Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
Date | October 30, 2010 |
---|---|
Location |
|
Participants |
|
Website | Official website |
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was a gathering that took place on October 30, 2010, at the
The rally was a combination of what initially were announced as separate events: Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity" and Colbert's counterpart, the "March to Keep Fear Alive." Its stated purpose was to provide a venue for attendees to be heard above what Stewart described as the more vocal and extreme 15–20% of Americans who "control the conversation" of
Origins
Response to Restoring Honor rally
On August 28, 2010, the
Announcement
Stewart first hinted at the event on the September 7 episode of The Daily Show by declaring that "[he would] have an announcement sometime in the near to not so near future."[12] Colbert, in that night's episode of The Report (which aired immediately following The Daily Show), said that he, too, had an announcement to make. In the following days, Stewart and Colbert used their shows to hype their respective announcements, competing over whose would be more significant. The banter finally culminated with Stewart formally announcing the "Rally to Restore Sanity" on the September 16, 2010 episode of The Daily Show;[13] Colbert followed by announcing the "March to Keep Fear Alive" on the subsequent episode of The Colbert Report.
Stewart declared that his rally was intended for the majority of Americans, "the 70–80 percenters," who do not hold extreme political views and lack a voice in the media. To illustrate the point, he unveiled a mock motto for the rally: "Take it down a notch for America." A series of protest sign designs were proposed on the Daily Show featuring messages such as "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not
Oprah Winfrey appeared on The Daily Show via video on October 14, 2010, to award the attending audience free airfare to the rally.[15] The plane tickets were hidden under the audience members' seats in the same fashion as she has given away prizes to her own audience members on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[16] In the episode of the Colbert Report airing immediately afterward, Stephen Colbert also offered tickets to his rally. Arianna Huffington offered to provide free bus rides to the rally. During the show, Colbert also revealed to Stewart that he did not possess a permit to legally organize the "March to Keep Fear Alive," leading Stewart to propose combining the two events into the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" that would feature a new combined logo.[17]
Response to the announcement
On the night following the announcement, the pledged number of attendees to the event reached 69,000 on
The
Many news organizations sought media credentials to cover the rally.[27] Anticipating staff interest in attending for non-professional purposes, NPR barred staffers from attending the rally in a memo that stated: "NPR journalists may not participate in marches and rallies involving causes or issues that NPR covers, nor should they sign petitions or otherwise lend their name to such causes, or contribute money to them. This restriction applies to the upcoming Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert rallies."[28][29] NBC and several other media outlets followed suit. Some barred employees from attending the rally outright, while others such as The Washington Post offered more latitude, telling newsroom managers to differentiate between "participating" and "observing."[30]
Charity drive
Prior to the announcement of the joint rally, supporters of the movement for a Colbert-led march had begun a drive to raise money for educational charities through DonorsChoose.org, a charitable organization of which Colbert is a member of the Board of Directors. In the first 24 hours, supporters raised over $100,000. In the days that followed, that total increased to over $250,000,[11] and by the day of the rally over $500,000 had been contributed.[31] Jon Stewart promoted the Trust for the National Mall, urging his viewers to make donations on behalf of the rally. As of October 31, 2010, over $188,000 had been donated to the Trust.[32]
Rally
Setting
As the number of expected participants grew, the rally was moved from the grounds of the Washington Monument to the east end of the Mall facing the Capitol. The stage was on the east side of the rally with an open back, allowing the Capitol building to provide the backdrop for the performances. In order to meet the public safety requirements of the National Park Service permit, the Mall between the Capitol and 14th Street was divided into sections, with access aisles lined by portable fences. Speakers and jumbotron television screens were placed along both the north and south edges to encourage the crowd to spread out rather than press against the main stage.
Portable toilets and first aid stations were also provided. Because the rally was held the day before the previously scheduled Marine Corps Marathon, the rally planners originally requested to share the portable toilets planned for the marathon runners. The marathon organizers refused, so a second set of portable toilets was ordered.[34]
Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear | |||
---|---|---|---|
Jon Stewart in flag jacket | Stephen Colbert on stage | Distant view of stage |
Guests
While both Colbert and Stewart were tight-lipped as to the event's schedule and guests,
Comedy
Satirical comedy was woven throughout the rally with Colbert expressing, in parody, that fear was superior to Stewart's reasonableness. The theme started with Colbert—costumed like Evel Knievel—emerging from his "fear bunker" in a capsule reminiscent of the 2010 Chilean miners' rescue.[42] Thereafter, Colbert challenged Stewart point by point, usually claiming victory.
One of their battles was waged over three songs about trains. Stewart started with
Later, Stewart and Colbert donned matching American flag coats and sang an original song "The Greatest, Strongest Country in the World" with lyrics that reflected common liberal and conservative stereotypes, such as "I love
In the finale, a giant
Medals
Stewart gave out "Medals of Reasonableness" cast in bronze with an image of an owl and the
- Armando Galarraga for his calm response to the blown call that cost him a perfect game.
- Mick Foley for his contributions outside of wrestling, including his defense of a child mocked for being seen as gay.
- Velma Hart for her reasoned critical questions delivered to President Barack Obama at a town hall.
- Jacob Isom for preventing an evangelist from burning a Qur'an.[45]
Colbert awarded "Medals of Fear" cast with an image of a naked man running with scissors and the Latin motto Cave ne cadmium sit, which Colbert translated as "Warning: May contain Cadmium," to:
- Several news media outlets, collectively, for barring employees from attending the rally on their own time.[45]
- A "tight black T-shirt" that Colbert said belonged to CNN's Anderson Cooper, for always appearing during natural disasters reported on by Cooper.[46]
- Mark Zuckerberg for making Facebook increase fear with regard to Internet privacy.[47]
Zuckerberg's award was presented
"A Moment of Sincerity" speech
After defeating Colbert's "Fearzilla", Stewart closed the rally with a "moment ... for some sincerity" to explain his intentions for the rally:[49]
This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith, or people of activism, or look down our noses at the heartland, or passionate argument, or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are, and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times.
He criticized the role the press plays in
Much of the speech was devoted to the idea that "[m]ost Americans don't live their lives solely as
Crowd size and television broadcast
-
"Citation needed" sign at the D.C. rally
-
Combined with a sign saying "Wikipedia is a valid source"
-
Chance meet of two [citation needed] signs at the rally
An aerial photography analysis commissioned by CBS News and carried out by AirPhotosLive.com estimated the crowd at 215,000 people, plus or minus 10%.[3] In comparison, their estimate for the Restoring Honor rally made using the same methods was 87,000 people, plus or minus 9,000.[50] USA Today, Voice of America and ABC News all referred to the crowd as tens of thousands of people, with Voice of America noting, "the crowd filled the Mall, from almost in front of the Capitol to the Washington Monument."[51][52][53]
According to local news outlet
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which maintained its normal Saturday service schedule, announced that Metrorail ridership set a Saturday record of 825,437 trips, as compared to about 350,000 on a normal Saturday,[56] and beating out the previous record set in 1991 of 786,358 trips during the Desert Storm National Victory Celebration.[57] The record would last more than 6 six years, until it was broken by the 2017 Women's March.
The rally was broadcast live on Comedy Central and C-SPAN. The Comedy Central live broadcast reportedly drew 2,000,000 total viewers, with an additional 570,000 live video streams on the Internet.[58]
Response to rally
On Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Maher criticized the rally, saying that while Stewart and Colbert meant well, the message of the rally promoted a false equivalency between the left and the right, noting, "the big mistake of modern media has been this notion of balance for balance's sake. That the Left is just as violent and cruel as the Right ... there's a difference between a mad man and a madman."[61]
On November 11, Stewart appeared on
Several websites, such as
In 2012 Stewart said that at the time that he had invited Yusuf Islam to perform at the rally, he did not know that Yusuf Islam had expressed support for a Fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie. Upon learning about it, Stewart tried to get clarifications from Islam, but the conversation he had with Islam left Stewart unsatisfied.[64]
2020 anniversary
On October 30, 2020, Stewart appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event. Colbert apologized after Stewart said his rally to restore fear "won" in a "shutout." Tony Bennett also appeared to sing "America the Beautiful" but was cut off by Stewart.[65]
Awards and nominations
The rally was nominated for four
- Outstanding Special Class Special
- Outstanding Special Class Writing
- Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control
- Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing
See also
- List of political rallies on the National Mall
- National Endowment for the Humanities' Civility Tour
- One Nation Working Together rally
- Pluralistic Rationalism
- List of protest marches on Washington, D.C.
References
- ^ Steffen, Jordan; Gold, Matea (October 31, 2010). "Team Sanity numbers more than 200,000, by some estimates". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Interactive. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ "200K turn out to 'Restore Sanity' in Washington". Toronto Sun. October 30, 2010.
- ^ a b Montopoli, Brian (October 30, 2010). "Jon Stewart Rally Attracts Estimated 215,000". CBS News.
- ^ a b "US comics unveil dueling DC political rallies". Agence France-Presse. September 17, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Dueling Rallies Spike Hotel Bookings". NBC. September 28, 2010.
- ^ "Jon Stewart: Rallies Not a Response to Glenn Beck". Rolling Stone. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 2, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ Executive Producers: Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, Jon Stewart (August 12, 2010). ""August 12, 2010"". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central.
- ^ Chris Smith (September 12, 2011). "America Is a Joke". New York. New York Media LLC. pp. 2, 5. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- National Public Radio. National Public Radio. October 4, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ "100,000 Strong to Restore Truthiness to the US Capital". Facebook. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ a b Bell, Melissa (September 17, 2010). "Blog Post – 'Rally to Restore Sanity' to meet 'March to Keep Fear Alive;' Reddit users talk about starting the online campaign". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ "Moment of Zen – Jon's Important Announcement – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – 09/07/10 – Video Clip | Comedy Central". Thedailyshow.com. September 7, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
- ^ Executive Producers: Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, Jon Stewart (September 16, 2010). ""September 16, 2010"". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central.
- ^ "Quotes of the Day". Time. September 17, 2010. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Announcement". Comedy Central. October 14, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ Delargy, Christine (October 30, 2010). "Jon Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity:" A "Non-Political" Rally That Is Actually Politically Charged". CBS News. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Oprah Latest Star to Lend Celebrity Endorsement to Stewart's Rally". Fox News. October 15, 2010.
- ^ Eldeib, Duaa (September 22, 2010). "Jon Stewart rally". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ Dvorak, Petula (September 21, 2010). "Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert might actually bring out the real moderates". Washington Post. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
- ^ Gold, Matea (September 22, 2010). "Jon Stewart's 'Rally to Restore Sanity' could draw tens of thousands". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Eldeib, Duaa (September 22, 2010). "Stewart rally may get satellite fete in Chicago". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Fishman, Rob (September 28, 2010). "HuffPost Sanity Bus: Arianna Offers Buses To Jon Stewart's Rally To Restore Sanity (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ Fishman, Rob (October 22, 2010). "HuffPost Sanity Bus Info and FAQ". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^ "'Rally to Restore Sanity': Jon Stewart on His March on Washington". The Wall Street Journal. September 17, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ "Comedy colleagues Stewart, Colbert plan D.C. rallies; Duo's events are a swipe at Glenn Beck and the politics of fear". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. September 17, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2011. (registration required)
- Msnbc.com. Archived from the originalon October 1, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ Carter, Bill (October 14, 2010). "Growing Interest, Despite Questions, in Jon Stewart's Rally". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ Shepard, Alicia C. (October 15, 2010). "Employees And Political Rallies: Facts Behind The Controversy: NPR Ombudsman". NPR. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "NPR Bans Staffers From Attending Stewart and Colbert Rallies | The New York Observer". Observer.com. October 13, 2010. Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "News Outlets Follow NPR's Lead: No Staffers at Stewart and Colbert Rallies". The New York Observer. October 14, 2010. Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "Restoring Truthiness Giving Page". DonorsChoose.org.
- ^ "Donations to date". Trust for the National Mall. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ NY Daily News. New York. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
- ^ "Stewart, Colbert Rallies Looking for a Few Good Porta-Potties". AOL News. October 7, 2010. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ ""Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" Schedule". Metromix. October 27, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ "Jon Stewart Opens The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear (VIDEO)". TPM. October 30, 2010. Archived from the original on November 1, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ a b Petri, Alexandra. "Peace Trains, Crazy Trains, Love Trains and automobiles at Stewart rally". Washington Post. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- Nydailynews.com. October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "'Sanity/Fear' Rally A Protest of the Absurd". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ Stanglin, Douglas (November 1, 2010). "Thousands attend 'Rally to Restore Sanity' in Washington". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ Allan, Nicole (October 30, 2010). "5 Funniest Moments of the 'Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear'". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
- ^ Evatt, Robert (November 8, 2010). "Rallying with revelry, goofiness". Tulsa World. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- NBC New York. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ Hall, Heather (November 4, 2010). "Rally to Restore Sanity". The Times-Delphic. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c Montopoli, Brian (October 30, 2010). "Jon Stewart Rallies for Sanity — and Against Cable News". CBS News. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Put on a Show". Media Bistro. October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ Jerome, Sara (October 30, 2010). "Zuckerberg awarded 'fear' medal at D.C. rally". The Hill. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- Washington Post. October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ a b c Firecloud, Johnny (October 31, 2010). "Metal Meets Folk Meets Soul at The Rally To Restore Sanity: The Roots, Ozzy, Cat Stevens, Kid Rock and more joined Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Saturday in D.C. in a show of sanity". Crave Online. CRAVEONLINE MEDIA, LLC. Archived from the original on May 29, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ Montopoli, Brian (August 31, 2010). "Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" Rally Crowd Estimate Explained". CBS News. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ Stanglin, Douglas; Durando, Jessica (October 30, 2010). "'Sanity' rally draws tens of thousands". USA Today. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ "Tens of Thousands Rally for Laughs, Activism in Washington". Voice of America.
- ^ "Stewart and Colbert's DC Rally Staged for Comedy, Not Politics". ABC News.
- TBD TV. October 30, 2010. Archived from the originalon November 2, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ Holmes, Linda (October 31, 2010). "Highs And Lows From The 'Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear' : Monkey See". NPR. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ "Metro sets new record for highest Saturday Metrorail ridership". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Press release). October 31, 2010. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ Joanna Malloy and Corky Siemaszko (November 1, 2010). "Jon Stewart 'Rally to Restore Sanity' crowds set new record for DC transit with 825,437 trips". (New York) Daily News. nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- Boston Globe. Associated Press. November 1, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ Shahid, Aliyah (November 2, 2010). "Keith Olbermann drops 'Worst Persons in the World' segment on MSNBC after Jon Stewart rally". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
- TV Newser. Archived from the originalon September 18, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ Bill Maher (November 5, 2010). "November 5, 2010". Real Time with Bill Maher. Season 8. Episode 24. HBO.
- ^ "Jon Stewart on the Rachel Maddow Show: "We Have a Special Place In Our Hearts For Fox". Entertainment Weekly. November 11, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
- ^ McGlynn, Katla (October 30, 2010). "The Funniest Signs From The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- The Today Show.
- ^ "Jon Stewart And Stephen Reunite On The 10th Anniversary Of Their Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear". YouTube. October 31, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ "The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" Honored With Four Daytime Emmy Nominations" (Press release). PR Newswire. May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
External links
Official websites
- Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
- Rally to Restore Sanity
- March to Keep Fear Alive
- Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Videos Archived November 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine at Comedy Central
Images
- Rally to Restore Sanity Archived November 1, 2010, at the Life magazine
- The Funniest Signs At The Rally To Restore Sanity – slideshow by The Huffington Post
- Satellite view of the crowd
Video
- Stewart/Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear – full event video recording by C-SPAN (requires Adobe Flash Player)
- Rally To Restore Sanity–short documentary by VICE (requires Adobe Flash Player)