The Most Honest Three Minutes In Television History

[Prospero]

Well a lot of what he said won't be allowed to be said, once you guys have President Cruz.

[Jackal]

I'll give anyone credit for writing on the lunacy of the idea of the USA being the chosen one of the world or the greatest country. Fundamentalist members of the American civic religion are deranged, deluded and dangerous. That said, the show sucks. Sorkin should have just put together a book of essays or a one man show instead of this convoluted, ridiculous dramedy.

[Stavros]

The irony is that just as the Reagan-mantra America is Great is usually accompanied by soupy music it's at the moment when Jeff Daniels says of greatness, 'We used to be...' that the piano starts (to get a lump into your throat) and the list begins, yet how many of those achievements he lists came from private enterprise and endeavour? It was the question that was flawed, as well as the snide remarks to 'Sorority girl'...don't know the tv series for what that's worth.

[Skylancer81]

The Newsroom on HBO. Season 3 will start next summer. I agree with a lot of what he said, but not all. I do believe that the U.S. media reports far to much fluff and is too subjective these days. And watching the show from that point of view it pulls off a good attempt at being more objective in news reporting like we used to have before cable tv and the internet.

[BellaBellucci]

I knew what the video would be just from the title of the thread. Well played. I <3 Aaron Sorkin!

~BB~

[johnlinzer]

Another thing, since I awake now, how he calls her generation "the worst. generation. EVER!" Was it her generation that decimated the traditional family, the backbone of the nation, with the divorce culture? Was it her generation that polluted the world? Was it her generation that spoiled her children and didn't discipline them? Was it her generation that strip-mined our country with a godless capitalism? Was it her generation that ripped off social security? Was it her generation that chained the ankles of African Americans by lifting the yoke of responsibility from the shoulders of their men. Was it her generation that is responsible for the slaughter of 50,000,000 individual human lives? Was it her generation that got charged into Iraq, upsetting
the entire apple cart of the Middle East? I could go on, you know...

NO. It was his generation, and my generation. Her generation hasn't even started yet. HER generation will inherit a country and world that we have screwed up. Her generation will be weighted down by $17,000,000,000,000 of debt (More like 20-30 within 10 years). HER generation will be footing the bill for healthcare for tens of millions boomers and Gen-Xers that have not taken care of themselves.

And when our military is weak enough (and very soon it will be), it will be her generation that has to fight another World War with China and or Russia when they bum-rush the oilfields in the Mid East once Peak Oil happens.

How does THAT resonate???

[Brindlebreed]

Fantastic response.

[Stavros]

People who believe in a processional history may believe that every age is an improvement on the one that came before, and it is not difficult to find examples of this belief in recent history; but it isn't true, and is either a useless or distorting lens through which to perceive the relationship between the past and the present. The speech which Jeff Daniels makes is not based on an objective historical assessment but is entirely political in a partisan sense, its intention is to draw an imaginary line between Democrats and Republicans where the line is not in reality straight or even clearly defined.

[Gillian]

A good show but I gave it up as Emily Mortimer was getting on my tits.

As for the clip, am I the only one who spotted the irony in the fact that the OP describes the clip as "the most honest in television history" which is surely just as presumptious as the view of the US Jeff Daniels' character is criticising ...

[Prospero]

Yeah... I cannot abide her either.... I do not, for a single moment, find her credible as the producer of a network news programme. More like an overgrown head girl or captain of the hockey team.