Tonight marks the year anniversary of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Cetral, which aired for the first time on October 17, 2005. Big year for Stephen Colbert since then: Truthiness hit it big as 'Word of the Year'* and Colbert hit it just as big at the White House Correspondent's dinner, sparking a debate over whether or not he was "funny" (he was) but not over whether or not he'd touched a nerve (he did); his "Better Know A District" got congressmen to admit that they didn't know the Ten Commandments and liked hookers and cocaine; he took over Wikipedia, a bridge in Hungary, and established himself as a web leader with his "Stephen Colbert Greenscreen Challenge"; and in between he was named to the Time Magazine's 100, became a YouTube mainstay, and welcomed heavy hitters from both sides of the spectrum on the show for quick-witted and envelope-pushing segments (cf. Colbert making Bill Kristol squirm in April; this recent bit with Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem is another great example).
The Colbert Report was last year's October surprise, continuing through the year with fresh, edgy material that set the show apart as distinct from the Daily Show, self-sufficient (despite the helpful throw at the bottom of TDS) and destination television in its own right, in particular for the brazen, no-punch-pulling "The Word" (a credit to Colbert and his incredibly sharp writing staff). it's worth going back to the very first installment, which still rings truthy today:
This show's not about me. No, this program is dedicated to you: the heroes. And who are the heroes? The people who watch this show: average, hardworking Americans. You're not the elites. You're not the country club crowd. I know for a fact that my country club would never let you in. But you get it. And you come from a long line of 'it-getters.' You're the folks who say, 'something's got to be done.' Well, you're doing something right now. You're watching TV.And on this show -- on this show your voice will be heard...in the form of my voice. 'Cause you're looking at a straight shooter, America. I tell it like it is. I calls 'em like I sees 'em. I will speak to you in plain simple English.
And that brings us to tonight's word: Truthiness.
Now I'm sure some of the word police, the wordanistas over at Webster's are gonna say, 'Hey, that's not a word.' Well, anybody who knows me knows that I'm no fan of dictionaries or reference books. They're elitist. Constantly telling us what is or isn't true or what did or didn't happen. Who's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was finished in 1914. If I wanna say it happened in 1941, that's my right.
I don't trust books. They're all fact, no heart. And that's exactly what's pulling our country apart today. 'Cause face it, folks, we're a divided nation. Not between Democrats and Republicans or conservatives and liberals or tops and bottoms. No. We are divided between those who think with their head and those who know with their heart.
As Colbert might say, he nailed it. Here's to year #2 - Happy Anniversary!
*I'm still pretty sure this was the first report of the AP story leaving Colbert out, by the way.
