This clip of the Daily Show seems like an unorthodox post for a class. However, there are several merits:
First, this clips show how the discourse of corporate importance and power is air tight in the world economic forum. The attendees are largely members of what we would call the transnational corporate class; the global elites. Not only does the coverage treat the attendees of the forum in a favorable light, but their own understanding of the 2008 crisis indicates how little they believe they were to blame. It is interesting to see that, only 7 years after the financial melt down, how quick many media outlets are to forgive the actions of those that cause the crisis. If this is the forum to decide how climate change will be handled, then one would hope for a higher degree of media scrutiny.
I also believe, that, despite it’s crassness and the lack of scholarly merit, this clip has another benefit; it is humorous. Many of our class discussions are down right depressing. We’ve all felt this. I think one of the most important things to maintain in international studies it the capacity to laugh at how ridiculous some of these situations are. If it is a choice between laughing or crying, I believe we as students will maintain a greater emotional stamina to deal with the problems presented by global inequality if we can retain the a sense of humor instead of developing a sense of fatalism.