When it comes to un-elected leaders, Jon Stewart (host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show) and Stephen Colbert (Colbert Report)have emerged as political forces for todays youth. As the posted article points to, nearly 30 percent of Americans aged 18-29 turn to the two activists as their trusted news source.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/entertainment/march_2009/nearly_one_third_of_younger_americans_see_colbert_stewart_as_alternatives_to_traditional_news_outlets
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/entertainment/march_2009/nearly_one_third_of_younger_americans_see_colbert_stewart_as_alternatives_to_traditional_news_outlets
Using comedy, Colbert and Stewart have influenced about one-third of the nation total.
It seems to me like college-aged and young adults trust Colbert and Stewart and seek the two out hear their political views. As a result, the stance that these men take on issues heavily effects how their viewers feel about it. Young adults don't seem to have the patience to sit through traditional news prgrams that their parents did. More and more they turn to the internet or faster means to try to retrieve their news and political information. But Colbert and Stewart have created programs that allow people to retrieve news and laugh at the people who make it. There shows are seemingly fast -paced and current with news that effects younger demograhics. This allows them to have such an influence on young minds.
This post was from Tyler Hubert. Hope this clears up any confusion.
ReplyDeleteTyler, I love Jonathon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Through their hilarious approach to providing the news they are able to somewhat educate those who would otherwise not watch any news source. Also, today all major news sources have some spin to what they are reporting, and both of these men purely spin a comical approach to what they are reporting.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, through their popularity they have both become colt heroes to many people. Recently, they had a rally on capital hill full of supporters.
-Dan Becker
I am not familiar with Jonathon Stewart and Stephen Colbert television shows but I have seen a clip of Stephen Colbert during a class presentation. I can understand why people would elect these guys as unelected leaders because according to the trait approach they don't possess the common traits, personality, or looks that the typical leader has. Because of their antics and comedy they are able to draw an audience to support their works regardless of their leadership style and skills. I didn't know these guys had such a huge fan base until now so I will be checking out some of their work soon. This is a great example that you don't have to be elected as a leader or have an official title to become a leader.
ReplyDeleteQuasheena Ellis
Team 6
Quasheena, I'm glad you brought this up because that is why I wanted to talk about these two guys. They don't really possess any special qualities we would expect in a leader but they are knowledgable about their audience. The best quality they have in terms of gaining leadership is comedy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you both just like Oprah or George Clooney, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do not have any legitimate position power but for some reason so many people trust them to inform them with the current news. Perhaps it has to do with the strong relationship they have built with viewers. The original purpose of this show was to entertain the public but because these two men have now gained our trust and adoration, we let them lead us through the world of news and politics.
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