In class we are about to discuss the effects on political learning from late night comedy shows, namely The Daily Show with John Stewart. Even though the presidential election is over and Obama holds the title of President of the United States, is it still "politically dangerous" to make jokes similar to the ones made about him during the election? When Obama and McCain were running against one another, it was commonly suggested that Obama was a Muslim, which was linked to him being a terrorist. Take a look at this Jon Stewart clip discussing Obama's winning of the Nobel Peace Price:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XksFlrm1E7k
Even though it seems like a harmless joke to us, the research from the reading for Monday's class shows that what we consider "harmless" is actually contributing to people's political opinions. Even though I can see through this joke I worry that this could further hurt the image of Obama in the eyes of those already against him. It is perpetuating a ridiculous insinuation that Obama had any background as a terrorist. I can sit back and chuckle at this joke, but I worry that not all Americans can, and some may take it more seriously. Is this healthy for our society?
-Cally McCurdy
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