Stephen Colbert Congress Hearing
Stephen Colbert Congress Hearing – Stephen Colbert is known as a funnyman, but it was surprising when he took his act to Capitol Hill today where he testified at a hearing about illegal immigration farm workers, during which he stated that “the obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables.” He then went on to joke about the American obesity statistics, saying that he believes that many Americans may have already started.
He had been invited to testify by the chairwoman of the House subcommittee on Immigration, Zoe Lofgren. She met Colbert when she appeared on his show on Comedy Central, and was apparently impressed with his ability to give his opinions on matters through jokes, while simultaneously making everyone realize how ridiculous the situation at hand is.
Unfortunately, his jokes were not well received by those in attendance. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, asked him to leave almost immediately after he sat down. He told Colbert that his presence was a distraction and asked him if he could leave his written testimony with them so that they could go on with their work.
Colbert agreed to leave, but Lofgren asked him to stay, telling Conyers that many were interested in what he had to say. Conyers eventually backed down and told Colbert to go forward with his submission.
Colbert continued to joke throughout, saying that he hoped that “his star power could bump the hearing all the way up to C-Span1.”
He continued to joke, but did say in the end that he thinks that we should be offering more visas to immigrants, who will likely end up doing the work one way or another.
Category: US News
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Hysterical!
You missed one crucial point in Colbert’s talk – getting VISAs will reduce chances of exploitation, which will lead to better work conditions, which eventually may lead to Americans actually wanting the agricultural jobs.
I would say I am surprised about him being asked to testify in front of congress but then again this is the same congress that has taken on the task of questioning MLB players about “juicing” to improve their game. Seems like they are more interesting in getting celebrities up on the hill then experts.
You’re missing what someone like Colbert brought to the table. He used his comedy to make serious arguments about what was being discussed . Not only that, he brought to light an important issue that many Americans wouldn’t bother to pay attention to and made it easier for them to understand. They said it themselves that they had not had so much interest in the procedings for so long. Why not draw attention to a problem that the public should care about?
I agree that is was unusual for a comedian/social satirist to appear before Congress “in character.” What I would hope is that Congress, the media, and the public could see past the character to the message – these immigrant workers are here doing jobs that need to be done, but no citizen is willing to do. We, as a country, have two choices. Pay more for our food to support the wages that Americans think are their right, or work out an equitable system where migrant workers can be in this country without constantly looking over their shoulders. Can we please get past the rhetoric and discuss the real issues – regardless of who brings them to light and in what manner?
Colbert nailed it perfectly. I am not religious but understand that these workers are “the least of my brothers”.
Apparently conservatives understand neither satire nor compassion.
-m
i dont see the problem…congress has been full of buffoons and clowns since 2006…colbert fits right in.