I Am America And So Can You by Stephen Colbert

From The Week of July 02, 2012

Satire is a powerful tool. By mocking that which is ridiculous, it can entertain while highlighting the many discordant notes that dominate the symphony of society. But whereas straight criticism can be, at times, pompous and strident, factious and political, satire nudges gently. With a wink, it teases us into a deeper examination of the absurdism that pervades our civilization. It's a craft well-harnessed by Mr. Colbert.

Originally a cast member of The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert has risen, in the last decade, to be one of the world's most influential comedians. His program, The Colbert Report, which was spun off from his appearances on The Daily Show, adopts the trappings of conservative punditry to give form to the absurdity of such media products as The O'Reilly Factor, making fun by adopting extremist positions that rely largely on illogical constructs. I Am America and So Can You brings Colbert's cult of personality to literature, summoning his bombastic and unapologetic facade to harpoon all the creatures of the left. Everyone from hipsters to gays, atheists to Hispanics, feel the sting of his comic arrows which, in hitting home, bring to life the nonsensical and even hurtful rationale upon which they are based.

Clocking in at a brisk 100-odd pages, I Am America And So Can You is an amusing romp through the cultural trappings of American life. From religion to the military, entertainment to the economy, Mr. Colbert lays out his unrestrained vision of the future which is, of course, dominated by the whimsical and inexplicable use of American power in every conceivable arena at home and abroad. But for as humorous as Mr. Colbert makes such absurdity, the kernel of truth upon which all good satire is based remains, reminding his readers that versions of these truths, obviously less varnished in humor, are out there, percolating through the world, spreading dismay and destruction with every impact on a soft target. And though Undermining these damaging arguments with comedy may well be the best means by which to drain the poison from such extremism, it remains a bellicose force that should concern us all.

This is an entertaining distraction, a charming reprieve from a world not glossed in such harmless absurdity. Were that all pundits as hapless as the hapless Stephen Colbert of Colbert Report fame. (3/5 Stars)