Jon Stewart, host of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” recently made his directorial debut with “Rosewater .”
Stewart took time away from his regular comedy writing to film a drama — but not in the way you ?might think.
Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari returned to his country in 2009 to cover the presidential election and subsequent protests in response to the results that kept President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.
After filming some of the protests, Bahari was detained by the Iranian government and kept in solitary confinement for nearly 120 days where he was beaten and accused of being a spy.
To prove that Bahari was indeed a spy, his captors played him a skit in which “The Daily Show” correspondent Jason Jones meets ?Bahari in an Iranian café dressed as a B movie spy to discover why Iranians ?are evil.
Now, just from reading that last line you should have a good sense of the satirical hyperbole Stewart and “The Daily Show” writers were attempting to exercise.
Unfortunately for Stewart, and more specifically Bahari, the Iranian government didn’t get the joke.
Jon Stewart wanted to produce “Rosewater” not only because he felt partially responsible, or so one could assume, but also because of how relevant Bahari’s ?story is.
Trained journalists and civilian journalists all across the world are being silenced for attempting to shed light on the shady activities of their respective ?governments.
Stewart’s left-leaning attitude is aligned with those who take real issue with ?governments trying to hide the truth from the public.
Yet here’s an instance where Stewart’s own satirical writing put a real journalist in physical harm. You might understand why he felt compelled to take action.
In a recent interview with NPR, Stewart talks about the movie and his motives, but most importantly, he speaks to whether or not he will reconsider creating future skits for fear of inciting another incident like Bahari’s.
“You can’t censor yourself for someone else’s ignorance,” Stewart said.
He brings up a very valid point. Just because other areas of the world aren’t willing to take an honest look at themselves doesn’t mean those areas of the world must be shrouded in mystery or be suddenly taboo.
Humor is a powerful tool, and some may argue that it’s being done well if it gets? people, even the wrong people, thrown in prison. Because as we’ve seen time and time again, controversy ignites a willingness to discuss ?issues.
Satirical representations of fact are not unfamiliar to the likes of Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. But hopefully this film will emphasize that humor, which may on the surface seem a shallow medium for discussing real issues but comes with an inherent responsibility.
Disseminate the truth, mock the talking heads and always follow through with the message that people need to hear, not what they want to hear.
michoman@indiana.edu
