The epitome of 'not getting it'.

According to an article that was printed in the LA Times today, (i was linked to it through digg.com...sue me) some conservatives actually believe Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report, Comedy Central) is being serious. To be more specific, conservatives from Ohio State University seem to take him seriously.

From the article:

"Indeed, Colbert the character, a right-wing blowhard on a one-man mission to reeducate the ignorant, is convincing enough that a recent Ohio State University study found that a majority of conservatives polled believed Colbert the man was one of them."

link: http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-en-colbert1-2009jun01173713,0,2529447.story

Now, I'd give someone the benefit of the doubt if they had only watched the program once. And that's being generous. However, if after repeated viewings someone still thinks that Stephen believes everything he is saying, and is being serious...well, there is something seriously wrong. Not with the program, but with the viewer.

The fact that they believe Colbert is being serious leads me to assume three very unflattering, if not frightening things about these conservatives from Ohio State:

1. They are missing the part of their brain that allows them to register satire, when its blatantly in their faces.

2. They (conservatives from Ohio, presumed to be Republicans) believe that what Stephen says on his show represents the party and their belief system.

3. They believe some of the same things that he does. Such as the idea of the earth being under 6000 years old, hold Bill O'Reilly in high esteem (Stephen calls him 'Papa Bear'), and blindly follow whatever a Conservative President wants to do.

Now I don't hate conservatives, and this is not an excuse to bash them. Its an excuse to bash the stupid. If a liberal thought Colbert was being serious, I would fear for their gene pool just as much as I would fear for a conservatives. The difference is some of these conservatives identify with Colbert, and that's the scary part. They think he represents the conservative political philosophy and Republican Party well. The man preaches 'staying the course' in Iraq constantly, sticking by the President no matter what, never questioning religion, and calls for the destruction of bears (OK, maybe that's just him). Maybe I'm taking cheap shots, but goddamn.

Are people really so dense?



Alright I'm done now.