| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Old Man Stewart Shakes His Fist at White House Poetry Jams | ||||
| ||||
This week’s video of the week comes a little late, but with a longer commentary than usual.
The point of this blog is to talk about my thoughts about the media, not to talk about my life as a slam poet. I have many other forums to discuss that aspect of my life. However, when these two interests intersect, I find it necessary to discuss it here.
This video from The Daily Show with John Stewart created quite a stir within the slam community. While ours is not the first community to be lampooned by Stewart, nor will it be the last, I thought this would be a good chance to discuss the role of a comedian and what can and cannot be deemed an attack from someone like Jon Stewart.
The reactions from poets to this segment ranged from moral outrage to George Watsky’s limerick entitled “Jon Stewart could light my cat on fire, and he would still be My Hero”:
A New York comedian’s mercy
goes only as far as his slurs– he
takes poetry down
but that’s easy to clown
(like the fact that he grew up in Jersey)1
Part of the outrage, undoubtedly, came from the fact that the slam community tends to fall into The Daily Show’s target demographic. Slam poets generally run the gambit from moderate democrats to die-hard socialists with almost no conservative voices in the community. Many poets are, therefore, fans of The Daily Show’s left-leaning political satire. Thus, when Jon Stewart decided to spoof the slam community, many saw it as a sort of betrayal.
Yet, where in the video is Stewart actually attacking the slam community? One moment could be where he claims that “not every first is something to necessarily celebrate,” referring to this being the first White House Poetry “Jam.” Another would be immediately after his montage of the poets’ actual performances where he mocks an admittedly silly sounding line from a poem regarding Alexander Hamilton.
Poetry Slam Incorporated’s president, Scott Woods, argued in a recent column of his that Jon Stewart’s supposed attack on our community would be justified if these poets were representative of the community as a whole:
Jon Stewart makes a comment suggesting that, now that we have black president, poets can stop doing that “jam” thing we do. It is a statement borne out of ignorance of what modern poetry has to offer, but it is a common ignorance…an ignorance poetry does not counter often enough in the public eye, even when given every opportunity to do so.2
Woods is arguing that, if our community is being mocked, we only have ourselves to blame by not putting our best foot forward when given public exposure.
What this comes down to is simply this: the line in the poem was unintentionally funny. Had I been sitting in the back of a poetry reading with one of my friends, I probably would have made some of the same comments that Jon Stewart did.
So, putting those moments aside, what is Stewart really making fun of in this segment? He mocks the media’s discussions about the difference between a “Poetry Slam” and a “Poetry Jam” (the latter being a phrase that is virtually unused in the slam community). He makes jokes about Obama trying too hard to be hip with the cultural events he puts on in the White House. None of these things are really direct attacks on the slam community as a whole.
Furthermore, he mocks himself by naming the segment “Old Man Stewart Shakes His Fist at White House Poetry Jams.” This suggests that this is less than a serious attack, and more of a gentle mockery. Some poets, however, disagree with this. In an online discussion on the Facebook profile of Chicago poet Robbie Q. Telfer, Telfer responded to my argument about Stewart’s own self-deprecation in the piece by saying:
well, i say it's racist and elitist knowing the history of what slam has brought to disenfranchised voices, but also knowing that the daily show writers either don't have access to that history or they don't care. mocking the voice of hip-hop poetry replicates and can encourage the same gate-keeping of language slam poets have been fighting since the beginning of the movement.
i think comedians can get away with racism and elitism for the reasons you give, trevor, but it's still there. and when i talk about "jon stewart" i mean the character, not the actual dude.3
I find this especially interesting that this is coming from a poet who is known for his comedic work. I hope that Robbie Q. will forgive me for saying this, I don’t mean to pigeon-hole him and ignore any of his non-comedic work, but some of his most well known works are comedic. Yet, he brushes off the self-deprecating element of this segment, which is the part that undercuts everything else Stewart is saying. Poetry, in this context, is being presented as something that is “hip,” while Stewart is mocking himself for being “unhip” in doing so. Stewart is, in a way, complimenting the community. As for the “gate-keeping of language that slam poets have been fighting,” I think Scott Woods’s previous comment speaks to that very well.
Stewart’s job as a comedian is to find humor in the news and point it out. Often times, in doing so, he points out the faults of our government and our society. However, as Jon Stewart has made very clear on several occasions, for all his political commentary, his first role on the show is as a comedian. Sometimes, the best comedy comes from finding small, niche groups doing unusual things and poking fun at them. While the “Poetry Jam” that was held at the White House was a big step forward for our community, there were also elements that were particularly funny, such as the clips that Stewart played. Must the slam community take itself so seriously that it can’t take a joke when one is thrown at it? Do you think that, when Conan O’Brien filmed the famous segment for his show where he mocked an old-timey baseball league in Long Island that the league boycotted his show afterwards, or did they understand that what they do probably looks funny to outsiders?
Remember, funny is funny, and a comedian has to find material somewhere. If he doesn’t find it in one community, he’ll find it in another, and we can’t all take it personally when it’s leveled at our community and then laugh when its aimed at someone else’s. The lesson here is simply to not take yourself too seriously, a lesson that Jon Stewart tries to remember with his own career, as evidenced by his famous quote on Crossfire: “The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls."4
Well said! Er, um, written. Jam, slam, wham, bam -- seriously, whatever. He's getting mileage out of the fact that "everybody knows" that poetry is (supposed to be) boring, and getting into a semantic debate on CNN between Jam and Slam is Defcon 3 of hilarity.
ReplyDeleteI didn't particularly like the dig about poets not needing to have the platform that slam offers, as though a Black President removes the need for safe spaces to speak out, up and created/articulate ones identity and experience. That would be like saying left-leaning comedy is no longer necessary in this age of perceived progress as well. (The one thing folks on the left did not want, is for short-sighted white folks and folks of color to think everything is "fair and balanced" now that there is a minority in the White House). But I agree with the freedom of humor as much as I do the freedom of speech, and quite frankly, I thought the majority of the segment was hilarious. I know everything I say from the stage doesn't agree with every audience member that sits in front of me...but we grant each other the stage, the space and the platform, and you gotta respect it, as a speaker and a listener. By no means am I not a Jon Stewart fan because of this though...that's like disliking someone who has different taste in music or a different sports team, just cause he don't appreciate my art as much as others...doesn't mean we don't still agree on 90% of other things socio-political. All us within the community talk shit to each other all the time, about the stereotypical slam poet and slam poem. No reason to get our panties all in a bunch because Jon's got a bigger mic. I agree with Scott Woods on this one...though at least knowing Josh and Mayda's work, they certainly do not put forth stereotypical slam poetry...so indeed, the slant was not at them particularly but the piss poor slam poetry he's been exposed to in the past. Just like all the things we poke fun at within our community and reminiscent of a lot of the embittered shit talkin' that permeates the air during the National Poetry Slam. But always, in defense of my community, I must submit, I've heard a boat load of shitty comedians in my day, but that doesn't make me give up on comedy. There's a majority of shitty rap out there but I don't give up on hip-hop, so I am often curious as to how folks will dismiss slam poetry after they've only heard a handful of poets whom they were left unimpressed by. Kind of an overgeneralization...and we really shirk and shy away from that stuff on the left, right? Well, until we are the ones doing the overgeneralizing.
ReplyDeleteMy two cents.
Hakim Bellamy
Mr. Stewart, You're not too old to learn! Slam has been around since the early eighties, ummm, let’s see—almost thirty years? If you can use a cell phone, you can get to a slam. The National Poetry Slam in Florida this summer will be hosting dozens of teams of poets from major cities in many states, all engaged in language meant to express individual opinions on real issues (damned democratic if you ask me!): humorous, serious, sad, or sexy, or etc.! You ought to check it out. The poet’s job, as Mrs. Bush suddenly feared when she almost had a reading at “her” White House, is to tell the truth! All flavors, sizes, ages, rhythms, colors of truth! These poets have competed locally throughout the year for the privilege of representing their communities. Jams, by the way, include slam poets along with musicians and other performers. In a slam, the poet may use only her/his own voice—no props of any sort. It’s risky and rewarding. The poor man’s X-sport, slam adds the all American element of competition to an ancient art, and voila, the event becomes interactive with the listeners and judges. High school English classes, even elementary programs use slams and jams now as a way for children and teens to communicate, articulate, and participate—not to mention read and write—often appealing to kids who otherwise haven’t found a niche. You took a fall, sir, when you ridiculed a literary art! Ask your kids or younger relatives—they know! Of course, poetry is enjoyed by a minority, within which resides the minority who enjoy slam. It may be an acquired taste, but why diss it until you’ve listened. Get thee to the Nationals! They’d likely be happy to allow you a slot as a sacrificial or sorbet poet (guest poets who prepare the crowd or cleanse the palatte between rounds).
ReplyDelete