Rally to Restore Sanity

[Voronwë the Faithful]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-s ... ore-sanity

I wish there was some way I could go to this.

[River]

Unfortunately, I have **** to do.

[Primula Baggins]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-s ... ore-sanity

I wish there was some way I could go to this.

Me, too. "Take it down a notch . . . for America."

Unfortunately, I've got <bleep> to do, too (to quote Jon Stewart).

[River]

I do love the "I am not afraid..." sign though.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Me too.

To be honest, I'm not really wild about Colbert's role in all this, with his competing "Keep fear alive" march. I understand the satire, but I think it is counterproductive.

[Primula Baggins]

It's more bodies for the real rally, I think.

Swiped from Stewart's rally website (http://www.rallytorestoresanity.com/):

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Who among us has not wanted to open their window and shout that at the top of their lungs?

Seriously, who?

Because we're looking for those people. We're looking for the people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat; who feel that the loudest voices shouldn't be the only ones that get heard; and who believe that the only time it's appropriate to draw a Hitler mustache on someone is when that person is actually Hitler. Or Charlie Chaplin in certain roles.

Are you one of those people? Excellent. Then we'd like you to join us in Washington, DC on October 30 -- a date of no significance whatsoever -- at the Daily Show's "Rally to Restore Sanity." Ours is a rally for the people who've been too busy to go to rallies, who actually have lives and families and jobs (or are looking for jobs) -- not so much the Silent Majority as the Busy Majority. If we had to sum up the political view of our participants in a single sentence... we couldn't. That's sort of the point.

Think of our event as Woodstock, but with the nudity and drugs replaced by respectful disagreement; the Million Man March, only a lot smaller, and a bit less of a sausage fest; or the Gathering of the Juggalos, but instead of throwing our feces at Tila Tequila, we'll be actively *not* throwing our feces at Tila Tequila. Join us in the shadow of the Washington Monument. And bring your indoor voice. Or don't. If you'd rather stay home, go to work, or drive your kids to soccer practice... Actually, please come anyway. Ask the sitter if she can stay a few extra hours, just this once. We'll make it worth your while.

Pretty brilliant stuff.

[WampusCat]

A wonderful call for a return to reason (although I did love Colbert's response that reason is just One Letter away from treason).

I would consider going, if only to be encouraged by the sight of other reasonable people.

[RoseMorninStar]

I find it incredibly funny (in a very good way) that a comedian.. a REAL 'fake news' pundit (<--- an awesome concept in itself!) .. is having a rally to restore sanity! Laughter is a cure-all!

[vison]

A good idea. Hope it works out.

Maybe we Canucks should send Rick Mercer and Mary Walsh.

[Inanna]

Awesome, what an absolutely brilliant idea.

However, isn't it an oxymoron?

[halplm]

I'm sure I don't get the joke. Who is unreasonable? What sanity needs to be restored?

Of course, there's a joke in the fact that the rallies that are supposed to be "insane" are of people who do have jobs and take time off or their own free time to attend them, while the "sane" rallies are attended by paid union workers or professional protesters who don't work... but somehow I don't think that's the joke here.

But Stewart and Colbert know their audience best I guess.

[RoseMorninStar]

I am sure there are people here who can explain/word it better than I can halpm, but I took it as a tongue-in-cheek jab at Glenn Beck's rally to 'Restore Honor'. I would also guess that, with the 9/11 rallies and protests at the proposed Islamic center site, that things have been rather crazy in New York.. The Tea Party rallies haven't been the most 'sane' events either... People have gone a bit unhinged .. with pundits whipping people up into a frenzy... and so.. Stewart & Colbert decided to mock that in their own way and do just the opposite.

[JewelSong]

Bingo, Rose.

It's a parody of the histrionics that have marked the Tea Party and other rallies.

We're looking for the people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat; who feel that the loudest voices shouldn't be the only ones that get heard; and who believe that the only time it's appropriate to draw a Hitler mustache on someone is when that person is actually Hitler.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

It is very much NOT just the "tea parties" and others on the right that Stewart is targeting. He gives absolute equal billing to the extreme people on the left (such as code pink, among others) who have contributed to the atmosphere of fear and intolerance that seems to be dominating this country.

And it is no joke.

[Primula Baggins]

Yes, I suspect that if you timed the leftwing lunacy versus rightwing lunacy in the clips he showed, it would come out exactly equal. Including an image of a Hitler mustache drawn on George Bush.

Did you watch the clips, Hal? Those are the people who are shouting lunacies. Stewart's whole point is that it's happening at both ends of the political spectrum, and that sanity can be found anywhere and should be encouraged.

As the rally website said (and I quoted above):

If we had to sum up the political view of our participants in a single sentence... we couldn't. That's sort of the point.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Yes, I suspect that if you timed the leftwing lunacy versus rightwing lunacy in the clips he showed, it would come out exactly equal. Including an image of a Hitler mustache drawn on George Bush.

Did you watch the clips, Hal? Those are the people who are shouting lunacies. Stewart's whole point is that it's happening at both ends of the political spectrum, and that sanity can be found anywhere and should be encouraged.

But if Hal (or anyone else) didn't have the time to watch the clips and just read the responses to his post before my post, the impression he or they would get would be that it was simply a purely partisan mocking of Glen Beck and the Tea Parties and other conservatives. I think that is rather sad (and completely misses the point).

[River]

Did you watch the clips, Hal? Those are the people who are shouting lunacies.

Including a shot of Stewart dancing in front of his gospel choir singing "Go **** Yourself!"

That, in addition to other clips of teh crazy on both sides, convinced me he was sincere.

[Primula Baggins]

Yeah, I'd forgotten that bit, River: he included himself as part of the insanity.

[yovargas]

"I am not afraid of Muslims/tea partiers/socialists/immigrants/gun owners/gays but I am kinda scared of spiders."

Will this radical message saved democracy as we know it!???
I doubt it, but it sure is refreshing to hear on television.

[River]

It is refreshing, even if only the comedians can get away with voicing such radical notions. But, then again, part of the task of the fool is to go where no one else can go.