Reader got it wrong: Trump, not Colbert, was the problem
Posted by Silent-Resort-3076
Reader got it wrong: Trump, not Colbert, was the problem
Posted by Silent-Resort-3076
12 Comments
**From a letter to the editor:**
* Colbert rightfully poked fun at politicians
* A gentleman from Southfield wrote a letter last week that at first glance seemed to have some validity. (“Stephen Colbert’s goodbye is good for TV,” Detroit Free Press, May 31.) He said that both sides, Democrats and Republicans, have contributed equally to the divisiveness in our country. One who hasn’t paid attention very well may think that this is true. **After all, if you turn on Fox News, you see them bashing Democrats and if you watch Stephen Colbert you’ll see him making fun of Trump. This is an example of false equivalency that is easily refuted with just a little bit of thought and research.**
* Fox News was launched in 1996. This network continued the rift between the two major political parties, but put it on steroids with their own brand of “infotainment.” **Fox quickly became the most popular cable “news” network by spreading conservative opinions, lies, and propaganda.** They elevated the us vs them strategy that Trump employs today.
* **Comedians have always been here to question authority. They have never let the government say and do whatever it wants without being checked**. A few years after Fox hit the airwaves, Jon Stewart took over for the Daily Show, and began a new generation of satirical comedians speaking truth to power. These late-night comedians make fun of people from both political parties, but admittedly there is much more ammunition on the right.
* **The last two Republican presidents, George W. Bush and Donald Trump, provided great fodder for these comedians.**
>But make no mistake, unlike Trump and the Republicans, Colbert and his compadres are not encouraging divisiveness. **They are comedians questioning authority, calling out disinformation, and cracking jokes.**
Trump was a public figure before he got into politics; he knows comedians crack jokes about everyone. Clinton and Bush had their share of jokes that no one complained about at the time, everyone just knew this was the normal.
Anyone who pulls the both sides card can immediately be written off.
I agree with the author of this article. Republicans like to give us this “both sides are doing it” line to justify the garbage that is Donald Trump and his minions. I’m not buying it and I’m a registered Republican. PS – I won’t be voting Republican again anytime soon.
Political comedians poke fun of absurdities and mistakes in the system.
Democrats see this as an entertaining conversation about how to do and demand better.
Republicans interpret this as partisan attacks because they have no self reflection and value authority. However their respect for authority is asymmetrical – it’s only important when it aligns with their views. Criticism of Democrats is just a given. But criticism of Republicans is an attack on authority.
Some people also fail to see the difference between criticism coming from a private citizen comedian vs the government.
Sky is blue. Water is wet.
Here’s the problem, when you watch Jon Stewart you understand you’re getting jokes from Jon Stewart’s political perspective. He’s using facts and then having a laugh. I’m supposed to take the joke and question the premise which the joke is built on. If Jon Stewart tells me there’s a conservative conspiracy I take that suggestion and laugh at the idea of a conservative conspiracy and then question my world view
When you watch fox news you’re supposed to be under the impression that what the person on the news is telling you is information which you’re supposed to consume. It’s supposed to build the foundation for which you form your opinions. If the talking head at fox news tells me there’s a liberal conspiracy Im taking that information to build my world view.
The one is supposed to make you think. The other builds the foundation of your thought.
The author of that letter is simply trying to excuse Trump’s and CBS bad behavior.
Yes, comedians like Colbert make fun of politicans. FOXNews is a whole other level of political disinformation. The two are not even comparable.
The real problem here isn’t that Colbert made fun of Trump. The issue is that a politican with extreme power used his office to attack the ability of Colbert to do that. This was a direct attack at free speech on our airways.
If the left weaponize like the right did through Fox “News”, we might not have this orange turd and the illegally installed conservative super majority potus. Obama was a great president but he and the democrats didn’t do enough to fight the conservative propaganda, left us in this set back for generations to come
Yeah that guy wanted you to break up with him a long time ago. He wishes you got smart a lot sooner. After the first couple months you should’ve let him know that this was unacceptable, then dumped him a couple months after that when you realized he was incapable of being a decent human being. Remember this and act faster next time.
I think it’s funny how the people always complaining about how they cant say mean things anymore complain the loudest about the mean things people say about them
Eh Colbert hasn’t been funnny since he dropped the republican satire character. He wouldve been better off just reading the news straight faced than trying to be funny and failing. Fact is all these people who complain about his show being canceled werent watching it.