The year was 2015, when Jon Stewart retired after 16 years as host of the satirical ‘Daily Show.’ He left the hustle and bustle of New York City to grow a ridiculously long beard… that was David Letterman. Stewart left New York to grow a beard and settle in a windowless shack deep in the woods near Lincoln, Montana… or was that the Unabomber? Hmm. Well, when Jon Stewart and his beard moved from the Big Apple because he wanted to live off the fat of the land, George… sorry, that Lennie’s dream from ‘Of Mice and Men?’ Hmm.
Okay, I don’t know what he did in the years after he left the Daily Show. An internet search tells me he tried acting, producing, making appearances on other satirical shows, and I know he wrote a book. In each of those endeavors, (except maybe the book) his sharp wit and fearless use of intellect was missing.
Stewart described the dissatisfaction with his work at the Daily Show as being a ‘turd miner;’ it was his job to go down into a turd mine and shovel and dig in the dirt until he found a nice turd. Then he would have to take the turd back to the surface and polish, and rub, and shine it until it was ready to be displayed. Then, after all that, he had to hold up this turd for everyone to see.
He saw the depressing landscape of our political system and after ages of drawing our attention to it, through humor, the turds lost their luster, so to speak.
It has been easy to find Jon Stewart using his voice to raise consciousness on behalf of the remaining first responders of 9/11. His presence draws awareness to the pointless cruelty of those politicians who keep trying to pull the rug out from under the dwindling group. They’re dwindling because they’re dying of diseases caused by exposure to toxins released when the Twin Towers fell.
Stewart always shows up to address congress, fighting for the surviving heroes, to extend a U.S. law that provides them with healthcare and aid. Why do they have to return, when each year is more physically difficult than the last, to beg the soulless members of congress to renew the law? Republicans hope they won’t show up, but Jon Stewart will.
At its surface, using his quick wit to mock a senator who was so stupid that he brought a snowball into the chambers to claim climate change is not real, got a laugh. But he knew it was not funny. Not really. It is deeply disturbing.
We laugh because if we didn’t, we would cry. As much as he has made us laugh at the idiocy of politicians, the message was never amusing because nothing changes. The trajectory of our political system is dire, and so far beyond redemption, anyone who tries to shake it up, wake up voters, eventually loses the will to continue.
So after (ugh math 2021-2015= 6) after six years away from the format that suited him best, Stewart joined the people at Apple TV, and we had the show, ‘The Problem With Jon Stewart.’ It was just cancelled after having aired for two years. Not for a lack of viewership.
What was the problem with Jon Stewart, that led to the cancellation of his show? It is that he uses his program to speak the truth. In this case, the target hit too close to his employer. Apple is calling it “creative differences.”
The creative differences: Jon Stewart reported on China and AI despite Apple’s vast commercial interests in China and AI. (Artificial intelligence) Apple chose money over valid content. Free press in America is a lie. Media owners are selective in the ‘intelligence’ they allow reporters to feed us.
Apple is the man in this scenario. The man with the money is killing us and wants to do it on the down low. How do we change this? Free press, free from corporate influence.
Apple scraps Jon Stewart show over China, AI clashes: report
A lot from Lydia 
Jon Stewart doesn’t need Apple. Apple might might regret this. One reason he is so effective is that Jon holds his fire until the target has been acquired.
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I hope so. He has to land somewhere with more reach than Apple, I hope.
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