Stephen Colbert Accused of Racism

[Skyhilist]

Has anyone heard about this?

While obviously I'm in no position to say what is and isn't racist, I think that a lot of people need to learn what satire is. Colbert was talking about the owner of the Washington Redskins who started some charity or something like that for Native Americans while refusing to change his team name. Colbert pretty much mocked this hypocrite through satire saying "I am willing to show the Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever".

Highly racial language obviously, but the person being made fun of certainly wasn't Asians - it was the racist owner of the Redskins through sarcastic and sardonic mockery. I've seen a similar things even a few times on here where we get someone from scumfront and people mock their racism through sardonic satire to show how dumb it is. To be honest, I really don't see much of a difference.

Could someone who IS actually in a position to comment on what they feel is racist explain to me why many people seem to be thinking that this segment blatantly mocking a racist through a sarcastic/sardonic/satirical statement was racist itself? I certainly I'm not going to say "oh it's not racist" because I'm in no position, but I don't really understand this one. Do people not understand satire, or is there something big that I'm missing?

[Decolonize The Left]

The original skit from 2005 or so is indeed very racist, but he was referencing it (in fact admitting it to be racist) as an analogy to the Redskins situation. I think this connection was lost in the hype.

[Atsumari]

Concerning the Asian skit from 2005, it is indeed racist and just unfunny. That is the shit that I heard back in high school by brats who think they are being clever.

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

It should be remembered that the Colbert Report's whole schtick is that Colbert is playing an over-the-top caricature of American conservative pundits. His whole Ching Chong Ding Dong skit is in reference to similar shenanigans from Rush Limbaugh, whose done similar tasteless 'jokes' involving accents.

Colbert sometimes brings up the whole Ching Chong Ding Dong skit whenever these kinds of racial issues involving pop culture come up. The joke is that Colbert's racist caricature of Asians is equally as infantile and offensive as the stereotypes used in sports.

[TC]

Of course Stephen Colbert the character is racist. Stephen Colbert the character is Stephen Colbert the satirist's impression of a conservative political commentator, and Stephen Colbert the satirist thinks that conservative political commentators are racists and depicts one as such.

[Sinister Intents]

It should be remembered that the Colbert Report's whole schtick is that Colbert is playing an over-the-top caricature of American conservative pundits. His whole Ching Chong Ding Dong skit is in reference to similar shenanigans from Rush Limbaugh, whose done similar tasteless 'jokes' involving accents.

Colbert sometimes brings up the whole Ching Chong Ding Dong skit whenever these kinds of racial issues involving pop culture come up. The joke is that Colbert's racist caricature of Asians is equally as infantile and offensive as the stereotypes used in sports.


Of course Stephen Colbert the character is racist. Stephen Colbert the character is Stephen Colbert the satirist's impression of a conservative political commentator, and Stephen Colbert the satirist thinks that conservative political commentators are racists and depicts one as such.

I'd say these two posts hit it spot on. I actually forgot Colbert existed for a while until another thread about him (this one) came up. I can't stand Colbert, but sometimes the show is humorous when the comedy isn't bigotted and shitty

[Alexios]

I'd say these two posts hit it spot on. I actually forgot Colbert existed for a while until another thread about him (this one) came up. I can't stand Colbert, but sometimes the show is humorous when the comedy isn't bigotted and shitty

mindblowing contradiction here

[Sinister Intents]

mindblowing contradiction here

Contradiction? That I said I can't stand his comedy, but sometimes it hits the mark. Does that sound better? Sometimes I don't fully think my thoughts out I guess

Edit: Where is the damn contradiction :confused:

Sometimes this fucking forum pisses me the fuck off and sorry I speak wrong when I'm stoned.

[Kim Il-sung]

Concerning the Asian skit from 2005, it is indeed racist and just unfunny. That is the shit that I heard back in high school by brats who think they are being clever.

Excuse my prejudice but are you not an Asian "Bourgeois" Communist? I'm sorry if I have to take your opinion on the matter with a grain of salt.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Excuse my prejudice but are you not an Asian "Bourgeois" Communist? I'm sorry if I have to take your opinion on the matter with a grain of salt.

Excuse my prejudice oh venerable Eternal Leader, but are you not an Asian bourgeois 'communist' leader of ill-repute as a nationalist degenerate?

[Kim Il-sung]

for my matter It is a necessary evil. Kim Il-sung understood the power of religion. He therefor declared; "Only the popular masses are omniscient and omnipotent and almighty on earth. Therefore my lifetime motto is: "The people are my God."

Therefor the faithful can fully take part in the revolution and have faith in it.

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

As TC said, yes, Stephen Colbert's character is racist. Moreover, his character is oblivious to/in self denial over his racism. That's what makes it funny. Whether this bit was funny is another matter altogether, but the intention was clearly to portray him saying racist things while being totally oblivious to how it is racist precisely for the purpose of satirizing the ignorance of the Redskins owner.

If Stephen Colbert is wrong for putting on this stick, does that mean actors cannot play members of the KKK or Nazis in movies? What's the difference between playing a racist character in a satire to satirize racism and playing a racist in a drama to dramatize racism? Should we "cancel" Blazing Saddles?

This seems like the usual kind of liberal/progressive technogeek hyped up media frenzy. You can tell it is because it all takes place on fucking twitter - anything really worth protesting over can't be fought on some stupid website revolving around hashtags and 120 character updates. For that matter, does anyone notice how there is no "twitter trend" on the Redskins, just on the comedian who did a politically incorrect skit satirizing the Redskins? Even though the Redskins actually have a real actual racist name and make huge amounts of real actual money for their owners and the NFL? Even though the Redskins actually did start an actual patronizing nonprofit which actually referenced the racist name of the team? Even if Colbert had no place to put that piece on the air due to the offense it would cause and the racist stereotypes made explicit in it, I think the fact that a major football team thinks it is "respectful" to use a racist slur and stereotype for their mascot is a tad bit more problematic. I think, though, due to their relative remoteness from most Americans (most Americans seem to forget that Native Americans actually still exist outside of pow wows) people seem to ignore this form of colonial-settler racism no matter how pernicious, vile and violent it is. Yet one skit on cable news I guess deserves some big "twitter trend".

[Jimmie Higgins]

When there was that airline crash and someone working at a news station put in racist "asian-sounding" names, Colbert mocked the racism but then said they apologized but the name of the person from the station was another fake-asian name. In that case it was hard to tell where the joke was because although everyone realized the original incident was tasteless and racist, the actual punchline was another tasteless, racist name.

With the redskins thing, it seems more clear cut that the outrageous racist language was used to highlight the outrageous, but still acceptable to the right-wing, name of the team.

I think by and large colbert is not racist in his jokes and in fact not only mocks the easily identifyable racism of FOX news, etc, but of "colorblind" arguments common among Democrats too.

But I think there is always a tension and where a joke is directed and for comedians (especially coming from middle class, white, male backgrounds in a performance field dominated by white middle class males - a large chunck of which dedicate their sets to racist and sexist jokes) I think sometimes they see placing the joke above any social considerations as their "right".

Colbert is better than most because he's pretty sharp, but also because the main target of his satire is pretty clear (right-wing blowhards). But he has made many bad jokes and ones where the target is actually the wrong person or group IMO... which go hand and hand, usually racist or sexist jokes are the laziest and least creative ones.

[Kim Il-sung]

Excuse my prejudice oh venerable Eternal Leader, but are you not an Asian bourgeois 'communist' leader of ill-repute as a nationalist degenerate?


There is no denying the god like stature of our Eternal President in the prosperous nation of Korea. What distinguished Kim Il-sung was his ability to harness the power of faith, he understood the power of religion.

The faithful must have faith in the revolution and accordingly unto it's leaders.
Such is the only way for Korea to move as one.


Extracts from; Kim Il-sung's Speech to Party Propagandists and Agitators
On eliminating dogmatism and formalism and establishing Juche in ideological work. December 28, 1955

What is Juche in our Party's ideological work? What are we doing? We are not engaged in any other country's revolution, but precisely in the Korean revolution. This, the Korean revolution, constitutes Juche in the ideological work of our Party. Therefore, all ideological work must be subordinated to the interests of the Korean revolution. When we study the history of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the history of the Chinese revolution, or the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism, it is all for the purpose of correctly carrying out our own revolution.

To make revolution in Korea we must know Korean history and geography and know the customs of the Korean people. Only then is it possible to educate our people in a way that suits them and to inspire in them an ardent love for their native place and their motherland.