Stephen Colbert returned from a two-week hiatus and covered the fatal shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown during Wednesday night’s episode of “The Colbert Report.”
Colbert noted that without him “the world went through a tragedy party” with violence breaking out in “the Middle East, the eastern Middle East, and most unstable of all the Middle West,” the last location a reference to Ferguson.
“Sadly, Ferguson, Missouri is now best known for racial conflict, police brutality and violence in the streets and not, as they claim proudly on the official city website, for ‘Food Truck Mondays,'” Colbert said. “Because now,” he continued, pointing at an image of an armored vehicle, “this is the food truck and it serves fresh, high velocity rubber burritos and the hot pepper sauce is not optional.”
Colbert also took the opportunity to launch a national conversation about race.
“Things aren’t completely equal,” Colbert said. “White people have better economic and educational opportunities and are regarded without suspicion by law enforcement; but, on the other hand, black people get to use N-word. Can’t put a price on that. If you could, Cliven Bundy and his buddies might have paid it.”
Watch the videos below, courtesy of Comedy Central:
The Colbert Report
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The Colbert Report
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook
The only problem is that I have actually heard a variant of this argument. They didn’t go into the advantages of being white, but they did talk about the advantages of being able to use the N word and being able to kill a black person without it making national news.
Colbert is brilliant and amazing.
I am currently in Florida so I am having a hard time getting used to him coming on at 11:30 Eastern instead of 10:30 Central. 11:30 is past my bedtime. I can’t wait to watch him on his delayed broadcast this evening.
He is so brilliant. I know he won’t be in character anymore when he moves to network television but I hope he keeps his same subtle but incisive humor.
“People tell me that I am white and I believe them because I keep asking waiters about gluten.” So damn funny.