2008 Woodie Awards
Colbert book influencing young voters
Timothy Spath
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: A & E
After a lull in the heavy traffic of politics, the nation has received a breath of fresh sarcasm as Comedy Central's satirist Stephen Colbert releases his debut book "I Am America (And So Can You!)."
Colbert's book hits on major, edgy political topics and government policies discussed in campaign debates.
The tone of the book holds true to the underlying criticism and humor that carry shows like "The Colbert Report" and Jon Stewart's, "The Daily Show."
The book is broken down into three sections, each one playing off the role of Colbert's childhood, adolescence, and maturity as an American.
Within each chapter, issues such as higher education, media, race, immigration, and religion are intertwined with a satirical collaboration of Colbert's witty banter and that of his writers.
With all this Pro-American government bashing, a contradiction in itself, are the parodies played on our administration by Stephen Colbert throughout the political comedy world influential to young voters? Or are these comedians seen solely as another afternoon special?
"Absolutely they are a strong influence. Not only that, but they provide a much-needed perspective that is absent from other media, and I'm not just talking about humor," said political science professor Steven Michels. "Stewart and Colbert are not clowns, they know their stuff."
Professor Michels along with Dr. Michael Ventimiglia of the philosophy department recently co-authored a chapter in the book "The Daily Show and Philosophy." The book touches upon the ingenious techniques of ancient Greek's finest minds and compares them to today's Stewart and Colbert.
The book confronts politicians as did Socrates, exploiting their inability to govern and at times "letting them fall on their own swords," as the professors put it in the chapter, "Can the Daily Show Save Democracy?"
Political science professors like Michels have used many of the opinions and ideas in Colbert's book to provoke discussions in classes.
Colbert's book hits on major, edgy political topics and government policies discussed in campaign debates.
The tone of the book holds true to the underlying criticism and humor that carry shows like "The Colbert Report" and Jon Stewart's, "The Daily Show."
The book is broken down into three sections, each one playing off the role of Colbert's childhood, adolescence, and maturity as an American.
Within each chapter, issues such as higher education, media, race, immigration, and religion are intertwined with a satirical collaboration of Colbert's witty banter and that of his writers.
With all this Pro-American government bashing, a contradiction in itself, are the parodies played on our administration by Stephen Colbert throughout the political comedy world influential to young voters? Or are these comedians seen solely as another afternoon special?
"Absolutely they are a strong influence. Not only that, but they provide a much-needed perspective that is absent from other media, and I'm not just talking about humor," said political science professor Steven Michels. "Stewart and Colbert are not clowns, they know their stuff."
Professor Michels along with Dr. Michael Ventimiglia of the philosophy department recently co-authored a chapter in the book "The Daily Show and Philosophy." The book touches upon the ingenious techniques of ancient Greek's finest minds and compares them to today's Stewart and Colbert.
The book confronts politicians as did Socrates, exploiting their inability to govern and at times "letting them fall on their own swords," as the professors put it in the chapter, "Can the Daily Show Save Democracy?"
Political science professors like Michels have used many of the opinions and ideas in Colbert's book to provoke discussions in classes.
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