Stephen Colbert's Congress testimony continues to garner a lot of discussion among politicos. The Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert went to Congress to testify about migrant workers. He told the institution that farm work is "hard" and otherwise cracked jokes. Now, there is a place to mock the institution, and that would be somewhere like Comedy Central. However, there's a fine line between overstepping bounds.
Boston University professor Tobe Berkovitz told the Boston Herald “That the Congress feels that having an entertainer come in as an expert witness on a serious policy issue shows just how dramatically out of touch the Congress is with any sense of propriety,”
Still yet, others point out that it was very funny. He cracked jokes, got everyone smiling and brought attention to the issues at hand. Had Stephen Colbert not gone to Congress, then there are likely lots of people who wouldn't have even known that migrant workers and the AgJobs bill was being discussed on that day. Perhaps the "sad commentary" is that Congress needs a figure like Colbert to show up in order to get America's ears perked up paying attention.
What do you think about the Stephen Colbert Congress hearing? Was it comedy or a mockery?
It takes a jester or trickster always to bring awareness to any subject where people are so lost in their own arrogance, ignorance and self-righteousness. Colbert is a genius to bringing awareness to the fact that immigrants are America's guest slaves. We want them, and don't want them. We want cheap food, but we don't have any ethics to provide for the people who pick the cheap food.
ReplyDeleteIt was neither comedy or mockery. It was activism using the vehicle of satire. It got people's attention and I thought his remarks on serving the least of his brothers was heartfelt.
ReplyDeleteSatire? or Sad-tire? Stephen, please...be more funny.
ReplyDeleteA celebrity speaking before Congress to emphasize the importance of an issue is nothing new. Nonetheless, I think it is laudable that citizen Colbert has taken his creative talent, popularity, and fame and put it to good use. He spoke quite eloquently on behalf of migrant workers.
ReplyDeleteSomething tells me Colbert raised more attention to his career than the issue of migrant workers. Did he seriously think he was benefiting them more than himself? What an uncaring and selfish attitude on a very serious topic.
ReplyDeleteSpotlighting migrant workers only takes the focus off the real issue: illegal immigration. We have a nation effectively taking over our country without firing a shot. As far as migrant workers are concerned they are lucky to have any job. Truthfully people who are drawing unemployment benefits should be doing any work they can find which would take care of migrant workers concerns.
ReplyDeleteGo Colbert!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy does almost every media source cut his last statement, its only 50 seconds, quoting Matthew:
ReplyDelete"I like talking about people who don’t have any power, and it seems like one of the least powerful people in the United States are migrant workers who come in and do our work, but don’t have any rights as a result. And yet, we still ask them to come here, and at the same time, ask them to leave. And that’s an interesting contradiction to me, and um… You know, “whatsoever you did for the least of my brothers,” and these seemed like the least of my brothers, right now. A lot of people are “least brothers” right now, with the economy so hard, and I don’t want to take anyone’s hardship away from them or diminish it or anything like that. But migrant workers suffer, and have no rights."