Allyson – “The Charleston Shooting”
This is a recent one, but it couldn’t be more timely in terms of the current racial discord in the U.S. After the terror attack on the Charleston Church, Jon Stewart did what he’d done before in the face of tragedy: he got serious. The segments in which Stewart has let his frustration slip are few and far-between, and it’s hardly surprising that as a comedian, he has a tough time finding comedic value on a day to day basis when the news can be littered with such shit, but it’s times like these where I realize how integral of a voice Stewart’s has been.
In this segment, Stewart isn’t just frustrated, he’s angry; he isn’t just sarcastic, he’s scathing. His humor comes in biting bits, rendering his audience unable to give out anything but uncomfortable laughter. The humor is derivative of frustration and exhaustion at this topic still having to be talked about today.
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