The most persuasive argument is often made by the one who is able to be serious and deal with serious things without taking them self too seriously. I think this is the appeal of shows like The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Every once in a while they may cross the line, but even those who may disagree can listen to them in a more open way because of the way they present things. Dr. Mustafa Barghouti was on The Daily Show tonight and while I admit that to even go on The Daily Show you have to have a sense of humor, what I appreciated was that he was addressing a serious issue that clearly holds deep personal meaning for him, but he could genuinely laugh it off when someone in the audience called him a liar and even sincerely offer to talk with the person one on one. He even made a joke about Mickey Mouse. I don’t really want to talk about the points he made or even the issue of Israel and Palestine, what I want to take note of is the way he talked about it. In dealing with any polarizing issue you really do have to be able to sometimes disassociate or find some way of easing your own tension. If you can’t, you run the risk of getting so caught up that you can’t hear any voice that does not sound like your own. We have to be able to not only hear, but dialog with those who disagree with us otherwise we get no where. It gives me hope to see anyone, especially leaders who have the willingness to listen, the ability to respect and the desire to engage. Those who are willing to debate in the highest and most sincere way and to maybe even change their minds for the good of the people are the ones we need.