How Did Jon Stewart Get Like This?
Maybe he was always like this and we're only noticing now
Economists have their pocket protectors in a twist over an interview Jon Stewart gave with economist Richard Thaler. Commenters like Andy Masley and Jerusalem Demsas are shocked by how little Stewart knows — broadly speaking, Stewart seemed to think that “economics” means “ultra free-market capitalism as exemplified by the villain in a slobs-versus-snobs ‘80s comedy.” For example, here’s what he said during a discussion of carbon taxes:
I could not watch this whole interview. Stewart was a hero of mine, he’s the reason I got into political comedy, and hearing him sound like a college freshman lecturing his parents about capitalism over the Thanksgiving table was more than I could take. Intellectually lazy political comedians are like old, fat rock stars: They should not force people to witness them in that state. Stewart’s ignorance shocked some people, but as a long-time fan of his, I know that he’s been headed towards this outcome for some time.
I think that the inflection point that put Stewart on this trajectory — at least as far as his economic views are concerned — happened in early 2009. That’s when his interview with Jim Cramer of Mad Money became a cultural phenomenon; you were no-one in progressive circles if you didn’t sing Stewart’s praises on MySpace after that interview. Here’s a clip.
