I'm going to miss Steven Colbert

The fall of Don Imus is a leading indicator of a change in the cultural weather.  Although you can argue his  was a special case -- a combination of particularly ignorant language targeted on "normal people," not the rich and/or powerful -- it looks more like an extreme moved toward the moderate in the American psyche. If that's so,  either he's going to be followed by some other of our leading yappers or they are going to turn their volume way, way down.

The fact that the first of these Air Heads to go was Imus is a big thing. Imus was perceived as a liberal or at least a moderate or not a CONSERVATIVE. (I always perceived him as an idiot, which is a trait shared people of many different political stripes.) So when Rush or Bill or Glenn or Ann or whomever next goes to the chopping block it will be difficult to claim a partisan motive. He or she will simply be held accountable for whatever racist/misogynist/homophobic opinion he or she had spewed forth without dragging the canards of liberal and conservative/Dem or GOP into it.

The last election proved that the US as a whole is tired of "my way or the highway" behavior from anyone. The Dems may have re-taken Congress but they haven't been able to force through their agenda. Although the looney left and the right wingnuts still believe that doctrine should determine policy, the center has grown tired of it. Fire and brimstone rhetoric got us into Iraq and the public is not happy with how that is turning out. If you want to succeed on the airways today you have to be able to at least fake pragmatism, consensus and  discussion. This may be why Air America has failed to gain traction. People wanted an alternative to all this idiocy, not just more stupidity based on different false assumptions.

All of which could spell the end for the wonderful Colbert Report on Comedy Central. I hope not, though. I hope without these others to lampoon Steven Colbert's character just becomes the American answer to Colonel Blimp. The colonel is a stock character in the UK's cultural atmosphere based on the once ubiquitous person who blindly supported The King and The Empire, no matter
what.

-- Constantine von Hoffman

If you think I'm the raving idiot or have any ideas for trends, companies or brands that have passed their sell-by date, drop me a line a cvonhoffman@brandweek.com

Comments

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I don't really think the rightwing loudmouths need to worry about getting canned a la Imus. What WOULD be nice, however, is if they didn't dominate the airwaves 24/7 -- and with the rising perception that cable news screamfests aren't drawing the ratings they once were, there is at least reason to hope.

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