Skip to content
quotesby

If I was to really get at the burr in my saddle, it's not politics - and this is, I think, probably a horrible analogy - but I look at politicians as, they are doing what inherently they need to do to retain power. Their job is to consolidate power. When you go to the zoo and you see a monkey throwing poop, you go, 'that's what monkeys do, what are you gonna do?' But what I wish the media would do more frequently is say 'bad monkey.'

Jon Stewart#14

MediaPoliticsAccountabilityPowerLeadership

About this quote

What does it mean?
Stewart compares politicians to monkeys who consolidate power, urging media to call out bad behavior.
In plain terms
He says politicians seek power and media should criticize them.
What can you take from it?
Media should hold politicians accountable for bad actions.

Where it applies

  • political commentary
  • media critique
  • civic engagement

Putting it to work

  • hold leaders accountable
  • critique behavior
  • support ethics

Questions to consider

  • How should media critique leaders?

Another view

It simplifies complex political motivations.

More from Jon Stewart

  1. Here is what I believe is the paradigm that would be effective and what I would love to see, and you're going to laugh because Fox News is my model. What Fox h…

    Permalink to quote #13
  2. It's a brilliant metaphor. What I meant to say was, when you see a monkey masturbating at the zoo...

    Permalink to quote #15
  3. Lets talk about the real world for a moment. We had been discussing it earlier, and I:I wanted to bring this up to you earlier about the real world, and this i…

    Permalink to quote #12

Related quotes

  1. Elected leaders who forget how they got there won't the next time.

    Malcolm ForbesMalcolm Forbes quote #8
  2. President Bush has said that he does not need approval from the UN to wage war, and I'm thinking, well, hell, he didn't need the approval of the American voter…

    David LettermanDavid Letterman quote #25
  3. What amazes me is how many people are happy for Saddam to stay. They ask why we don't get rid of Mugabe, why not the Burmese lot. Yes, let's get rid of them al…

    Tony BlairTony Blair quote #36