Politics
In the wake of announcing his bid for the presidential race, Stephen Colbert responded to the question, “Is this real?” by saying, “This is not a dream, you are not going to wake up from this. I am far realer than Sam Brownback.” (Watch.)
Sam Brownback is a fanatically religious Senator from Kansas, who opposes everything intelligent and is going to run for Governership in 2010. Colbert’s comment is noteworthy due to the fact many media commentators, White House staff, and tv viewers regularly misinterpret Colbert’s ostentatious media persona as being “real.” Colbert’s transparent satire on “conservative” politics should be obvious; however, it is not. Why? because the level of disingenuity (read: hypocrisy) American citizens accept is almost limitless. It is nearly cliche to mention the inverse relationship between conservative politics and public/private indecency. How many more Christian politician sex scandals will it take before the people wake up? Apparently lots more. In trumpeting his Christian cause, Brownback is denying his own transparency, he is lying about the lie, and as such Colbert was right to say that his media persona is “realer” than Brownback for the very reason that it is.
While this sad state of affairs (to which we can pile on Rick Warren’s presence at Obama’s invocation) spells darker days for American politics, we can, for now, extend the debate to something more that is, apparently, far more important: “music journalism.” So, what does music have to do with transparency, media buffoonery, Fascist religious politics? Everything. Take the following three songs for example:
Wilford Brimley’s DIABETES DANCE MIX
Bill O’Reilly Flips Out — DANCE REMIX [nsfw]
Eclectic Method – The Colbert Report – Remix feat Lawrence Lessig
There is a certain air de famille between these songs, an exclusionary principle that would apparently situate them outside of rotation, outside the bounds of serious “music journalism.” They are in this sense “Colberts” within the field of music. With one foot in parody and the other in sincerity these songs are “realer” than, say, Kelly Clarkson for mere fact of her non-transparency. This transparency, manifest as the distinction between music and other, is continually blurred, such as the case of Tom Green’s “Bum Song” or Blur’s “Song 2.” Basically, what this amounts to is the fact that we don’t mind being lied to as long as it serves a function. So whether it is T.I., or Brownback the question is; are we to conflate listener/viewer passivity with apathy, or is it something else, something more elusive behind our inclination to decide what we like and accept? There is something behind it; the ever diminishing, insatiable chimera known as security. For at least with Colbert we can have the false sense of security that only comes when we know someone is lying to us. In regards to T.I., Brownback and 50 Cent, well, seeing as how they stake their credentials on the verity of their false claims, there can be no security, only more dedicated loyalty.
