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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat ‘The Colbert Report’ Taught Us About the Psychology of Conservatives
http://www.thenation.com/blog/193281/what-colbert-report-taught-us-about-psychology-conservativesEvery night, Colberts character would steel himself to stay on the straight and narrow and path out of fear.
His braggadocio disguised the fact that he was a coward and a big baby. (In that, the character closest to Colbert would be Lawton Smalls, Marc Marons old right-wing foil whod break down and sob when he could no longer maintain his political delusions.) Every now and then Colbert would come apart at the seams, hiding under the desk, or going off on how we have to wipe bears off the face of the earth! Conceivably, bears stood for Russia, as in the Reagan Bear in the Woods commercial, or maybe for Papa Bear. But more likely, Colberts bear fear was fear itself, an irrational dread of something hed never encounter, like death panels or jack-booted government thugs coming to take his guns. Were they going to take Sweetness, the pistol hed caress and which was, as far as we know, Stephens only serious love interest?
More frequently, though, Colbert would ride fearlessly straight through his absurdities, oblivious to any problems at all. That was the Inspector Clouseau aspect of Colbert. Its the characters odd innocence and the real persons heart that combine, I think, to create so much affection and outright love for Colbert.
Ive always said that I appreciate Jon Stewart (and I really, really like John Oliver), but I love Stephen. I laugh so hard I cry, and in crying, I swoon.
Its commonly thought that Stewart does the harder-hitting political satire. But Colbert, softly sheathed in fiction, can actually bite much deeper. Colbert is in fact more of a threat to OReillywho seems to actively dislike himwhile OReilly and Stewart are mutually supportive buds.
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What ‘The Colbert Report’ Taught Us About the Psychology of Conservatives (Original Post)
eridani
Dec 2014
OP
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)1. Great article! And a shout out to Lawton Smalls!
mahannah
(893 posts)2. "The Colbert Report" - best last show ever.
MisterP
(23,730 posts)3. that and they subsist entirely off a diet of chain emails (or cable Fox, the chain mail of TV)
"ISIS in Mexico?" "Iran to attack all gas stations tonight?" "CAHSR to cost $1 trillion?" "Pledge of Allegiance stopped by MUSLIM!"
eridani
(51,907 posts)4. If you get this crap from RW rleatives, "Reply all" is your friend
I did that once with the reply, The president is a n-----! several times in increasingly larger font sizes. Haven't gotten any more of those emails since.