I see there are some people who still have a hard time understanding Stewart's equivalency.

[ZombieHorde]

Stewart did say both the left and right were guilty of similar problems.

These problems are...

1. Both sides are biased toward their own opinion.

2. Both sides use fallacious arguments.

A quick cruise through DU will prove these points.

In Maddow's interview with Stewart, she asked him if Fox was worse than MSNBC. He said yes.

Stewart never said the left and right were the same in every way, or even every other way. He said "both" sides make the errors listed above.

He gave an Intro to Rhetoric lecture; some people freaked.

[Whisp]

1. he should have presented it differently.

I think a lot of people took it as there are Glenn Becks and Limbaughs on the dem side too spewing the same sewage. and that is just so untrue. At least they don't get the airtime and support of the media if there are.

[Drale]

2. Of course "those sides are biased toward their own opinion"

That is why their are two sides and not one giant party.

[elocs]

3. He's right, but a lot of it is human nature. Today both political sides are firmly entrenched

and neither side can in any way conceive that they might be wrong, but they are certain that the other side is a disaster.

Polls are a good example. If a poll does not reflect our point of view or is something we don't like, then obviously it is a freeper, right-wing leaning poll. With Republicans it would be a Liberal poll.

Elections are a different matter because Democrats seem not to be able to accept a close election where the Democrat is on the losing end. In that case it's always election fraud. Republicans don't seem to do that very much but as we all know here they are the election fraudsters.

[Lucinda]

4. Yawp. It's not that complicated.

Unless someone is unwilling to see it.

[onpatrol98]

5. true...

I think there are people on both sides spewing plenty of garbage...but republicans have more of it on the airways...

If there is no equivalent to Glenn Beck, maybe it's because democrats don't like to see a lot of garbage masquerading as news. I'm a Rachel Maddow fan. Every blue moon, I think...okay...this is just one of those, all republicans are stupid shows and I'll turn her off. I like her because she's got plenty of facts, she's got her sources, and she's more stable than a lot of what we see everyday. I tend to watch MSNBC more than anything else. But, I'm not crazy. Their views often align with mine. It's just my preferred skew.

I like Stewart. I'm okay with honest criticism. I think he's harder on republicans than democrats and I think they deserve it. But, that doesn't mean democrats should expect a pass. It's kind of like a previous poster said on another post. If they don't want hypocrisy pointed out...they shouldn't be hypocrites.

I'm a big girl. My world view isn't going to collapse because I'm forced to acknowledge that my side doesn't always get it right.

:tinfoilhat:

[deutsey]

13. My thoughts, too.

:thumbsup:

His equivalency falls apart when he makes it appear as though the Left has the same 24/7 access to the airwaves as the Right. No comparison at all.

[thetonka]

6. Stewart understands

And he knows you can have an opinion, even a contradictory opinion, and still have an honest civil discussion that will lead to progress. He is not alone, but he is not in a large crowd.

Too many people today want their opinions handed to them and don't want to be bothered with the facts or even an understanding of the opinion. They just want to be told what to think. Both sides have these sources in quantity.

If you can't see it on one side or the other its because the style of delivery and the content of the opinion are favorable towards your world view. The other side has to be wrong and has to be terrible in their delivery and action, because of course that side disagrees.

If we could all take a step back, think for ourselves and have a conversation that CONSIDERED other peoples opinions and view things in this country, and world, would be much better.

How ironic I type this into a biased web forum.

Excuse me while I put on my flame suit.

[sufrommich]

7. Agree. nt

[hfojvt]

8. I think you missed a big one

3. both sides are hostile to the other side

Some of the "fallacious" arguments are more about name-calling than actual arguments.

But isn't this story over six months old?

[ZombieHorde]

16. The story is old, but I have been seeing posters mention it in passing lately. nt

[TheKentuckian]

9. Understanding a point and accepting it are different things.

I vehemently reject equivalency in this situation with extreme prejudice because it is ever and always used by the TeaPubliKlans and the corporate media to neutralize the right wing's insanity and criminal behavior.

I've heard it too many times to provide cover for the Republicans by talking heads, mouthbreathing TeaPubliKlan voters, "centrist" DinoCraps capitulators and traitors, and every lying prick of a Republican official and/or strategist ever.

What is the possible benefit to letting this old canard sink deeper in the national psyche? It may be an objective truth but not an effective one.

[ReggieVeggie]

10. I seem to remember him saying something directly about Olbermann

frankly, there is ZERO equivalency between the two (Olbermann and O'Reilly, etc.)

As for what he did about Obama's "transparency" the other night, that's what he's been doing since the beginning, on both sides.

[travelingtypist]

14. And Bill Maher called him out on that, too.

Bill Maher Disses Jon Stewart Sanity Rally: It's Better To Have A Rally That's "About Something"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqjh6JyxOlk

It was comparing Olbermann and Beck, though.

[ladjf]

11. I believe that the attempts at equivalency, as described in this

post are nonsense. Any two large groups of people who are on opposing sides will always have the same two flaws in the logic. The statements that "..both sides are biased" and "..both sides use fallacious arguments" were given no quantitative qualifiers rendering them meaningless.

I think that I am restating the point of the post.

[ecstatic]

12. And his timing was perfect too, right?

[ZombieHorde]

15. Well, he had stomach flu, but otherwise, his timing seemed fine. nt