I feel I can relate to Stephen Colbert because I am always interested in what people have to say, but I tend to act goofy even in situations where it is not neccessary. I think too many people take things too seriously, such as politics. I also believe that people assume just because someone dresses a certain way; such as Colbert wearing suits, that they do not expect such random and entertaining ideas. There you have it.
2 comments:
Josh, you are brining up some really good points. This can be expanded and clarified--why do you think politics is taken so seriously? What would happen if it was taken less seriously? What about more seriously? Do you think anything in our contemporary moment is cauing this kind of stoicism about politics?
I like that you mention the stereotyping about clothes--why do we have stereotypes? Is there any truth in a stereotype? When someone like Colbert wears a suit, what is he doing? Is this a satire? Is there something subversive happening? What is the INTENTION of Colbert's character? You have to realize, and I'm sure you do, that this is a very meditated and deliberate "performance" being given by Colbert--what are the IMPLICATIONS of that performance and why do you respect it?
I believe politics are taken seriously because it is of course necessary for us to do so. If we didn't the weight of the world would crush us, because it seems everybody is against us. This is where I think it gets sticky, other countries, for example take politics as a life or death thing. If you break a law or do something that seems miniscule, you could be penalized with death. As for America, I know we take it less serious than other countries, but sometimes it gets to a point where everybody should just step back and take a deep breathe and treat others like they want to be treated. Just like how we were raised by our parents. If we took it more seriously I believe we would become the countries our government pressumably dislike.I believe the contemporary moment is making people not care, when they should, and care when they shouldn't, if that makes sense. As for instance, we all cared more about Bush bombing Afgahnastan, and now we hate that it happened. We live so much in the moment we don't think about the after effect.
We have stereotypes because certain people choose to be some way and create an image for people to look at them as-others actually are that image and dislike being looked at that way. For example a goth hates being called goth, but maybe they are infact, a goth. Other people dress like goth but may not be, but just like the style perhaps. When Colbert wear a suit he is showing that he cares enough to present himself properly to people he talks to, and then he can use it against them when he asks goofy, because they usually won't see it coming from a guy in a suit of course. The intention of his character is to get people to take the questions seriously because they cannot tell whether he is joking or actually asking a real question. This helps to make people answer so-called dumb questions seriously, it's intriguing. The implications are that he can be somethings he's not while still withholding his own morals, without letting people question them. In a sense he can hide his identity so people cannot use it against him. In some cases on the show he goes completely against what he really stands for which I believe is really gutsy, and I admire it deeply.
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