Every night The Daily Show delivers the finest comedic satire that I think this world has ever produced. Every episode is worthy of the praise Saturday Night Live gets (or used to get, or occasionally gets) for being the best comedy since Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Tonight’s episode was the first time I felt compelled enough to transcribe a bit for posterity. This from a conversation between Jon Stewart and Samantha Bee:
Jon: Sam, what are you reading from?
Sam: It’s the official Middle East Reporting Template. It provides the basic story of cyclical violence. All you have to do is fill in the specific country, weapon, and number of hostages – boom, there’s your story. It’s a lot of fun. Around here they call it MidLibs. Here’s one my niece Kimberly filled in. “Monkey planes continue to rain strawberry jam from the skies as tensions in the region mount over a unicorn prarade.” Kids, you know…
Jon: Sam, but is there any chance that this is a different kind of conflict, that might change this paradigm; I mean that out of all this cyclical horror something positive might result?
Sam: Your lips to God’s ears…I mean Allah, I mean Jesus, er, Abra – God I hate this f*cking place! Argh!
Jon: Sam, how is all this affecting the people on the ground?
Sam: Well, Jon, for now, the hope is that these violent aerosols between Israel and Lebanon won’t result in a nuclear fudgecicles. Ooh! KIMBERLY!
Jon: Thank you, Sam. Samantha Bee, everyone.
So perfect. So true. So damned funny.