The Censorship Didn't Start with Colbert, and It Won't Stop There
A big ugly truth.
By now, you’ve probably heard.
CBS is canceling The Late Show. They’re not just firing Colbert. They’re ending the entire program and bookending its long history. Even if the show was often just providing a short break from the daily assault of American life and politics, it had become a fixture of American culture.
Why should we care?
There’s a few ways to react to the news, and I’ve already met a few of them up close. People have already been telling me it doesn’t matter, because late-night television is dying. Others say Colbert will be fine, because he can find another platform to host his show. Besides, still others say, Colbert only provided light entertainment that ultimately served the interests of the empire. He never really offered the hard truths Americans need to hear. In some ways, you could even say he kept millions of Americans complacent, diverting their anger into harmless jokes.
If you’re busy growing beans for the collapse, Colbert’s cancellation probab…