Tuesday night was Election Night, and The Daily Show was all over it with correspondents covering the events happening around the country. But before they got to all of that, Trevor Noah wanted to make one thing clear: the 2022 midterms weren’t just “a great day for democracy and for people who love waiting in line,” but very well may have been “the most important election of our lifetime.”
Have you heard that before? Yes. Have you heard Noah say it himself? Probably — not just in 2020, but during the 2018 midterms, and most definitely during the 2016 presidential election, too. And while it may seem hyperbolic, Noah has another take on why it seems that each new election seems to be touted as the most important one we’ll ever take part in. As The Daily Show host explained:
I know… some people say, ‘Well clearly none of these elections are as important as people say. They always say it’s the most important election.’ But maybe we’re thinking of it wrong: Maybe EVERYTHING is getting worse and worse, which makes every election more and more important. And I know I said that like it sounded good, but it’s not… My inflection didn’t match the feeling.
To better illustrate his point, Noah offered up the following analogy:
Think of it this way: When you’re in a car, the brakes are the most important safety feature. When you’re in your driveway, it helps to have brakes. But then when you get on the road, the brakes become more important. Then you’re on the freeway going 100 mph, the brakes are even MORE important. Then, a school bus gets stuck in front of you and then you realize that the school bus is full of puppies! And the puppies are holding the only copy of Rihanna’s new album!!
In other words: It’s all about perspective. And yes, each and every election can and very well may be the most important you’ll ever vote in… until the next one comes along.
You can watch Noah’s full explanation above.