Originally published July 22, 1994, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1079
I debated with myself whether to write about this, since it has nothing whatsoever to do with comics. But it’s an interesting little saga in my life, related to my getting older, and also provides a cautionary tale for anyone who finds him- or herself in similar straits. So I relate it to you now:
I think it helps to remember those of us less fortunate. Like this unfortunate guy, whose email showed up in my box six times in a row.
Happy christmas to you,how are you doing hope you fine and in perfect order.My names are James Morttey i am 16 yrs old and i am from DR Congo,i came to Ghana after the murder of my parents 2 mouths ago by hired assasin by someone i don’t know,before they got to him in the house he revealed to me that i should come to Ghana with the documents in a small box,if i get a trust worth foreign partner to help me make claim to the fund he deposited in an Escrow account in International Commercial Bank Ghana.The woman whom i am with now cannot read she is not correct and people around call her crazy woman,and she cannot help me in this matter,i am contacting you to help me as my foreign partner so i can get my life back,go to school and have a family that will care for me,i do know what to do that is why i am contacting you to assist me. Thank you.
Poor bášŧárd. Where’s my checkbook…?
PAD
People are trying to determine whether he’s this guy or that guy or what his role is in journalism vs. political activism vs. social activism.
I think I’ve got the final answer (and no, it’s not 42.) It’s actually rather simple.
A quote attributed to Eldridge Cleaver is, “Either you’re a part of the solution or part of the problem.”
Jon Stewart is part of the solution.
PAD
On the drive home from visiting Kathleen’s folks in Atlanta, we listened to the Classic Radio Program station on Sirius XM. I gotta tell you: modern day product placement has nothing on the days of classic radio. George Burns taking time to discuss the wonders of Swan soap while Gracie Allen raves about Maxwell House coffee. On a crime drama, a detective lights up a cigarette and discusses with his partner the healthful benefits of smoking Lucky Strikes. In a Sherlock Holmes drama, Doctor Watson–in character–chats with the announcer about a particular brand of tea.
The only programs on the air nowadays that are radio-era blatant in their product placement are “Chuck” with Subway (which admittedly helped save the series) and “30 Rock” where they’re gleefully self-conscious about pushing various items that you just know was thrust upon them from the powers that be.
So for those who despise the idea of blatant product placement, bad news: it’s a practice that goes back decades which means it’s probably not ending anytime soon.
PAD
The NY Times has caused quite a bit of discussion in comparing Stewart to the likes of Edward R. Murrow and, for that matter, Walter Cronkite, for displaying the ability to have an immediate and far-ranging impact on the issues of the day.
Some say that’s crazy talk. Others think there’s something there.
I’m not sure if Murrow or Cronkite would be flattered by the comparison. I don’t think Murrow constantly used profanities on the air, and what would Cronkite think about Stewart being the most trusted man in America?
I dunno. I think Jon Stewart simply put before Americans the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent…
Oh my God. Jon Stewart is Thomas Jefferson.
PAD
Originally published July 15, 1994, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1078
Two things this time around.
First, I received a good deal of positive response to my letter about the Self article. In case you’ve forgotten, this was the half-witted piece chock full of misinformation, designed to terrorize unknowing readers into thinking their local comic store was a haven for pørņø comics. Plus, Self included a forum where readers could write and state whether they felt a congressional investigation into comics, a la the 1950s, was warranted.
I also got the following from Self itSelf:
Down in Atlanta, we took Caroline to see a puppet re-creation at the Center for Puppetry Arts of the Rankin-Bass “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The puppet builders have done an astounding job creating puppets that are absolute dead ringers for the ones from the original TV special. But in seeing it in a new venue for the first time, things occurred to me that either hadn’t before or had, but I just hadn’t thought of them for a while.
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