Source/Credit: Cavalier Daily | Univ. of VA
By Keven Mead | November 2, 2010
University students join citizens across the country in Washington, D.C. for a Stewart-Colbert production
Few people would have guessed that two comedians successfully could organize a semi-political event, drawing more than 200,000 people to the National Mall this weekend. But Comedy Central television hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert did just that.
At first, Stewart and Colbert announced they would hold separate events — a Rally to Restore Sanity and a March to Keep Fear Alive Oct. 30 — respectively, to mock conservative political commentator Glenn Beck’s Restore Honor rally held in late August. The two events were later converged into one, and the resulting Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear quickly surpassed Beck’s 87,000-person rally in both scope and scale.
The comedians promoted the event as one for “people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive and terrible for your throat; who feel that the loudest voices shouldn’t be the only ones that get heard,” according to the event website.
After garnering widespread media attention, people traveled across the country to attend the event in the nation’s capital.
“It seemed like a somewhat defining event of our time,” Northeastern University senior Lauren Scanlon said, who drove from Boston to witness the spectacle.
Multiple celebrities performed for the large crowds. The Roots, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow and Tony Bennett all performed in between on-stage skits and televised sequences. Even R2D2 from Star Wars made a cameo appearance.
Stewart and Colbert also kept the tone light and upbeat. At one point, Stewart argued for a “Peace Train” with the help of English musician Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, while Colbert pressed for a “Crazy Train” with Ozzy Osbourne. The two artists interrupted each other a few times before settling on “Love Train,” performed by the O’Jays.
The number of stars exceeded some of the attendants’ expectations, including Scanlon’s.
“I expected maybe one superstar performer — I didn’t expect them to craft such a show for us,” she said.
As University of Richmond law student Quasim Rashid put it, “It was like a rock concert.”
Attendees even took physical risks to gain the best vantage points. Trees along the Mall were thick with youth unafraid to climb such heights. Others climbed onto the tops of news vans, portable toilets and traffic lights.
In some ways, the rally was tailored to attendees’ specific interests. Many came with important messages of their own, often in the form of signs or flyers. Some of the more interesting signs included, “Wait, I thought this was the Renaissance Faire,” “Need more cowbell,” “What would Optimus Prime do?” and the simple “Damn, there are a lot of people here.”
But despite the event’s entertainment factor, it was not entirely humorous. Stewart criticized fear-mongering in the media and the polarizing, extremist character of modern political discourse. “We work together to get things done every damn day,” he said. “The only place we don’t is here!”
Third-year College student Greg Tilton, who went to Washington, D.C. for the rally, also expressed frustration with gridlock in the current political system. He, too, believes the media has turned politics into a shouting match.
“You want everyone to hear you, but you aren’t listening to anyone who’s willing to discuss,” he said. “Let’s just step back and be sane.”
Second-year College student Krista O’Connell, who is a member of University Democrats, also noted that many of the attendees went to the rally with a purpose other than just wanting a laugh.
“The crowd didn’t seem like they were there for the concert. They were there to have something to say,” she said.
Rashid, for example, drove with several friends to hand out Muslims for Peace flyers.
“As a Muslim, I wanted to do my part to show that Muslims can stand for peace,” she said.
Rashid was part of a crowd Stewart semi-sarcastically called “a perfect demographic sample of America.” The crowd did not consist merely of young, white liberals as one might have expected.
“It was very diverse, every race, color and creed were there. Young and old. They all shared the desire to have a pluralistic mindset,” Rashid said.
O’Connell echoed these sentiments.
“Colbert and Stewart are obviously liberals, but the message of the event was supposed to be kind of non-partisan. No American should get caught on either side of the spectrum, hating any group of people — whether Marxists or Tea Partiers,” she said, “I think it was about working together for the good of the people — whatever’s best for everyone, whether Democrat or Republican.”
But ultimately, the event was simply a way to get together and share an experience for many citizens.
“Compared to what I expected, it was a good show. It wasn’t just preaching or telling people a message — it was also just good entertainment,” third-year College student Kyle Benowitz said.
And this was exactly the outcome for which Stewart hoped.
“Some of you are just here to have a good time, and I hope you did.”
Read original post here: Rally for Sanity
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