Stephen Colbert: "Speak loudly and carry a big schtick."

I watch Stephen Colbert at least three times a week because I'm fascinated with his schtick. But of who or what Colbert may actually be BEHIND the schtick, I don't think anyone can speak and I DO think a great many people are deceived (myself perhaps among them).

Colbert's schtick is liberal pretending conservative, insanity pretending reason, secularity pretending faith, PC pretending machismo, intellect pretending idiocy, a great many things pretending a great many other, and who knows which is real? Does Colbert himself know which is real? And if he knows, why then should he (as I've heard him claim with seeming sincerity) forbid his children to watch the show? When is he serious? About what? I sometimes get a more-than-sneaking suspicion that beneath all pretense Colbert is just another mainstream Democrat, but of course I can't be certain.

Of just one thing about Colbert, I feel sure: He is part of the problem insofar as his schtick belittles and belies every question, every fact, every circumstance he pretends to address. His author interviews are key: Which of those authors was ever permitted to say anything serious about his work? When did that happen? How are we enlightened, how is our understanding of their work deepened if none are allowed to speak past or over Colbert's hot-mouthed inanity? One wonders what terrible event could possibly occur, what could be so dreadful that Colbert would ever speak of it seriously.

If nothing is serious (as he puts on), then everything has equal weight. Liberalism? Conservatism? Communism? Fascism? They're all the same. Vote one way; vote the other; vote for Mickey Mouse or don't vote at all (my personal preference) if it suits you. Up is down, left is right, black is white, parody is reality, sarcastic invective is the sweetest of praise, and what difference does it make, really, if Americans are sheltered by the rule of law as long as one has a Porsche and a mansion at Myrtle Beach?

What, then, will become of America? Nobody will get a clue watching Stephen Colbert.

J.M.

"It may be thought that I am prejudiced. Perhaps I am. I would be ashamed of myself if I were not."
Mark Twain
The Innocents Abroad

Comments

Interesting remarks

But first, welcome to you Jimmy. I don't know why, but I feel like I know you. We probably both comment on the same blogs I guess. I think I remember having seen you on IOZ's blog...Well, on a blogger blog anyway.

I do reckon that jokes are everywhere today and not much is to be taken seriously. This also happens in France. And people don't like to get serious at all. When I talk about politics to my friends, most quickly tell me that they don't really care. They'd rather joke about stuff. Which, as you say, is a way not to take a stance.

Oupsie

Hadn't noticed previous post was from you. So I guess I'm a little late for the welcome.

Greets!

Yeah, littlehorn -- I see you in the comments section over at Empire Burlesque. I hang there. I hang here. I hang at Atlantic Free Press. I post sporadically at a great many places, mostly under my real name. My personal blog is The Cyanide Hole.

Good to see you here. Keep coming back.

Best.

J.M.

"It may be thought that I am prejudiced. Perhaps I am. I would be ashamed of myself if I were not." Mark Twain

I think I just understood something

You know, I live in France, and so there are a few acronyms in my mind that are French. One of them is AFP : "Agence France Presse", and it's obviously the French counter-part to AP. Don't know how closely the two are related.

And it always disturbed me, how often I read references to AFP on blogs & websites I visited. And when I tried to look up AFP's website, it looked just as mainstream and conventional as AP. And I wondered where were the great infos and articles people were linking to. (Of course, now you also understand that I don't dig every single link)

So it was Atlantic Free Press all along ! Ha ha.
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I took a look at your own site but I couldn't leave a comment...It was about the last post on how Obama makes you think of Imhotep. One thing I think of, a lot of times, and I wish someone could produce a video out of it, is a rain of body parts, while Obama's making a speech about US foreign policy. And there would just be a few of them falling from the sky, during say, the sweeter parts of his speech, and when he'd get tougher, it'd be raining like the Flood's coming. And Obama could not finish his speech cause he'd be up to the neck in arms and legs and torsoes...

The Cyanide Hole -- littlehorn

The Cyanide Hole got hacked. I don't have the money to fix it right now, so it isn't working right. Middle of next month, I think I'll get it up again.

J.M.

"It may be thought that I am prejudiced. Perhaps I am. I would be ashamed of myself if I were not." Mark Twain

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