Texas Town Responds After Colbert Calls It An "Incorporated Outhouse"

CANTON, Texas — Stephen Colbert's one-man campaign against towns named Canton has its latest target firing back. A city councilman in Canton, Texas, joked that he would "mash his nose" after the comedian referred to the town as an "incorporated outhouse."

"What does that sucker know about it? He's never been here anyway," Councilman John Fuller said in a story Friday in the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

In an ongoing gag on his Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report," Colbert has been taking pot shots at various towns named Canton. It began when he referred to a Georgia town as "the crappy Canton."

Colbert then referred to Canton, Kan., with an unprintable epithet, and referred to Canton, S.D., as "North Dakota's dirty ashtray."

Cantons in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Ohio have so far escaped Colbert's ire.

Leaders of the Texas town of Canton, which has a population of about 5,100, invited Colbert to the town's monthly flea market _ which, according to a city Web site, harkens back to Texas' frontier traditions, "when it was common to trade a rifle for a good hunting dog."

"Canton is known worldwide," City Manager Andy McCuistion said of the town, located about 55 miles southeast of Dallas. "You can go anywhere in the world, and people will say, `Canton? Yeah, I know where that is. It's where that big flea market is.'"

Comments

[doctormaus]

I wish he would insult MY town...

[ignorantwillyharper]

doctormaus,
I know just what you mean, I live just outside Sherman, Texas. I would never consider living in the town, but if they ever give Texas a enema, this is where they would insert the nozzle!

[tililek]

Don't know why he picked Canton, surely Springfield would have given him far more choices and greater variety, and he could have included TV lands Springfield as well.

[MemphisBuffalo]

The the hicks in this town not have cable tv?

[Mike169]

MemphisBuffalo - what's with your name?

[dctackett]

It's true, they are known worldwide.
I my last trip to Paris, on several occassions I overheard various Parisians speaking of Canton and it's Flea Market...
A friend of mine had come back from a trip to Guangzhou, China, and when he got back he asked me "Where's Canton, the city with the Flea Market?"... he told me that a lot of people were asking him about it...

[Gina322]

ROFLMAO!!

[MsInformed]

Because they do speak Cantonese....

[Horus]

"Canton is known worldwide," City Manager Andy McCuistion said of the town, located about 55 miles southeast of Dallas. "You can go anywhere in the world, and people will say, `Canton? Yeah, I know where that is. It's where that big flea market is.'"


This lady is DELUSIONAL. I used to live in Waco and I'VE never heard of Canton, nor their illustrious flea market.

[dmac]

Honey, it was a joke.

And, although I don't know, I'm presuming in Texas "Andy" is a man's name.

[Horus]

It was a joke wasn't it. Talk about "knee jerk". I fell for that one in a hurry.

[ominous]

Actually it is a very well known flea market, in fact, PBS just had a show about flea markets in America and Cantons First Monday flea market was one of the many profiled.

check it out here:
http://www.collectorsquest.com/blog/2008/08/02/pbs-a-flea-market-documentary/

[Arei]

I am originally from Canton, and now I live in Dallas. I've got that east texas drawl and when people ask me where I'm from I tell them, and even though its only an hour away from Dallas, hardly anyone knows what I'm talking about, even if I bring up First Monday.

[huffybike2000]

I put up a set of audio clips from the Canton series: http://www.entertonement.com/collections/2084/Canton

[walk0nwalls]

Aw man, was it Canton, South Dakota that offered up no defense?

That was so sad. He was like Canton SD sucks!

And they were like "We know"

So sad

[TrooAmerican]

That was pretty funny.

I have to be honest. I've never heard of any other Canton except the one in Ohio with the hall of fame.
I watch PBS, i watch Discovery, I watch HGTV, TLC, History channel etc. i have never heard of any flea market down in Texas for anything. I have heard of the really long multi state fleamarket that spans the length of a number of highways portions down south in Tennesse and some other places i cant recall but i remember seeing that on cable.

[Cappy]

When he runs out of US towns named Canton, he can go on to Canton China.

[Hirnlego]

Colbert, Stewart viewers more well-informed than those watching O’Reilly, Dobbs.»

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/18/stewart-colbert-oreilly-dobbs/

I think the knowledge numbers are pretty pathetic but Stewart and Colbert are at the top once again.

[ins0mn1ac]

...If only because Colbert viewers now know that there is such a place as Canton, Texas

...........and that Canton, TX has a flea market.

How many O'Reilly viewers can claim to know that (other than those in Canton, TX)?

[BlackJAC]

Sounds like a running gag John Henson used to do on TALK SOUP: "Offer valid in 49 states--sorry, Tennessee!"

[Glinda]

This one has been a fun running gag. Stephen insults a Canton and the town gets some press and a plug. Everyone wins. The Canton, TX congressman is milking this for all its worth, God love him!

I love that Texas sense of humor.

And Colbert, once again shows why he's so adored across the US. He really helps promote communities and districts, big and small, all over America. The tourism industry must love him.

(BTW: Some of the commenters here need better reading comprehension skills.)

[JenMI]

Hello...one more time...Colbert is a comedian.

[Muskered]

LOL. . . thanks Canton, for not over-reacting. It's refreshing to see a community with a sense of humour. I think Colbert should go to Canton.

[AussieJim]

Luvin every minute of this series

You are a rolled gold hoot Colbert.

(When the last town was almost too apathetic to respond you almost lost it - but you seem to have learned - just go in hard and right over the top.)

[Vinca]

AussieJim: Sometimes Colbert goes too far, but overall he's very funny, He can just walk onstage, and people laugh

[ChescoMom]

Fuller, I grew up in New York City. I've learned of all sorts of famous cities from all sorts of people. Canton, Texas, is not one of them.

[RightWingMarine]

Gosh aren't we sophisticated.

[zenlikejen]

You are the reason they have to put warning tags on hair dryers telling us not to use them in the shower or while sleeping....

It's ALL a JOKE - c'monn!

[ominous]

NYC stinks, no literally it stinks.