was very disappointed in the interview. He was drooling all over Chris and I thought it strange. I don't know what was going on with that. Perhaps he was getting back at Keith Olbermann for his comment about the rally. Well if that is the case, Jon is immature and he's not the man I thought he was.
I would not classify MSNBC in the same category of Fox News, but they absolutely have an agenda to push.
If you know journalism and know what to look for, you'll see it. They absolutely craft a narrative. It's much more subtle than Fox's, and they use different tools to do it, but they are just as adept as telling the story they want to tell. Just because you *like* the story and *agree* with the story, doesn't mean you're being told the Truth. Anytime I feel my self-righteous gland tingling, I know it's time to stop and think.
I read the paper everyday. I refuse to watch any of the 24 hour news programming. *winks* Marshall McLuhan was right.
Bill is correct on many of his points, but what we need to remember is that Jon Stewart is a comedian, not a journalist or an investigative reporter - even though he and his staff have been doing a better job at it than the mainstream news media recently. Bill Maher and others may have wanted the rally to be one thing and were disappointed that it wasn't what they expected, but the only thing we were promised was comedy.
As far as his message regarding MSNBC, I believe his point was that right or left, if you're being extreme, you're going about it the wrong way, not that MSNBC is on par with Faux, but there are certain people on the left who's hyperbole is.
Lately I get the feeling from Stewart that he is uncomfortable with the expectations of some of his audience. I don't think he ever set out to be "the one" who changes the way things are.
I also watched him with Chris Wallace and my take was that Jon was being facetious in much of what he said, he did after all congratulate Wallace and his colleagues on winning the House in the election. Wallace seemed so stunned that he never even tried to "refudiate" the statement. Stewart never let up and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
This feels similar to the folks on the left who are so upset with Obama for not getting enough done that they didn't vote last Tuesday - where does that leave us? With more of these jackasses making our laws. Let the Republicans eat their own - we need to be united.
It is one thing to craft a liberal bias, especially when you are clear that you are a liberal and you don't lie to do so. It is quite another thing to craft any kind of bias while claiming you aren't and using blatant lies and some less blatant lies to do it. Stop saying its the same. One is propaganda, the other is opinion commentary. Only an idiot or a teabagger (is that redundant) pretends they can't tell the difference.
I also went to the Rally, Gryphen. But it was more for my respect for Stephen Colbert than Jon Stewart. Lately, I've been screaming at my TV when Stewart has picked on MSNBC. He has failed to really LISTEN to the propagandist agenda put out by Fox every single day.By rather glibly suggesting that Olbermann or Ed Schultz or Rachel Maddow are just the polar opposites of Hannity or O'Reilly or...well, Beck is in a demented bubble of his own...Stewart is so far off base it makes me wonder if he's actually watched MSNBC. I think the heroes of "The Daily Show" are the editors and researchers who find footage from the past that incriminates Fox pundits and exposes their hypocrisy. It's glaring. And I was thrilled last Friday, when first Rachel and then Bill Maher, both fought back against Stewart's new, and very very misguided, belief that MSNBC is just as biased as Fox.
ReplyDeletelove Bill Maher-- love this video. It is all sooooo true. Thanks for a fabulous Sunday post
ReplyDeleteOT. This was written in 2008 by Dick Cavett, but is still very relevant. My favorite part besides the title (The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla)..."I feel a little sorry for John. He aimed low and missed."
ReplyDeletehttp://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/the-wild-wordsmith-of-wasilla/
MSNBC is fiar. They hold people regardless of party affiliation to the same standards and evaluate them equally. Facts matter and lies are pointed out @MSNBC and challenged equally regardless of party affiliation. If the MSNBC anchors gave any misinformation they make a correction on air. Holding all people to the same standards is "fair" and "balanced" is the effort to ask substantive questions of people with different political affiliation.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have watched Fox it seems to be a forum to promote a specific agenda and vehicle for spewing talking points and spewing lies for political gain. Fox hiring Sarah Palin as a consultant, commentator was bogus. She gets paid to spew nonsense, void of accurate facts for self promotion via habitual lying. I find MSNBC to have standards of ethics and principals. I have found Fox to be limited as an attack the other guyor side forum and the newscasters join in the frey perpetuating misinformation including sick and twisted lies.
This is so true. Good job Bill!
ReplyDeleteBloody well said!
ReplyDeleteHe hit the nail on the head. My son refused to watch the rally because he is so disgusted by the false equivalency Stewart propagates. Sad day when our own liberal voices kowtow to the Fox News meme that the media is biased in favor of liberals. Seems to me the only acceptable bias in the media these days is a conservative one.
ReplyDeleteJon Stewart has been of late too mushy towards the lies and stupidy. I do not know if he has a divine plan with this attitude or not but some of his "stuff" lately is not correct in it's truth.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Bill and he is correct. Fox makes up news for example ACORN, black panthers, Shirley Sherrod, death panel, etc. MSNBC on the other hand debunks the lies and myths that is spread on Fox. In addition, they also hold democrats accountable including the President. Fox, is always lock step with Republicans and teabaggers regardless.
ReplyDeleteI watched Jon Stewart a few days ago with Chris Wallace and I was very disappointed in the interview. He was drooling all over Chris and I thought it strange. I don't know what was going on with that. Perhaps he was getting back at Keith Olbermann for his comment about the rally. Well if that is the case, Jon is immature and he's not the man I thought he was.
I would not classify MSNBC in the same category of Fox News, but they absolutely have an agenda to push.
ReplyDeleteIf you know journalism and know what to look for, you'll see it. They absolutely craft a narrative. It's much more subtle than Fox's, and they use different tools to do it, but they are just as adept as telling the story they want to tell. Just because you *like* the story and *agree* with the story, doesn't mean you're being told the Truth. Anytime I feel my self-righteous gland tingling, I know it's time to stop and think.
I read the paper everyday. I refuse to watch any of the 24 hour news programming. *winks* Marshall McLuhan was right.
Bill is correct on many of his points, but what we need to remember is that Jon Stewart is a comedian, not a journalist or an investigative reporter - even though he and his staff have been doing a better job at it than the mainstream news media recently. Bill Maher and others may have wanted the rally to be one thing and were disappointed that it wasn't what they expected, but the only thing we were promised was comedy.
ReplyDeleteAs far as his message regarding MSNBC, I believe his point was that right or left, if you're being extreme, you're going about it the wrong way, not that MSNBC is on par with Faux, but there are certain people on the left who's hyperbole is.
Lately I get the feeling from Stewart that he is uncomfortable with the expectations of some of his audience. I don't think he ever set out to be "the one" who changes the way things are.
I also watched him with Chris Wallace and my take was that Jon was being facetious in much of what he said, he did after all congratulate Wallace and his colleagues on winning the House in the election. Wallace seemed so stunned that he never even tried to "refudiate" the statement. Stewart never let up and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
This feels similar to the folks on the left who are so upset with Obama for not getting enough done that they didn't vote last Tuesday - where does that leave us? With more of these jackasses making our laws. Let the Republicans eat their own - we need to be united.
It is one thing to craft a liberal bias, especially when you are clear that you are a liberal and you don't lie to do so.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite another thing to craft any kind of bias while claiming you aren't and using blatant lies and some less blatant lies to do it.
Stop saying its the same. One is propaganda, the other is opinion commentary. Only an idiot or a teabagger (is that redundant) pretends they can't tell the difference.