Final Paper - The Colbert Report

Latino representations within US media have been an up and down cycle. During the Good Neighbor era of the 40s, Latin America became a popular, though often-misrepresented topic for filmmakers, while certain periods, such as the late 50s essentially ignored the existence of any race other than white. However, there were periods like the 70s that, though imperfect, featured more balanced shows such as Sanford and Son and Chico and the Man. Currently, some argue that we have entered a period of Post-Latinidad in media, a time where race and culture are simply not important. Though this is in some sense true and can be seen in some shows such as Bones or ER, I do not believe race has dropped out of the American consciousness, the minds of producers, or especially out of politics. This can be seen clearly in sitcoms such as American Family or Scrubs. Satiric news shows such as Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report exhibit features elements of Post-Latinidad while also tackling explicitly race-related topics.
The Colbert Report is a nightly news show that airs at 9:30 ET on Comedy Central. The show delivers a satirical recap of the day’s news events, and therefore covers a wide variety of topics. Seeing as Colbert often takes a satirical approach to the topics he discusses, it can be difficult to pin down exactly what message he is trying to convey, especially with respect to the realm of Latino representation within the mainstream media. However, I believe that Colbert is sympathetic towards the situation of Latinos in the United States and, though imperfectly, provides a positive alternative to the stereotypes applied to Latinos in the US.
There is one event that effectively frames the presentations of Latinos within his show. In September, Colbert testified before a congressional committee on behalf of the rights of immigrant farmworkers. While strongly criticized by many for remaining in satirical character during opening his statement, Colbert exhibited a rare break in character when asked why he decided to spend his time addressing the issue of immigrant workers. He sincerely responded, “I like talking about people that don’t have any power, and it seems like one of the least powerful people in the United States are migrant workers who come and do our work but don’t have any rights as a result.” By being in character for his opening statement and sincere during the questioning portion, Colbert was able to draw a large amount of attention by being a little “controversial”, while also directly addressing issues at hand with sincerity and candidness. This makes it apparent that Colbert has a progressive view of Latinos.
Though it seems clear through his actions that Colbert is sympathetic towards the position of Latinos in the United States, it also seems obvious that he is not actively courting, in specific, the Latino audience. In watching The Report consistently for four weeks, sixteen episodes, there was nothing that I saw that made me believe Colbert, the show, or its advertisements were directed specifically at Latinos. That being said, I also would hesitate to say that he is specifically targeting Anglos. In this sense, I would see the reasons for a sort of Post-Latinidad. This is to say that essentially, Colbert does not care who is watching his show, so long as it is in a demographic that can sell advertising time. Though that may sound ugly, it is the nature of television on the United States—it has to make money, or it simply will not last. I feel as the show could have as much appeal to a 22 year old Latino as it does to me, so there is no reason to target a specific race or culture.
As for the actual show, the discussion of Latinos was relatively sparse during my viewing of it for class. Seeing as Colbert reports on the recent top news stories of the day, the topics he covers are at the mercy of what is seen as important in the general public. The timespan that I viewed the show fell between two separate proposals of the DREAM act before congress, after the ruckus of Arizona SB1070, and an overall relatively calm period during which there were few national stories involving Latinos. Despite the lack of stories and a small volume of Latino depictions, what I did see was pretty interesting (and also, generally amusing).
Colbert plays on hugely exaggerated stereotypes for both humor and to subvert the dominant archetypes of Latinos that are carried by many people. In one such act of subversion, Colbert interviews the vice-president of the Farmworkers Union in order to help “keep fear alive”. Colbert began by asking him when he snuck into the country and also impatiently asks when he is going to leave. To me (and hopefully everyone else) it seems clear how ridiculous it is to assume that any given Latino in the US is an illegal migrant worker. However, this calls to awareness the idea that Latinos, whether citizens or not, are often viewed as “other”. For some reason, it is somehow especially un-American to have a specific accent and be brown. It is dangerous to be considered the “other”, for often times they are forgotten, ignored, and oppressed even. Colbert then expresses “fear” for the time when Latinos take over, because they are going to want revenge for the things he and other pundits or politicians have said. This comment relates to the fear that as a result of the influx of immigrants entering into the US, there is some sort of concerted “invasion” occurring. By invoking ridiculous, extreme images, the viewer is forced to engage and evaluate the stereotype. The viewer is forced to realize that Latinos cannot be generalized as poor migrant workers, and that they are not trying to invade the US. This in turn works to counteract the audience passively accepting stereotypical characterizations of Latinos that may have been visible in the past, or currently through different mediums.
Another place where Colbert can be seen attacking the way Latinos are treated is during a section on his show entitled “The Word”. This section features Colbert discussing certain pertinent topics, while sarcastic, ironic asides appear in text next to him on the screen. In this particular edition, Colbert is discussing Rand Paul’s comments on possible tax breaks for rich Americans. While Colbert is exploring the topic, he asks the question, “If a poor family falls on hard times in the woods and nobody is around to care, did it really happen?” The text response to his question was, “Not if they are Latino.” These comments are oozing with satire, and this seemed to bite particularly hard. This commentary on the state of America in general, the way in which the rich are rewarded yet the poor are ignored and pushed further down is expanded in this instance. Colbert takes the chance to say that Latinos are often the most ignored, most oppressed group in America. If something happens to a poor Latino family, immigrant or not, their “other”-ness makes them unworthy of aid and support. Pieces such as this really work to cause the audience to evaluate themselves and their views towards others.
A campaign advertisement shown on but not produced by The Report is one way in which Colbert bluntly criticizes the way politicians use the media to address Latinos. The ad, funded by a group called “Latinos 4 Reform” advises Latinos how to best make their voice heard in the midterm elections. The advertisement carries a negative tone and incorporates phrases saying that the democrats have lied and broken their promises. The whole ad gives a sense that it is going to culminate with a statement saying which candidate the Latino voting bloc should vote for. However, the ad simply ends with the instructions, “Take Action. Don’t Vote”. As absolutely ridiculous as the ad sounds, it was an actual political advertisement targeted at Latinos in the Southwestern US. It was based on the premise that the Democrats had broken their promises and that the Republican candidate, Sharron Angle had a “bordering on racist position” on immigration law. The apparent problems with this are twofold. First, sitting down and becoming silent is not the way to make oneself heard. Secondly, Latinos 4 Reform, which has a former Bush administration advisor as its president, told the typically Democratic voting Latino sector to not vote. This would essentially be a boost for the “bordering on racist” Sharron Angle. The commercial essentially treats Latinos as malleable children incapable of making their own decisions and attempts to manipulate them. I personally find it difficult to believe this commercial was actually made, but it just works to show how the media tries to target Latinos, and how the Colbert Report satirizes the media for it.
Though I would argue that Colbert cares for the situation of Latinos and definitely does not want to contribute to oppression or misrepresentation, it is not a perfect show. Though the show forces people to consider and re-evaluate their stereotypes, there is no active participation on the part of the audience. There is no opportunity for the audience to experience oppositional stereotypes, and this makes the show less effective at stereotype busting than it could be. Another thing that seems to negatively effect its portrayal of Latinos is simply the fact that there are not many Latinos visible on the show. While watching the show, I saw only one segment that actually had a Latino speaking, and it was in the context of a group of stereotypical characterizations of people that America fears. One last problem could be that, somehow, people miss the sarcasm apparent in Colbert’s humor. This would be detrimental to people’s views of Latinos if they were to believe that the satire Colbert presents is in any way factual or public opinion.
Though the show is not the model for the proper representation of Latinos, this is understandable when taken in context with the goal of The Report. If the goal of the show was to improve the status of Latinos in the United States, it would certainly not be fully achieving its goal. However, that is not the goal of the show, so it seems logical. I feel as though Stephen Colbert effectively uses satire to challenge people to reevaluate their stereotypes, and hope that in the future there will be more shows that can display some of the similar traits The Colbert Report exhibits. While race is not necessarily invisible, problems are addressed by people that see the disparity between the way things are and the way they should be.