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

[MtDavid]

"Everyone knows where Canton is."?
Yeah, China.
Canton, Texas with big Flea market?
Never heard of it.

[DrSmoke]

And let's not forget good old Canton, MI; a cookie-cutter, commuters' community outside the old city of Plymouth. It's not too far from Hell, MI, which is a little site of paradise. I think we have forgotten how to laugh at ourselves. Speaking of laughing at ourselves, this is a nice respite considering high gas prices, mortgage failures, high unemployment, crooked congressional representatives and senators, the mayor of Detroit, ad nauseam.

[collprof]

These are the people who run a town?

What America needs is to stop listening to their own press releases on how great we are. We were dumb enough to have 59M of us elect the biggest boob in the world.

[jesthefaxman]

yeah, all of us did.... in all 57 states

[realpolitic]

"Canton is known worldwide." No, it isn't. Perhaps it is known world-wide in Texas.

[McLacy]

I used to live in both Tyler and Dallas and I can testify that this is the biggest flea market you will ever not see - because it is impossible to see all the vendors in one day or really in two days and people do come from all over the US to put up booths and sell antiques and it's likely that it's known in other countries because Texas does get a lot of tourism from Europe, England, China etc. You see all sorts of people there - it's a great place to people watch - you'll see people driving BMWs to old pickup trucks and you can find almost anything there from chickens, horses, goats, dogs, to fine jewelry and antiques and a lot of imported items (from China).

It really is a fun experience, and I miss being able to go there once in awhile. I would encourage anyone to go and experience this event - It's call First Monday and it's held on the first monday of each month.

I know Texas has a bad taste in many people's mouths because of Bush - but there are a few of us Democrats here and we are trying to take our state back. Don't give up on us yet!

[jorge999]

http://www.brimfield.com/

[racetoinfinity]

Maybe someone will sell an ironic sense of humor to the councilman and city manager at the flea market.

[Soundofthunder]

There is one way to settle this in a civilized manner:

All towns named Canton are festering boils in need of draining, including Canton, OH.

Now we can get on to insulting towns named Possum Ridge and Goat Hole.

SOT

[Citizen08]

He is Hilarious!

[maxwellinformed]

Now that's entertainment!

[NoCalDrummer]

"Canton? Yeah, I know where that is. It's where that big flea market is.'" They aren't kidding about the fleas. But why you'd want to buy them is beyond me. Must be a Dallas-thing.

Oh, and I was born & raised in Houston.

[kwright]

I think "Gift of the Magi" was written by O Henry.

[ramper]

I think his nose would hold his glasses up better if it was 'mashed.'

[thegreatgiginthesky]

I have no idea what that dude is talking about but I've never heard of a Canton, Texas before nor have I ever heard of their flea market. It figures that a town in Texas would have that as a crowning achievement.

[DavidinPS]

"when it was common to trade a rifle for a good hunting dog."

Maybe this is where DuMaurier got the idea for "Gift of the Magi"

[FastMovingCloud]

I think you mean O'Henry, unless there is another "Gift of the Magi" of which I am unaware.

[Darsan54]

GAWD, it's joke people. Get a life. When Colbert "recants" on all the Canton jokes he'll move on to another town. I nominate Hell, MI. Should be good for a laugh. Then there is Climax, a totally wonderful town to travel thru, but the Moral Majority avoids it. Their loss.

[wileycat]

I nominate Intercourse and Gap, close to one another in Pennsylvania.

[lynchcheney]

Climax is good, so is French Lick, Indiana.

[LITU]

I nominate Spokane WA - home of the sex offenders.

[LITU]

Oops! I used the "S" word and got mediated. I should have written:

I nominate Spokane WA - home of the s*x offenders.

[cindyw]

I live near Beaver Lick and Big Bone Lick, KY. I win. And for all those who love to make fun of us in KY (and sometimes we deserve it), let me save you some keystrokes - "No, you lose".

[Beaucat]

When I was in the Army stationed in San Antonio, I had two drinking buddies, one from Wynot (as in, Why Not?), Nebraska and the other from Neck City, (formerly Hell's Neck) Missouri. They were great guys with terrific senses of humor. I know they can take a joke, so I'll nominate those towns.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Don't forget Normal, IL

[lisakaz2]

For some reason, this line just makes me laugh and laugh. To know Colbert is to love him perhaps. Seems to me that most of the Cantons are going along with the bit. It gives them some publicity so why not. Another version of "better know a district."