What is it about failed artists and violent anti-semitism?Follow

I don't know. Satire is often primarily used to drive home a more serious point. This **** isn't new. It's like you never read Alexander Pope.

Name me one.

The Daily Show is no more opinion forming than SNL's Weekend Update. If you are NOT already informed, most of the content will be meaningless.

I'm surprised no one has mentionned Mel Gibson yet.

Come again?

I watch TDS almost every day (although a day late, stupid More4), and the main impression I get from it is that 24hour news networks in the US must be incredibly irritating.

Every form of media affects one's opinion. CBS News affects people's opinions. The Daily Show affects people's opinions. An episode of The Simpsons affects people's opinion. Maybe not enough to turn the extreme left wing into the radical right or vice versa, but there is some shifting around.

Without qualifying how much of an affect you deem significant you are easily false. It's akin to saying a feather is weightless. It may not be much weight, maybe not even enough to warrant recognition in certain situations, but it does weigh down.

How significant an effect the Daily Show has on the opinions of its viewers is a tough and speculative argument, but whether it has an effect is simple and obvious.

Yes, but it's equally hard to quantify how both TDS and SNL compare to CBS news or CNN, which is the point I was making.

That's great, but all you've said is that Tim and Mary are the same height. We don't know how tall they are, or whether they are shorter or taller than Jon and Sue. That's the problem.

TDS may be as significant as SNL in influencing viewer opinions, but but that make it rank on par with major news networks, above them, below them? And how far above or below? All of this matters... greatly.

You've yet to really clarify anything, but honestly there are only two options here. Either what you're saying is relevant but incorrect or what you're saying is correct but irrelevant. However, you do get to pick.

Either you're saying TDS has a specific, quantifiable, affect on people's opinions, which is relevant but mostly unprovable or you're saying TDS has a similar affect on opinion to a show which has a similar affect on opinions when compared to TDS, which is correct but irrelevant.

Edited, Jun 12th 2009 10:31am by Allegory

That's not a complete thought. They don't compare how? They are too far above it in influence? Too far below? Part of a seperate category that should not be group with CBS, and if so why? Are they somehow a different dimension of show? Have the frames of referenced changed? Don't compare how?

Edited, Jun 12th 2009 10:33am by Allegory

I really don't think that my original comment was that hard to 'get' if taken with in the context of all them posts above it, including the one I quoted. Was it?

Here let me simplify: IN MY OPINION THE DAILY SHOW DOES NOT FORMULATE POLITICAL OPINION FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THAT VIEW IT.

It's Friday and I ain't got much to do today. Lemme know if you're still pondering over my correctness and I'll make further clarifications.

Can you define "like this"?

Yes, he does.

Only in arguments where the source of the disagreement is a skip or flaw of logic. The rest of the time I talk a different sort of weird. When I'm not simply chattering, I try to be technical; it makes it far more difficult to guess at what I mean but far easier to know what I mean. It's a rather interesting dilemma in my opinion.

Edited, Jun 12th 2009 11:05am by Allegory

I often loathe pedantry directed at myself. But I'm so pedantic myself I choke up into silence when I can't answer a phatic question truthfully without turning it into a socially awkward answer. On the other hand, sometimes watching a pedant unleashed on someone else makes me all