Wow! I was going to suggest you post this, I just watched it and though it was hilarious. God-stick and shame-cave. Priceless.

as usual, Jon's got it.

It's also great to see Shelby Knox not only testifying before Congress, but again on the Daily Show. all the more props to her for continuing to voice opposition to abstinence-only education.

I don't know what to think, but I definitely do not think abstinence only sex ed. is right...for ex. Florida teenagers who think bleach causes abortions..geez...teach these kids something other than "don't do it"...

I laughed so hard at this segment. One of the best Daily Show bits that I've ever seen. Especially loved the appearance of a pregnant Samantha Bee at the end, as well as Jason declaring her "unclean".

I never fully understood the abstinence-only theory b/c when *is* the right time to teach sex? The night before they get married?

If people are having sex for at least 2/3rds of their lives, why focus lessons on the first 1/3rd...which is nearly over by high school.

My intelectual reaction to this is:

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

You should post a warning about watching at work - it could be result it prolonged outbursts of laughter. Dirty toothbrush is the best!

But beyond the laughter, it's kind of sad that people think this is what passes for sex education.

Hmm... At my sister's school, they told her about the "dirty, no longer sticky Miss Tape" instead... Grr.

i second FeministLawProf-- i just bust out laughing in the library

In at least one Arkansas school, they rely on the old you are a petal-less flower analogy if you have premarital sex, or maybe you lose a petal each time...anti-intellectual either way.

Carrie,

My mother's sex ed was a book called Prayers to Purity that said that her husband would "share a wonderful secret" with her on their wedding night. So, no, you're off by 24 hours. When my grandmother was being raised on a farm, the girls were kept indoors with shuttered windows during mating season.

@Ninapendamaishi: I don't understand what that means. Please explain. I'm fascinated by school-promoted propaganda.

i was wondering when you were going to post this. i could not stop laughing last night.

I'm glad you posted this. I saw this last night too and considered suggesting it. Hilarious as usual.

@Spider Jerusalem - see this post to learn about sticky tape -- http://feministing.com/archives/008328.html

@Spider Jerusalem Re: Dirty Tape.

You know how if you stick a piece of tape to multiple objects, it becomes dirty and useless and the only thing you can do with it is ball it up and toss it in the garbage?
Your body works in the same way, according to some abstinence "educators."

I love Jon Stewart...really.

I tried fighting the ab-only sex ed at my teens' school, but I was basically accused of wanting my kids to be promiscuous because I dared to suggest that they should be given facts, not b.s. (condoms don't work, don't get the HPV vaccine--just don't have sex, etc.).

There is virtually nothing parents can do. I called Planned Parenthood, but other then publishing a rather mild letter to the editor of the local paper, nothing was done and nothing has changed.

In Mormonland, we had multiple metaphors: the chewed stick of gum, the unwrapped candy, the bruised and plucked rose, and at some point, my friend was subjected to a bad apples and oranges metaphor. None of this was taught at school though--just church. At school, we just had run-of-the-mill sex ed that was Don't Do This But If You Do, Use Condoms. No gay sex, mind you, was broached. And we did have a point where we could submit anonymous questions on white flash cards about the differences between oral and anal sex. Woohoo!

I have been in love with Jon Stewart since I was 16. I'm going to go dry hump my pillow now and pretend it's him.......wow TMI.

Since this is Feministing...I'd just like to point out that Jon Stewart's show is once again painfully white-male dominated.

He's really funny. And this clip was hilarious and clever and great.

But it's really a shame he has so few women as guests or participants or talking heads. I don't want to discount Samantha Bee either, who is also hilarious and talented. But she's very tokenized for being the only woman ever on the show.

So, sorry. I don't mean to squash the parade, I just get annoyed about it. It's still funny and clever and a great show.

I actually attended the hearing... Jon Stewart's compilation was nearly as informative as sitting through the whole four or so hours. Thanks.

Yeah, I saw this one last night and almost peed myself. Wicked way to put it, Jon.

Carrie: I got married last year after 10 years of cohabitation and premarital sex. In the package with my marriage license? Yup... information about contraception and STIs. Clearly, the night before the wedding is the best time for "the talk."

Sappho, good point. I think we can all love and enjoy the Daily Show and still be able to point out its flaws. I think we can also look at it and find it comforting to find allies in the white male group, which is good.

I love Samantha Bee. Seriously, she'll be one funny and good mom. (With well informed kids, I bet!)

I just about had a liberal, secular orgasm at the godstick/shamecave line.

As other have said, the Daily Show kinds of misses the feminist boat a lot of the time, so it's nice when the get something right. Even if this isn't a strictly feminist or women's issue.

Actually, Sappho, Samantha Bee isn't the only female correspondent ever. Recently, yes. But not ever. There's been at least four other women I can think of off the top of my head that have been on the show, but again, it was a while ago. And there have been more than that.

I would love for there to be more women or minorities, but I also know that the type of humor they're employing might be hard to find in a field where lots of comedians get by with jokes about relationships and bodily functions.

I'm not saying that the Daily Show isn't ever sexist, but I do know that Jon Stewart has advocated feminism several times. I prefer to think that his choice of cast has more to do with the style of humor and less to do with gender or race.

Manya, I respectfully disagree completely. I'll admit that I am not much of a TV watcher so there's plenty I don't know about the Daily Show, but I can't believe you're actually suggesting that women are not capable of producing the right kind of comedy for the show. I'm sorry but what could be more sexist than that?

Also, from all the clips or shows I've seen, I think the Daily Show is regularly quite sexist, as well as racist in the less overt "we'll go on as if there's no such thing as people of color" method. I think if you watch carefully, you might also notice that Jon Stewart frequently makes fun of men for being foolish, and women for being women. Not exclusively, of course, but more often than I think is excusable or neutral. Which doesn't mean he isn't funny, but irks me nonetheless.

Sure Stewart covers women's issues in a progressive way, but I don't think that makes him much of a feminist. (In contrast to Colbert, who I think arguably takes feminism more seriously.) Jon Stewart has tons of visitors or quotes of people on the screen and they are almost always white men, whether they are targets of ridicule or comedians themselves. Which again, doesn't make him the worst guy in the world by a long shot, but still warrants some response, I think.

I never said women exclusively don't come up with that kind of humor. You're putting words into my mouth. I said LOTS of comedians get by on a different type of humor than what is on the Daily Show. I'm merely saying they probably don't have a large pool to pull from, and if there happen to be less women in that pool, that's not their fault. I'm also NOT saying there ARE less women in that pool, just that it's a smaller pool in general. Political satire is not as common as people tend to think it is in the world of comedy.

I may not have written that as I intended, and you may disagree however respectfully you like, but I resent you implying any sexism on my part.

Also, the Daily Show might not be the most enlightened show on television, but there are far worse out there. I've been watching it for 10 years now (and I do watch carefully), and they make fun of EVERYONE. Yes, women are occasionally skewered, but in no larger amount than men or any other "group".

I also never said Jon Stewart is a feminist (again with you putting words into my mouth), but I did say he has advocated feminism on several occasions. (There was even an article about him on this site once about that very topic.) That is one of the reasons he's the only male celebrity I've ever really liked and whose career I've followed.

All I was trying to say is that Samantha Bee is not the only female correspondent to be on the show. I also said, "I'm not saying that the Daily Show isn't ever sexist". But, as a watcher for 10 years, I do believe I know a little bit about what I'm watching.

I love him so much :)

I'm so glad you posted this, I saw it last night and was laughing so hard my eyes teared up...

Sappho, I respectfully disagree with YOU completely.

I've watched The Daily Show since Jon Stewart became host. It and The Colbert Report are the only television I really watch anymore.

Also, from all the clips or shows I've seen, I think the Daily Show is regularly quite sexist, as well as racist in the less overt "we'll go on as if there's no such thing as people of color" method.

Really? What clips and shows are you watching? On a regular basis I see an admirable "bite" from both Jon Stewart and the writers AGAINST sexism. Stewart has even sincerely referred to feminism as a "wonderful thing". They took on that abominable "Wives' Summit" earlier this year, as well as that female pundit (whose name I thankfully don't remember) who thinks a woman president is a terrible idea for democracy since women are "too nurturing" by nature. As far as racism is concerned, they tackle it regularly, and I'm not just talking about Larry Wilmore's regular segments. I've seen The Daily Show catch insidious remarks by George Stephanopoulos, Chris Matthews, and many other talking heads who have gotten off generally scott free by the mass media. Their largely white male cast reflects the largely white male pundits of the 24-hour news networks.

I think if you watch carefully, you might also notice that Jon Stewart frequently makes fun of men for being foolish, and women for being women. Not exclusively, of course, but more often than I think is excusable or neutral.

That's funny, because I've watched Jon Stewart quite carefully and definitely regularly for over nine years now, and I've seen him consistently support a feminist view point on several occasions when he could've gone for a cheap and sexist joke.

I'll admit that I am not much of a TV watcher so there's plenty I don't know about the Daily Show

And if this is true, than you really don't know Stewart or his comedy, and therefore really can't comment on his stance sexism-wise. Or on the stance of The Daily Show, for that matter.

Sorry, but I see far too many comedians (male AND female and of every hue) that make disgustingly sexist jokes and claim to be for equality (Chris Rock) and respect Jon Stewart too much for his stances on homophobia, sexism, feminism, and so on to let an misinformed statement pass.

Not to beat a dead horse:

But from the NY Times:

"For the moment the senior correspondent Samantha Bee is the lone female cast member on “The Daily Show� (which was created by two female comedians, Madeleine Smithberg and Lizz Winstead), but Mr. Karlin said the show’s recruitment process was not engineered to seek out white males. “We were looking for the best people we could find,� he said. “If we didn’t find those people, we wouldn’t have hired someone.�

Stewart's comedy acts often as an obvious, facetious surrogate for populist thought; many a time he and his panelists will discourage feminist thought as a means for "playing up" the laughable pedantry of conservative America, etc. Sure, he might not cover all the lines sometimes, but for the most part he's "with it."

I'm glad Sappho brought this up. I was always aware of the fact that women/POC are underrepresented on the show, but seeing a bunch of the regulars on the screen at the same time made it really obvious. "White guy...white guy...white guy...brown guy...white guy...white guy...woman." I agree that it's leagues ahead as far as other shows go, but watching it still made me think, "Damn, that's awkward." I guess it could in part be because my first thought was that they were going to be advocating masturbation, and I hate how it's presumed that only teenage boys masturbate, which as we all know implies a whole slew of anti-feminist bullshit.

Also, someone said something about Colbert seeming to take feminism more seriously - could you elaborate/give examples? I love to love Colbert!

Soundso, I disagree with your statements about women and people of color on The Daily Show for the reasons I listed above, but I'm happy to spread feminism from The Colbert Report. Not only has he mocked anti-feminist sentiment in general, he also stepped out of character (however momentarily) during his interview with the unfortunate Caitlin Flanagan. Search her name on the Colbert site; if you can manage to listen to what she says (and the moronic cheering audience which manage to sound like your stereotypical drunken frat boys, which fortunately isn't a typical Colbert audience) without gagging, Colbert does hit her pretty good several times.

Sappho: I agree with you concerning the male dominated aspect of the show. A couple of years ago I loved this show, but I have seen the type of humor change to target the young college age male. Unfortunately, it is no longer a show I enjoy.

Even their website is designed to attract young males.

They have that new dorky woman and she's HORRIBLE. Just sayin'.

I think when Craig Kilborn headed the Daily Show, there were a lot more problems with the turnover of women.

They have that new dorky woman and she's HORRIBLE. Just sayin'.

I think when Craig Kilborn headed the Daily Show, there were a lot more problems with the turnover of women.

Oh, you dirty, dirty toothbrushes, how dare you put your God-stick into my shame-cave.

I love Jon Stewert.

I'm going to the Daily Show tomorrow, actually. :)

So this is what I miss when I pass out from exhaustion after a long ass day at work? Damn.

I'm going to agree with Magdolenlives, I've been a fan of the Daily Show for years and they have had several women on the show, just not at the same time really. And perhaps Larry Wilmore, who also is a writer and actor on The Office, couldn't be apart of that segment? I've met him and he does have to fly from L.A. (where the Office shoots) to New York to do segments, must like Asif Mandvi (sp?) has to. I'm not going to hold it against them because they do tackle racism and sexism when other networks won't touch it. And they do have another female "anchor" who drops by occasionally, Kristen Schaal, who's an actor on Flight of the Concords. She's only been there twice that I've seen (and I've been missing episodes) but she's there.

They have that new dorky woman and she's HORRIBLE. Just sayin'.

Aw, that's "Mel" (Kristen Schaal) from Flight of the Concords! I agree that her first Daily Show segment was pretty awkward, but I hope they give her a chance, because I liked her on Conchords.

I love the Daily Show, but I agree with others here that it would be great to see more women and people of color on the show. Still, although they're certainly not perfect, I think they generally do a decent job on feminist issues.

Is it strange that I didn't count the cast as White Male as others have for the inclusion of John Oliver? Coming from a line of immigrants where only recently did the last of us get our citizenship, especially given the xenophobicly opressive air in the US right now, the Daily Show gets an extra point for having a non-US-native member.
True, he's probably the least offensive of all foreigners in the view of the United States (White, male, British). Yet, at a time when one of the worst things to be is "foreign," it makes me feel a little better to see Oliver there.

I don't think a current lack of women is sexist.

It's entirely possible that they were going for who had their sense of humor down, and that most of those who auditioned and fit the show happened to be male.

This is one of the LAST shows I would ever consider sexist. Or racist. They tackle a lot of stuff the "real" news won't. And they manage to do it with a sense of humor that doesn't actually make light of an issue. Not an easy thing to do.

I almost died watching that last night!

in 8th grade, my teacher said that if we had sex before we were married, we were like used, dirty tissues. which is really the worst and grossest thing out of all of the ones i've heard, i think.

The Daily Show makes me happy. I love me some God-stick!

Marteani - Sam Bee and her hubby Jason Jones are both Canadian and Aasif Mandvi was born in India and raised in England.

MagdoleneLives, wow! I just finished watching the episode with Caitlin Flanagan and the shots Cobert took were GREAT!

P.S. Does she realize that if it weren't for feminism, she probably wouldn't be writing for the New Yorker OR have a book under her name?

Seriously, when I see women advocating for less rights for women, I just have to look at them and go, "You know who put you up on that podium, right? The women you're advocating against, dipshit."

[Re Colbert's brilliant skewering of Caitlin Flanagan] Seriously, when I see women advocating for less rights for women, I just have to look at them and go, "You know who put you up on that podium, right? The women you're advocating against, dipshit."

Somehow I think they're probably keenly aware of how they got access to the podium. I think that what they say is a direct reflection of their unshakable faith that they will never have to put their money where their mouths are (Serena Joy, anyone?).

They've had several women on, but not just at the same time.

They don't really have that good a pool of women to choose from. There's only one funny woman in the whole wide world, and it's Samantha Bee.

They're better than other shows.

They have non white men on sometimes, too.

So this is what feminists are willing to settle for?

Then why bother?

Tinfoil hattie,
Well obviously they should invite Twisty onto the show ;).

um...so you're saying that because many women comedians can't always hold their own on the comedic stage (and I firmly believe that this is culturally ingrained), we should pack it all in?

In all of the comedy training I have been exposed to, the women have ALWAYS, ALWAYS been told explicitly to give up the floor to men (in one case, all of the women were assigned to an extra workshop to discuss this). Women end up with less training than men because of this idea that women are by nature supporting players. Couple this with the fact that societally, certain things are not seen as funny for a woman that would be for a man, and you begin to see a picture of why the Daily Show has such a tiny friggin' pool of female comedians that are actually strong enough on screen.

SNL is lucky because it feeds directly from a pool of players that doesn't practice this woman-hatred. Now if they could just find decent writers, they might actually be funny.

When I was in high school, we had a lady come around doing the whole "show-them-pictures-of-std's-to-make-them-frightened-of-sex-before-marriage" act. The best part was her slogan was "No Ringy, No Dingy."

Dear Jon Stewart and company:

You now owe me a new keyboard.

Love,
Midgetqueen

Damn great segment!

This makes me happy one of my minors is in broadcasting! These kinds of on-target humour segments should be broadly shown and have a wider audience than they already have!

So this is what feminists are willing to settle for?

Then why bother?

Tinfoilhattie, please tell me that you're not using that in reference to a television show (that, as the dead horse is fully beaten, is a regular advocate of feminism for reasons I *ahem* cited above and could cite some more) and about the world et large? C'mon, really. Either watch the show a few times or cast a better net for your ire.

And SpiderJerusalem, The Daily Show by no means practices "women hatred" by its writers or anyone else, not as far as I've seen in the nine plus years I've watched it and I've got a pretty keen eye for these things. Ironic you should mention SNL. Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Lorraine Newman, Jeanne Garofalo, and several other female cast members have complained of Lorne Michaels's sexism, particularly in promoting female comedians. Tiny Fey is the exception, not the norm. I also have some bones to pick with her personally, since female or not, she's cracked homophobic jokes on a regular basis (and let's remember she was the show's head writer for a time) and has a set of sexist values all her own. Sadly, as above with Caitlin Flanagan, you can't rely on women to be advocates for women or for feminism. Not that I'm saying that's what YOU'RE saying, I'm merely stating a sad fact about Tina Fey, who is becoming one of the best known female comedians/comedy writers in America and has some pretty sorry views. Thankfully Amy Poehler who appears to be becoming as popular has some better ideas about feminism and about women and comedy.

"I don't think a current lack of women is sexist.

It's entirely possible that they were going for who had their sense of humor down, and that most of those who auditioned and fit the show happened to be male."

Most comedians in the very male-dominated biz of comedy are male, so /of course/ more males auditioned. That doesn't mean that it isn't sexist, at least in a systemic sense.

And besides, if Jon Stewart wanted an equal balance of males and females on his show, don't you think he'd be able to find enough qualified females willing to do the job? My guess is, he just hasn't extended that effort... Whether or not you think he's obligated to, well, that's another issue.

You know who I'd /love/ to see? In Margaret Cho's blog, she mentions how she and Jon Stewart were friends for awhile as young people...

"I'm merely stating a sad fact about Tina Fey, who is becoming one of the best known female comedians/comedy writers in America and has some pretty sorry views"

Care to be more specific?

And besides, if Jon Stewart wanted an equal balance of males and females on his show, don't you think he'd be able to find enough qualified females willing to do the job? My guess is, he just hasn't extended that effort... Whether or not you think he's obligated to, well, that's another issue.

He's conducting a fake news show that mocks the 24 hour news networks that have an arsenal of white male pundits (yeah they have a woman or a person of color here and there, but name one with as big a name as Hannity, Anderson Cooper, Keith Olbermann, Bill O'Reilly, et cetera). He's obligated to mock that, and obligated, in my personal opinion, to reflect a progressive attitude in contrast to the style of news he's mocking. Jon Stewart and The Daily Show have a consistent history of progressive views.

As for Tina Fey, she's a fan of "female humor is THIS, male humor is THAT" which I find FAR more appalling that a fake news show which is supposed to reflect the "real" news shows that have largely white male casts.
One of her more restrained interviews wherein she discusses the subject (as well as The Daily Show and her own comic influences) can be found here.
I realize it's not popular to criticize Tiny Fey, but it's simply my opinion.

*facepalm*

TINA Fey. I wasn't trying to be cute, my quick proof-read before I posted didn't catch that.

Exactly, Tinfoilhattie.

If feminism is about criticize sexism here, criticize it there, but never criticize it someone who we like, then how does it have any intellectual or analytical integrity?
Identical patterns of male-dominated casting, humor, and focus would be lambasted in any other feminist arena...I'm just really surprised that it is not so on this website, of all websites.

I don't think there's cognitive dissonance in saying that the Daily Show is both brilliant and funny and sexist all at once. They're not mutually exclusive attributes.

OMG, I want Twisty to go on the Daily Show STAT. Actually, she should do the Colbert Report... Oh man, that would be some great television...

I agree that there are definite systematic issues that cause the Daily Show to be so heavily white-male. *Every* group dominated by white males argues that they "just hire the best candidates". But we all know that's bullshit whether it's about doctors, scientists, politicians or comedians. Just because you like something doesn't give it a pass. But that also doesn't mean that you can't enjoy what there is to enjoy.

Side note: has there ever been a WoC in the Daily Show cast?

To Sappho:
If feminism is about criticize sexism here, criticize it there, but never criticize it someone who we like, then how does it have any intellectual or analytical integrity?

The utter absurdity of asking "Is this what feminists are willing to settle for?" about this program and not about, say, a program that claims to be the progressive choice for women today, such as Sex in the City should close that argument altogether.

I don't think there's cognitive dissonance in saying that the Daily Show is both brilliant and funny and sexist all at once. They're not mutually exclusive attributes.

I don't know about you, but if something (book/movie/film) displays sexism or a sexist sentiment, it stops being brilliant and funny and is... sexist. Sexism to me negates the brilliant/funny aspect of something. To me, they are mutual exclusive attributes. I enjoy The Daily Show for many reasons, one of which is that on a regular basis it demonstrates a pro-feminist sentiment.

To Vodalus:
Just because you like something doesn't give it a pass.

Absolutely not. But you might stop to consider the REASONS why people like this particular program. As I said above, I enjoy it because (among other reasons) it regularly promotes a feminist viewpoint. If you think that the argument over whether or not this show is sexist ends with the fact it has only one woman as a member of the regular correspondents, then I think you're missing the idea entirely.

Side note: has there ever been a WoC in the Daily Show cast?

No, actually, there hasn't. However, I reiterate my point that The Daily Show is a program that is set to parody the 24-hour news networks, damn few of which display women or people of color in prominent pundit positions (whoa, say that three times fast). Until the 24-hour news networks start having more women and minorities to parody, then the show that parodies them will retain it's largely white male cast. I may also point out that the show acknowledges the tokenism of the 24-hour news networks (and therefore its own to parody the 24-hour news networks) regularly with their "Senior Black Correspondent" and "Senior Woman Correspondent" segments. A particularly amusing bit involved both, actually, regarding (what else) the Pennsylvania primary.

I think those that seek to judge the show based on a chance airing or a couple clips they may or may not have watched do both the show and themselves a disservice by calling it "sexist".

you all are way two smart for me . I now know that every christian considers that a vagina is a shame cave .
Befor i read this entry i was a christian that believed in equality betwin men and women but thanks to you know that it is not possible and that i must either consider that a vagina is a shamefull organ or join you in your delusional anti christian battle .Thanks to you i rest assured that a middle way doesn't exist and is definitely impossible.

Again thank you all for your wisdom .