Posted
9:23 AM
by Gene
For a moment, Richard Cohen's brain sputters brightly ON:On television, Colbert is often funny. [Well, there's no accounting for tastes. --ED.]
But on his own show he appeals to a self-selected audience that reminds him often of his greatness. In Washington he was playing to a different crowd, and he failed dismally in the funny person's most solemn obligation: to use absurdity or contrast or hyperbole to elucidate -- to make people see things a little bit differently. He had a chance to tell the president and much of important (and self-important) Washington things it would have been good for them to hear. But he was, like much of the blogosphere itself, telling like-minded people what they already know and alienating all the others. In this sense, he was a man for our times.
He also wasn't funny.Now may we finally put THAT DINNER to rest?
(Via
the ineffable ROMY)