While I have seen a few indirect references to it, I don't recall, and can not find by searching my gmail archives, a thread here specifically on the Jezebel blog last month that accuses John Stewart of having a women's problem, and TDS of being "a boys' club where women's contributions are often ignored and dismissed." I am moved to post the relevant particulars here, for the record, with a few comments, by a conversation I had with a friend about this today.
The exchange began when she said something like "Now that we know that John Stewart is a sexist asshole, do you still watch The Daily Show?" I was surprised that this woman, who is reasonably informed about current events in pop culture, was left with this perception, since I assumed it had been pretty definitively undermined since the original piece had been published. I guess this is another example of how hard it is to unring a bell. Here are links to some key documents in the affair - the original piece in Jezebel, an interview with Oliva Munn in Salon, and a message by women employees of the TDS on the show's website: http://jezebel.com/5570545/ http://www.salon.com/books/int/2010/07/07/olivia_munn_interview/index.html http://www.thedailyshow.com/message I think these documents pretty much speak for themselves to undermine the validity of the original charges. I will just make a few observations. One, the bulk of the attacks on Stewart come from one source - former correspondent Lauren Weedman (and to a lesser extent, Adrianne Frost). While citing positive comments from former and current women employees, she pretty much ignores these when drawing conclusions, and relies almost exclusively on Weedman. Second, Jezebel seems to be from what is traditionally called the "Cultural Feminist" school of Feminism - the flavor that argues that women really are different from men (e.g. more nurturing, more in touch with their feelings, less violent and aggressive). One of her charges is that women can't make it on TDS because their humor is not cool and detached, but personal and sensitive and vulnerable. She bashes Munn then not just because she is supposedly a sex pot (she is attractive, but really, is she a sex pot? Jezebel must not live in California) but because she is too tough and man-like (though salon tells us Munn did tear up near the end of their interview with her). Third, the main thing that comes across about Stewart from hearing former employees talk about him is not that he is a sexist asshole, but that he is a very demanding and hands on boss. Most people describe him as fair and principled and of course very funny, but they also describe him as demanding and challenging, and how every word that goes out on that show gets run by him first, and he almost always makes changes (I have heard two different former correspondents in two different interviews use almost the same phrase to describe this: Something like "he makes unfunny stuff funny, and funny stuff brilliant"). That show has a very distinctive and consistent voice, and it is John Stewart's voice. People who don't fit in or succeed there tend to take it personally - if they are women I guess some (but apparently only a few) decide it was because of their gender. But the 40% of the employees there who are women don't see it that way. Finally, the best take on all of this seems to come from Madeline Smithberg (the former Executive Producer of TDS who Jezabel uses as an example of Stewart's sexist assholyness earlier in the article, even though she apparently does not see it that way). Smithberg is quoted (but then promptly ignored) by Jezebel as saying: "I don't think Jon is sexist. I don't think that there is a double standard at the *Daily Show*. I do think that by the time it gets to the *Daily Show*it's already been through the horrible sexist double standard of the universe...The planet is sexist. At least in comedy we don't have genital mutilation. That we know of." I think that pretty well sums it up. * * -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
