My favorite response to his speech yet is Richard Cohen's at the Washington Post. Not only was Colbert "so not funny," he wasted a great oppotunity by being "a bully," and should have used it to "tell [Bush] things he needed to hear."
Cohen was supremely eyerolly. It's particularly amusing to hear that the most powerful human being on the planet is capable of being bullied by a basic cable half-hour comedy host (unless, of course, Colbert is actually the most powerful human being on the planet and Bush is just the planet's biggest pussy).
I also fell in love with a guy on a message board I read yesterday who laboriously explained that Colbert is not edgy or daring and in fact is just as bad as the people he's mocking, as evidenced by the fact that before he interviews a guest on his show, he runs out into the audience for gladhanding and fawning. A couple of people tried to explain the concept of satire, and what it means for a comic actor to create a character, but it was rather hopeless. This guy, like Cohen, started out by explaining, also laboriously, what a great sense of humor he has and how well he understands Teh Funny.
unless, of course, Colbert is actually the most powerful human being on the planet and Bush is just the planet's biggest pussy
Well, in my world this is true...
It's particularly amusing to hear that the most powerful human being on the planet is capable of being bullied by a basic cable half-hour comedy host (unless, of course, Colbert is actually the most powerful human being on the planet and Bush is just the planet's biggest pussy).
Yeah, plus, just what exactly does Cohen think the President needed to hear that Colbert
didn't
tell him? Or did he mean that Colbert should have spent all of his time giving it to Bush, insted of taking time to tell Cohen and his friends that they were just stenographers?
unless, of course, Colbert is actually the most powerful human being on the planet
Colbert is sorta' like Aquaman, except his super ability is to talk to and control eagles. So I guess his kryptonite would be bears.
It doesn't surprise me how many members of the mainstream press dislike Colbert's speech, because I actually thought that he hit them just as hard, if not harder, than he did Dubya.
Well, in my world this is true...
Suddenly I want to talk about ponies again, but I don't want to scandalize ChiKat.
It doesn't surprise me how many members of the mainstream press dislike Colbert's speech, because I actually thought that he hit them just as hard, if not harder, than he did Dubya.
To me, that was the funniest part. Although I do think favorable commentary is getting a little ... erm deep, about Colbert's bravery.
Mostly, I'm with erika. It's not like it was impossible to find out his schtick, beforehand.
George Will is actually a pretty witty guy. He usually reserves it for talking about sports, but he is the one who memorably compared Bush Sr. to a lapdog.
I'm more likely to agree with Cohen's politics, but no, I can't remember him ever demonstrating a sense of humor.
A short essay on Colbert's performance: [link]
Even though Stephen Colbert is being showered with well-deserved praise for his masterful performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner, I think something crucial needs to be emphasized -- the sheer nerve of it. Imagine if Jonathan Swift had gone into the king's court and read A Modest Proposal aloud to the assembled nobles ("Are you suggesting we are cannibals, Dr. Swift?") and you'll get the idea.
...
In his book Paradigms Lost, John Simon points out that humor and wit are nearly polar opposites. Humor is inclusive: it invites everyone to join in on the laugh and feel like one of the crowd. Wit is exclusive: it addresses itself only to those who are in the know, and if the other people in the room feel uncomfortable because they don't get it -- hey, that's a bonus. Colbert's performance was a display of wit at its most lethally cutting. He went into a room with the most powerful man in the world and his courtiers, and he excluded them from the land of the free and the home of the brave.
I think my favorite part of Colbert's speech was him screwing up the "glass is 2/3 empty" joke and almost breaking character over it.
