After Terrible Tragedy, Jon Stewart Grieves For The Courageous Staff Of Charlie Hebdo

At the beginning of his show Wednesday night, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart paid tribute to the staff of French newspaper Charlie Hebdo after a terrorist attack on the paper’s office claimed the lives of 12 people. Showing genuine sorrow for those who lost their lives, Stewart had a hard time beginning his monologue as emotions seemed to overwhelm him. Eventually, he was able to compose himself and deliver a heartfelt statement in honor of the French satirical magazine.

“I think we’d all agree that 2014 was not a great year for people. Uh, but I think the hope was that 2015 would bring sort of a respite from the kinds of terrible events that have become all too familiar for us. But, uh, our hearts are with the staff of Charlie Hebdo and their families tonight. I know very few people go into comedy as, you know,  an act of courage, mainly because it shouldn’t have to be that as established law. But those guys at Hebdo had it and they were killed for their cartoons.

Stark reminder that, for the most part, the legislators and journalists and institutions that we jab and ridicule are not, in any way, the enemy. For however frustrating or outraged the back and forth can become, it’s still back and forth conversation amongst those on, let’s call it, Team Civilization. Uh, and this type of violence only clarifies that reality.

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Of course, of course, our goal tonight is not to make sense of this because there is no sense to be made of this. Our goal, as it is always, is to keep going, to keep calm and carry on.”

Below is video of the segment, courtesy of Comedy Central:

As always, Stewart is able to put into words what many at home are feeling but can’t fully express. Regardless of your thoughts on the content of Charlie Hebdo, one has to acknowledge their courage due to the intense hate they faced from others over their cartoons and articles. A hatred that manifested itself into 12 senseless murders that has now put the whole world on edge. Stewart made sure to speak to this by pointing out that, despite the disagreement many of us may have politically and ideologically, we are all on the same team, ‘Team Civilization.’

Meanwhile, the Charlie Hebdo staff is providing further proof of their courage. The paper has announced that next week’s edition will indeed be published and they plan to print one million copies. Typically, the paper’s circulation is 60,000. Google and French newspaper publishers are donating money to assist the paper with its publication costs during this time. One of the paper’s writers, Patrick Pelloux, said in an interview why they will continue to publish. ”It’s very hard. We are all suffering, with grief, with fear, but we will do it anyway because stupidity will not win,” he explained.

Justin Baragona

Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).