COLUMN: Social media went all Lord of the Flies today over a Twitter conflagration that erupted when @ColbertReport tweeted out a single line that Stephen Colbert had delivered on Wednesday night’s The Colbert Report mocking Dan Snyder for his latest reaction to the calls to change the racist name of his Washington NFL team. Snyder, in an effort to placate those calling for a name change — including President Obama — recently announced he’s started a foundation to help Native Americans. Proving his critics’ point, he hilariously named it The Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation.
“I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever,” @ColbertReport tweeted yesterday. It since has been deleted.
Related: ‘Colbert Report’ Embroiled In Racial Controversy
It’s a line from a bit he did on the Wednesday edition of his Comedy Central show which, in turn, was a reference to a 2005 bit on the program in which TV Colbert – the conservative blowhard that the always-in-character Actual Colbert plays on his show – was caught performing a racist Chinese impersonation. To the surprise of the media, as evidenced by its coverage of the fracas, Colbert came under attack at #CancelColbert, with hashtag activist Suey Park leading the charge, which has been a top trending topic on Twitter for two days running:
I used to respect and enjoy your work, @ColbertReport. Fuck you.
— Suey Park (@suey_park) March 27, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Followed by
The Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals has decided to call for #CancelColbert. Trend it. — Suey Park (@suey_park) March 27, 2014
and
#CancelColbert because white liberals are just as complicit in making Asian Americans into punchlines and we aren’t amused. — Suey Park (@suey_park) March 27, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsand
#CancelColbert because there are 19 million of us and we will not tune in for race baiting.
— Suey Park (@suey_park) March 27, 2014
and
We are waiting for an apology and explanation, @ColbertReport. #CancelColbert.
— Suey Park (@suey_park) March 28, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js@ColbertReport tried to put the lava back in the volcano, apologetically tweeting:
For the record @ColbertReport is not controlled by Stephen Colbert or his show. He is @StephenAtHome Sorry for the confusion #CancelColbert
— The Colbert Report (@ColbertReport) March 28, 2014
quickly followed by:
This is a Comedy Central account, with no oversight from Stephen/show. Here is quoted line in context http://t.co/UFnaFfOSpn #cancelcolbert
— The Colbert Report (@ColbertReport) March 28, 2014
Apparently watching Colbert say the line in context, in the telecast did not impress, and another of those Twitter hate-fests was on.
The Reporters Who Cover Television, most of whom adore Colbert, locked arms in support:
“The @ColbertReport account isn’t even affiliated with Colbert. Looks like a perfectly good rage hashtag was created for nothing,” wrote The Washington Post’s StyleBlog, which covers TV for the hometown paper of Snyder’s offensively named football team. The blog explained to hometowners that the gag had played much better when performed by Colbert on his program in the context of skewering someone in the news – “In this case, it was Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who announced recently that he would not change the Redskins name and would instead start a Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation.” Yes, that’s a racial slur used three times in a single sentence, which has to be some kind of newspaper record.
“So once again we went from zero to I Demand Someone’s Head in no time flat,” chimed in Time’s TV critic. “In short order, the hashtag #CancelColbert was trending on Twitter. That’s right. Nine years of brilliant satire demolishing hypocrisy and injustice? Eh, fine. Five seconds of reading a tweet? CANCEL!”
That said, some TV critics noted that @ColbertReport has Colbert’s name on it, not to mention his photo, and that he is the show’s co-creator, and exec producer, and that since he’s paid handsomely for all of the above, maybe he should accept at least a teensy bit of responsibility for the WTF tweet.
Colbert himself did weigh in earlier on in the tweet-fight, with what some have characterized as an apology-in-a-funny-way, though others aren’t so sure:
#CancelColbert – I agree! Just saw @ColbertReport tweet. I share your rage. Who is that, though? I’m @StephenAtHome http://t.co/e0Pqz7U7i9
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) March 28, 2014
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