My Thank You Letter To Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart and The Daily Show have touched the lives of plenty of people my age with their "War on Bullsh*t." As much a comedian and nightly satirical talk-show host he was during his tenure, he was also a teacher and informer. Without him, where would the United States be? Honestly, it would be a completely different place. I grew up watching the previous night's Daily Show after dinner with my Dad, and later that night with both him and my sister. The intrigue I had when watching his show was what got me interested in politics and general bullsh*t-ousting today. And for that, I have a lot to thank him for.

Thank you, Jon Stewart, for getting American youth interested

You appealed to my generation like no other. Your show was the most watched news-related program with the youngest demographic group. Your dissection of the political hypocrisy in Washington was something many of us needed, especially considering we grew up in the Iraq War era. In a decade where it was difficult to make sense of what was going on, you shined the light on what mattered, and you made sure we understood clearly.

Thank you for putting humor into news

I don't even know if you expected to have this much of an impact on the country when The Daily Show decided to go into political satire, but it worked, because you got my attention. Your ability to make sense of subjects, while also putting a humorous spin on it, allowed me and many others not to be deterred by what was being said. It was a brilliant and well-executed way to get the American people informed again.

Thank you for being one of the best teachers I ever had

You may have never been the teacher in a classroom setting, but you sure as hell schooled America on what its machine of a government was up to. You taught me to look a little deeper into things that I would never have thought were important. You taught me how to pick out the bullsh*t in the media and in politics. You taught me to ask how and why.

Thank you for making people's voices heard

In this day in age, if the American people really feel strongly about something, it needs some sort of media attention to get it done. You were that media attention. You voiced the opinions of the people who did not have the power to get their opinions heard. You voiced the opinions of the people who did not have the words to describe their thoughts. That was so important.

Thank you for blocking out all the haters in the best way possible

Whenever it came to Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly or the entire Fox News Corporation, you survived their jabs at you by just jabbing them back with cold hard facts-- and it was awesome.

Thank you for asking the right people the toughest questions

One of my favorite parts of growing up watching the show was definitely your interviews with higher-level officials, because of your questions. You asked some of the most important questions that helped reveal the truth behind the bullsh*t. I'll never forget the time you interviewed Governor Mike Huckabee around the 2008 election, someone who today I still am not remotely a fan of, about his social conservatism and gay marriage. The moral comparisons you made forever stuck with me because today whenever I choose to write about something, I ask the moral questions.

Thank you for standing up for what is morally right

How can anyone ever forget about your work in and around the 9/11 responders bill? You saw the bullsh*t, you saw the moral cruelty and you acted. The work that you have done for those first responders at ground zero is inspiring. Going in and talking to sitting members of congress, convincing them to vote for the bill after having it defeated 5 years ago is astounding.

And finally, thank you for "The Best F#@king News Team Ever"

Without the crew of correspondents to make the show what it was, where would we all be, really? I admired how successful they all became after you mentioned on the show. Stephen Colbert going on to do The Report and The Late Show, as I watch(ed) those shows religiously as well. America's favorite Brit, John Oliver, putting together the most entertaining and gripping 20 minutes on educating America on chicken farming. And of course, Trevor Noah, the humble South African whom you let us trust as your successor. It truly is the best f#@king news team ever!