The king of political "comedy" may be spreading his disease. A couple political scientist say that people watching Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" catch his cynicism bug, which is bad news for the political system. People who watch his show, according to the academics, tend to be more critical of politicians and the political system and, not surprisingly, are less likely to vote.That, of course is not surprising for a guy who sells the I'm-too-cool-to-care attitude like candy. I don't take the study too seriously, but it's ironic that Stewart had criticized real political talk shows for their combative approach to politics. Well, at least the viewers of Crossfire (RIP) were also the likely voters, not whiners.
The question, which did not seem to be answered in the Washington Post article, was whether Stewart fans tend to be more cynical than the rest of the populace, or whether they became more cynical through the "Daily effect". I'd guess it's a mix of both.
1 comment:
Oh how incredibly untrue. People who watch his show just gain incredible respect for the man, and probably on the contrary, are more interested in politics therefore more likely to vote. Jon is smart, witty, funny, and has a charisma that draws you in yet he's fair in his criticism in politics and gives the viewer freedom to have their own opinion.
Post a Comment