The intrepid Max Fisher of WaPo reports that Jon Stewart’s Daily Show satire of North Korea’s menacing statements went viral in China, garnering 2.3 million hits!
This news seems to me wonderful in every way. That Chinese youth know where to get real news is most excellent. That China’s new President Xi Jinping allowed the satire to become so popular is a good sign; humor and authoritarianism don’t usually mix, as Egypt’s President Muhammad Morsi is demonstrating in bothering Egypt’s version of Jon Stewart, Bassem Youssef. China has a poor record on freedom of speech, but one always hopes for positive change from a new generation. And that Kim Jong Un is widely treated with contempt and mirth rather than the respect and fear he covets is all to the good.
This is the Daily Show episode that went mega viral:
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