Jon Stewart On The Paris ‘Charlie Hebdo’ Shootings: “Comedy Shouldn’t Have To Be An Act Of Courage”

The terrorist attack on Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has triggered a particularly strong response from cartoonists, artists and satirists, all of whom are in the business of lampooning interests and ideologies that do not like being laughed at.

Also in that business are performers like Jon Stewart and programs like The Daily Show, which rely on the right to freedom of speech and the preeminence of civilised discourse over violence to do their work. On the latest episode of the show, Stewart took a moment to remember the victims of Charlie Hebdo and their families, and be thankful for the circumstances he is lucky enough to find himself in.

The Onion and Australia’s own The Backburner have run pieces in a similar vein today, highlighting the absurdity of using violence as a response to criticism of any kind, let alone humour, and vowing to keep on keeping on. “At press time, although the consequences of this article are reportedly still unclear and actual human lives may hang in the balance, sources confirmed that the best thing to do—really the only thing to do—is to simply put it out there and just hope that it does some good.”