New Debate - O'Reilly and Stewart

90 minutes long, but humorously enlightening.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/07/jon-stewart-bill-oreilly-debate?newsfeed=true

Exactly one month before the US presidential election, Stewart – the liberal host of the Daily Show on Comedy Central – and O'Reilly, Fox News's star rightwing blowhard, faced off behind two star-spangled podiums in Washington in what was billed as "O'Reilly v Stewart 2012: the Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium."

I finally saw the whole of this video.

Here's what I suggest - don't try to do it from here. Run your cursor over the bottom of the video, and when the YouTube icon lights up, click on it. From YouTube, bookmark it into your browser. That way, you can watch bits at a time.

It is well worth those bits of minutes.



Here is what I liked: Both O'Reilly and Stewart were able to laugh at themselves as well as they were able to poke fun at each other. Both of them, while their views diverged a lot, were able to recognize the other's right to hold that perspective. From there, they were able to argue their respective positions intensely without attacking the other in a personal way (other than the obvious comic caricatures - and there, they have a hard time keeping a straight face as they recognize themselves)

We seem to be going about our approach to this election as though it were the end of the world. And maybe that is the problem. Apocalyptic notions are ingrained in our DNA. If we haven't consciously taken the time to examine them, they can feed on our fears at a subconscious level. It's like our political parties and stances are the personification of the confrontation at Armageddon, and the outcome of this election represents the status of our souls.

Watching this parody of the first debate gives us a way to lighten up.

And that is something we could all do these days.

Annie

Watched the whole thing and enjoyed it. It would be great if the Presidential debates would be like this.

Wouldn't it?