#NotYourRacistJoke: Now What?

Image credit Suey Park and Colleagues of the
#NotYourAsianSidekick social media campaign

So, I thought I was done with the whole Colbert Clusterfuck.

Apparently not.

A good friend sent me an update a little while ago on Colbert's in-character response. After apparently defending his intent (which is irrelevant to the fact of whether the sketch was racist, which it most certainly was), he reportedly reverts entirely to character. Paraphrasing, here's the essence:

"I don't see race, but I know I'm white, because I just said six times that I'm not racist."

I admit it: That was funny.

But, as with earlier exchanges with friends over this whole clusterfuck, it prompted me to think: Now what?

In other words, how does he go about fixing it?

Well, as usual, I have some ideas (I know you're all just shocked by that).


Let me cue the Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) for a moment, because no one can put Colbert in his place like she can [removes reading glasses, frowns, fixes him with deadly side-eye]:

"ColBERT! COLBERT!!! Can we talk?"


Here's what I said to my friend about his "official response":

You know, I don't even mind so much that he stays in character for purposes of the show, because he does it with the stiletto aimed firmly at himself-as-conservative-asshole-type.

And it's true. Everything he does related The Colbert Report is always in character. I'd expect that.

But. But . . . .

But he fucked up, and his diehard fans are fucking up far worse, and in so doing, some of them are partnering with intentional racists.  This is one of those times where he needs to break character for a moment — off the show, even — and acknowledge what he did, why it's a problem, and just apologize.  That, I think, would take care of it for most of us.  And also maybe keep the whole thing from getting completely away from him and "our side."

And right now, it's getting away from him. Hell, it's already gotten away from him — that horse done left the barn long ago.

And where once he had an enthusiastically diverse audience, now the base comprising people of color is steadily eroding. That's not good for his shows' ratings, it's not good for his audience, it's not good for his shtick, it's not good for "our side."

Of course, he does have an existence entirely apart from his role on The Colbert Report. In his private life, he's known for making generous charitable donations and supporting important causes and projects. 

It's time for him to add another to that list.

Come to think of it, you know what I'd like to see him do? He can keep it entirely separate from the show; I don't care. But you know how NBC does the "The More You Know" PSAs, and major-league sports figures do the anti-bullying PSAs? Let him record, playing it straight as Stephen Colbert the human who is an actor, not Stephen Colbert in character, an apology with an anti-racism message. Point out the trying to "help" one group by hurting another is wrong. That what he said was wrong, and even though he didn't mean it that way, it was racist. Say, "I'm sorry." Refer people to some anti-racism group of choice — even just one for Asian Americans, in this instance. Hell, it could go viral with other celebrities thereafter. THAT could change some hearts and minds, on both sides of this.

Seriously, by now, this should be a no-brainer. Of course, how he approached the original issue should have been a no-brainer, too, and we all know how that turned out.

So, ColBERT! Time to suck it up and do the right thing. More, time to set a precedent that will be of immense value, to your audience, and to everyone else.

Apologize. And turn this whole clusterfuck into a something that will make a real, positive difference in the lives of people of color.


Thanks to PDNC and rb137 for helping me process this and suffering through my thinking-out-loud phases.



Copyright Ajijaakwe, 2014; all rights reserved.