Some of you might have the idea that I like Jon Stewart. That's more than true. I LOVE him. I'm reminded of a quote from Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander (hilarious book by the way): "White women all consider Jon Stewart to be the most perfect man on the planet. This is not a debate, it is law." What is there not to like? Anyways, now that you all know how I feel about him, I'll get to the book review. The book is written by all the writers of the show, not just Jon Stewart but to simplify things I'll just use "he."
Earth is written for the aliens that will come to our planet in the future after we have been destroyed. It turns out to be a biting and funny commentary on our beginnings, our history and especially our current society. The first page (a note to alien readers) has the perfect example: "Nothing would have united us as a species like the perceived existential threat posed by you. Not that we had reason to assume your intentions in coming here were anything but honorable. It's just that in general, our own first-time interactions had a certain "killing each other" feeling-out period." So true, such a serious subject, and both sad and funny because it is true. He goes on to mention how some people believed aliens had come many times before, usually kidnapping rural residents and that "these humans also believed our governments, known mostly for bureaucratic incompetence, had somehow made your alien presence the one thing they could keep masterfully secret." Here are some other gems:
North America
Nickname: "The Landmass That Kicks Landass!"
North America was Earth's newest continent, formed c. 1492. Blessed with abundant freshwater and fertile soil, it was settled remarkably quickly thanks to the extermination of one race, the enslavement of a second and the can-do attitude of a third.
There is a page on incarceration in the Society chapter, and the intro reads: "One of our core beliefs was that criminals could be rehabilitated by locking them up with other criminals in dehumanizing conditions. In retrospect, we believed a lot of crazy s***." He really makes me think about things deeper, both in the book and on his show. Things that I've always just accepted as normal. Not that I'm against incarceration for criminals, but that it's ridiculous to believe it rehabilitates the criminal.
I loved reading this book. It made me laugh, it made me think, it made me cry (kidding on that last one). Now anyone want to sponsor me so I can attend his Rally to Restore Sanity? I so wish I could go.
No comments:
Post a Comment