Colbert report report: conservatives don't get the joke

A revealing study from Ohio State finds that liberals and conservatives are equally fond of Comedy Central's Colbert Report but conservatives were more likely to believe that Stephan Colbert "only pretends to be joking and genuinely mean[s] what he [says]..."

(In case you're not a cable subscriber or a Republican, Colbert plays an outrageous, egomaniacal, right-wing news talk host- modeled, it is said, after Billo Reilly).

HuffPo's Jason Linkins points out that many conservatives "are going to [be] pissed when they realize that Stephen Colbert's performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner was not, in fact, an awkward and ineffective attempt to praise President George W. Bush, but actually a bitter and satiric criticism of his incompetence!"

He's referring to the White House annual dinner attended by every Washington who's who and known
for roasting and ribbing government and media biggies alike. That year, Colbert, invited to perform, stayed in his right-wing teevee character, and lampooned the hapless President Bush seated only a few feet away.

As always with Colbert, the jokes that rained down, were deadly accurate, and way too close for the comfort of the presidential table, and most everybody else in the room. It was an Internet sensation.

The folks that hired Colbert, didn't get the jokes, and had no idea that he's never out of character, and his tongue is always firmly imbedded in his cheek

He spoke with studied admiration for The President:

    I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers, and rubble, and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message: that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound—with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world."

There was plenty more like that, and it shook Washington for a week, the staid, and stodgy town that it is.

As Republicans navel-gaze and grind on about defining themselves after all their recent disasters, we suggest: try getting up to speed in the humor department. There are systems that are reliable, durable yet... affordable, even in this economy.

First: install filters and receivers so you can at least get the jokes. Later, after you get the hang of knowing a joke when you hear one, you can add generators to start making your own; then add  transformers to turn liberal jokes into conservative ones. ("An evangelical, a welfare queen, and a spotted owl go into a bar..." )

Humor won't ensure your political redemption but you'll feel so much better when people are laughing at you when it's because of something you said on purpose!

Comments

[sparky]

Here you go:

Start by watching his latest episode