What's Been and What's Ben

A little bit ago Jim Cramer was on the Daily Show. Jon Stewart got on his high horse about how he is a snake oil salesman just like Cramer. I think he fears that there are a few million of us that rely on him for information. I try to know what is happen in the world, but some days I don’t know what happened yesterday until I hear about it from Stewart or Colbert. My real problem with his statement is the lack of understanding. The dissonance as Stewart would point out. Like a two-year-old who thinks that everybody disappears when he doesn’t see them, Stewart thinks that if he gives the occasional warning then he is clear of all responsibility. It reminds me of the SNL ad with Will Ferrell for Petchow brand rat poison. It is the rat poison (small type) with a dog on the bag and the Petchow name on it! Stewart avoids responsibility for forming a great deal of the thinking of my generation. He tempts us with his quips and outrage while stopping short of providing content. I personally hope that Stewart takes over David Letterman’s show. They are owned (personally) by the same company, Viacom.

I like Stewart. I will watch his show until he retires. I just don’t like that he has some big thing about being outraged with the lack of good reporting by CNBC on the realities of the market and at the same time talk about how he is just a snake oil salesman. He tries to have it both ways.