On Aug. 28, 2010, the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, political dynamos squared off on the National Mall to partake in exactly what you'd expect them to be doing there. They were demonstrating, enjoying that great American pastime for those with a driving passion and dedication to their cause - or, perhaps more realistically, those with too much free time. Glenn Beck held his "Restoring Honor" rally to promote his vision of American values and patriotism, attracting speakers such as Sarah Palin to address the thousands of attendees who flocked to the capital. Meanwhile, Al Sharpton and the National Action Network led their event, "Reclaim the Dream," to oppose Beck's rally, which they believed was inconsistent with King's original message. This has all been national news during the past two months. And regardless of your political leanings, there is one thing that we can all expect whenever such a polarizing issue arises: There will be someone to make fun of it. Cue Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
Both Stewart and Colbert covered the rallies on their respective "news" programs before independently announcing plans to hold their own rallies. Stewart, in his typical appeal to common sense, believes that the United States needs to "take it down a notch" and pitched his "Rally to Restore Sanity." Meanwhile, Colbert, ever the tongue-in-cheek foil to Stewart, wants the country to "be there, be scared" at his "March to Keep Fear Alive." The two planned to "battle it out" on the National Mall in a large-scale display of their usual hilariously childish rivalry. A couple of weeks ago, though, Stewart and Colbert decided to merge their rallies together into the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear."
The events have garnered sizeable response from fans, with tens of thousands planning to attend. Rally attendees will hear from speakers whom many consider to be the voices of reason in the nation, or at least the voices of educated 18- to 34-year-olds, Colbert and Stewart's key demographic.
Wondering what to expect at the rally? Stewart eloquently explains the event "as Woodstock, but with the nudity and drugs replaced by respectful disagreement; the Million Man March, only a lot smaller, and a bit less of a sausage-fest." Both hosts are encouraging charitable donations in support of the rally, such as Colbert's "Restoring Truthiness" charity for children's education, daring audience members to "keep those donations coming folks, because for every $100,000, I undo another button." So far more than $250,000 has been raised. You do the math on that one.
For those of you unable to make it to the rally, it will be broadcast live on Comedy Central and online, and will be streamed for iPhones, iPads and Android 2.2 phones. But really, you should go. If you happened to be an audience member during the Oct. 14 episode of The Daily Show, this does not apply to you, considering Oprah was considerate enough to provide everyone present with free airline tickets.
So if you believe that the political discourse of America today is being monopolized by loud voices, or if you believe there is no coincidence that some people's version of "reason" is just one letter away from "treason," this rally is the place for you.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
