After a miserable week, Jon Stewart did some celebrating on The Daily Show Wednesday night, where he covered the uproar to remove the Confederate flag from outside the South Carolina State Building and elsewhere throughout the South. Still — as Stewart may know better than anyone — every silver lining has a cloud, and the host found plenty of continued ignorance to rip apart.
Stewart began with the positives, noting that supporters of the Confederate flag's removal include those attached to the older generation. Paul Thurmond, a South Carolina State Senator and the son of staunch segregationist Strom Thurmond, is among those advocating for the flag's removal. "That's like if Kool- Aid Man's son took to the floor of the Senate to give a lecture on the importance of wall preservation," Stewart cracked.
Elsewhere, retailers such as Target, Sears, eBay, Amazon and even Etsy have vowed to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise, a move ostensibly prompted by Walmart's decision to do the same. But one progressive step doesn't negate the corporate behemoth's history of questionable practices; and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon's surprise that Confederate flag merchandise appeared on store shelves was plenty to elicit Stewart's New Jersey wise-guy voice.
"'I mean, look, I knew we sold cheap guns, really cheap — to anybody,'" Stewart mocked. "'Tremendous stopping power. You come to Walmart and buy some of those guns, you could have a hell of a standoff. My point is this: I didn't know you could get them with the stars and bars holster. That sends a very dangerous message."'
Of course, there are still many who want to preserve the flag, but Stewart picked apart their fear-mongering, including an especially deft dismantling of one man's claim that doing away with the Confederate flag would be akin to Stalinism. As for the long held "heritage not hate," argument, Stewart noted the heritage being defended is one of fighting against the United States for slavery.
Stewart ended the segment with a reminder that removing the Confederate flag is "a small part of a much larger problem. Ideally this debate is only the start of a longer conversation addressing the kind of institutional and systemic racism that we have yet to disassemble, that continues to this very day."
As for the long held "heritage not hate," argument, Stewart noted the heritage being defended is one of fighting against the United States for slavery.
Stewart is a NYC Jew that grew up in the privileged life of the ruling class and went to all the elited NYC leftist schools,so he can MAYBE be forgiven for his ignorance. After all,if you grow up on Mars and that is the only place you have ever lived,all you know is stuff about Mars.
What can't be forgiven is the TOTAL lack of outrage over the LaRaza flag and the African flags being flown at anti-US protests here in the US.
Stewart is a NYC Jew that grew up in the privileged life of the ruling class and went to all the elited NYC leftist schools,so he can MAYBE be forgiven for his ignorance.
I got one of those NY edumakations. I paid attention in history class and learned that the Confederate leaders were nuts, the war was good versus evil, and Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a lone nut.
I got one of those NY edumakations. I paid attention in history class and learned that the Confederate leaders were nuts, the war was good versus evil, and Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a lone nut.
You must have been in the class 30-40 years behind me.
" paid attention in history class and learned that the Confederate leaders were nuts,"
So you must believe that most of the Founding Fathers were nuts as well. Way to go, Lance.
So you must believe that most of the Founding Fathers were nuts as well.
The Founders were divinely inspired. George Washington was elected unanimously by the 13 states who had all ratified the Constitution.
And who knew that photographs were taken at the Booth autopsy? Or that when Grant's wife visited him during the war, she was accompanied by one of her slaves?
And the troubles Lincoln had just staying buried until his body was finally buried with two tons of cement.
4 May 1865 Buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield IL.
21 Dec 1865 Lincoln's coffin opened.
19 Sep 1871 Lincoln's coffin opened.
9 Oct 1874 Lincoln's coffin opened.
7 Nov 1876 An attempt is made to steal Lincoln's corpse, and hold it for ransom.
22 Jun 1877 Lincoln's would-be tomb robbers begin serving prison sentence.
14 Apr 1887 Lincoln's coffin opened.
26 Sep 1901 Abraham Lincoln's body is exhumed an examined. The corpse is recognizably Lincoln, with the exception that the eyebrows have fallen out. Twenty-three individuals examine Lincoln, all agreeing that it is indeed him. Lincoln is then reburied for the last time, under two tons of cement.
