EPISODE NUMBER: 7009 (January 17, 2011)
GUESTS: Sherry Turkle
SEGMENTS: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Sales, The Word – Run for Your Life, Art Stephen Up Challenge – Wade Hampton
VIDEOS: Monday, January 17, 2011
I’ve been doing episode guides for so long that it’s virtually impossible for me not to type while I watch the show. So I threw in a few of the quotes that really made me laugh tonight. The takes on sales slogans for MLK day sales made me seriously laugh. Having the legislators who are anti-gun control support the amendment to have a “safety zone” around legislators seemed like the height of hypocrisy to me. The reaction of the audience to Wade Hampton’s art of “Um … okay?” seemed to be the reaction of the day, but after he explained the picture, it was a bit cooler. I do like the concept of featuring a different portrait every week. I hope that they all get featured online at some point.
What did you think of the episode tonight? Leave it in the comments!
- I didn’t realize Viacom was so racist.
- Now you’ll have a dream – on a Serta pillow top. Available in Martin Luther King, Martin Luther Queen, and Martin Luther Twin.
- [Slugs befure Uggs]
- Mantletop Honor Zone 5400 – where marble goes to be bronzed.
- If you were trying to accentuate my most powerful parts, why didn’t you put my balls in the upper left hand corner?
I especially enjoyed the Spock portrait I saw on the Facebook feed.
sent from my IPhone
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Right on Stephen for giving it to the NRA and the politicians only wanting to protect themselves in the great WORD tonight. Even prior to the tragedy in Arizona, I felt so horrified that almost no one is willing to stand up to the gun lobby. Even people who are mentally ill and rejected by the army (like the assailant) are allowed to buy guns. I am so glad Stephen brought up this issue tonight.
On a lighter but intriguing note, I loved the art segment even though the portrait Stephen put over his fireplace was, well strange. I do think it was rather compelling though and the artist is talented. The Etch-a-sketch gag was cute.
I found the guest’s point of view about technology quite fascinating. I am old enough to remember the pre-internet days and I wonder what it’s like for people who have grown up with it. On the other hand, we adapt to these things so quickly it seems. Stephen’s playful “argument” was really bringing out her points about the distractions that technology brings from real life in a comic way I thought.
A lot of great stuff tonight.
Difference makers:
+8
Ya, I agree. I enjoyed his jabs at the Congress wanting to protect themselves but leaving the rest out to dry. It was interesting that he didn’t bring up Sweetness. I guess they have really had to walk a razor’s edge over this issue.
I thought the portrait was strange and it made me wonder what the others were like that didn’t make the cut.
I was disappointed by the interviewee. She seemed to not want to hear Stephen’s point about how sharing more might connect people in a way that wouldn’t happen at all without technology. I have friends all over the world and certainly we are more in touch through technology than we were by snail mail. And getting to email about the small, mundane bits of life have brought us closer than trying to remember the important stuff in a 15 minute, bi-annual phone call or holiday letter.
Great episode! Loved TDS tonight too. *sigh* life is good.
Difference makers:
+5
Just at the beginning of the interview, as Stephen was sitting down:
“See how friendly I was with that person just there? I’m not alienated at all. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ll hug and kiss anybody.”
Hug ME, Stephen! HUUG MEEEEEEEE
Difference makers:
+10
Hahaha, I think many a girl out there said/thought something similar :D.
Fully agreed on the “Word”. As always, short, sweet, and to the point. The NRA is far, FAR too powerful, and our country is obsessed with guns in a very unhealthy way. We desperately need to deal with this issue, the fact that recent events still don’t seem to be a wake-up call for some is troubling, to say the least.
*Gets off soapbox* Right. Onward with other comments…
I thought the portrait picked for the mantle was weird. I said this elsewhere, it looked like a poster for a movie about a serial killer. It is good to hear he’s still welcoming submissions, though…*Goes back to thinking about what to do with picture*.
I know personally I put a lot of emphasis on community here on the site because so few of my friends in real life are as enthusiastic of a fan of Colbert as I am, and it’s nice to be able to revel in that enthusiasm with others.
Exactly! That’s how it is with a lot of the things I love, very few people I know personally are interested, so I go online and hey, look, other fans like myself to bond with! Some of whom I’ve even met and become good friends with offline.
It’s like with practically any other form of entertainment in this world, there has to be a balance. No, you definitely shouldn’t spend your life glued to a technological device, there is something very important and wonderful to be said about face-to-face interaction and personal, intimate connections. We should never lose the opportunity for that. But technology has its benefits, too, and it has broadened connections amongst people in a variety of ways as well, so I think it deserves to be noted for those moments when they happen.
Difference makers:
+9
Pretty tie! Also loved the portrait.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
Ugh! I knew one of these years there would be a sale “honoring” Dr. King.
The way Stephen highlighted Congress’s relationship with the NRA & its desire to protect itself from “we, the people” was admirable (“Slugs before Uggs” – LOL).
As a teacher, I’d have to say that the ColbArtist of the Week’s submission looks as if one of my students spent 5 or 10 minutes doing a project the class had had 3 weeks to prepare. I did like the emphasis on the eyebrow superimposed on the rest of the picture. The Etch-a-Sketch may not have been “Art,” but it was impressive.
While I appreciated the author’s point, I was mildly annoyed by the interview. Ironically, Stephen was attempting to draw her into a substantive discussion about technology and communication, yet her replies seemed shallow. Maybe my annoyance at the excessive commercials on CC’s site affected my perceptions.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+3
I loved the Word! I don’t have a problem with an adult owning a gun legally and responsibly but I think there is need for stricter regulation. Who the heck needs an assault rifle or a gun that shoots 30 rounds of ammo!? That’s crazy! And it’s just far too easy for people to obtain guns. Ah, politicians. The never ending source of hypocrisy.
I found the discussion of technology interesting. On the one hand, it has opened up communication and made it easier to “talk” with people all over the world, which I’ve found is a good thing. On the other hand, people are often rude with their techno devices. I’m a vet tech and had a pet owner sit in front of me, texting, while I was giving her home care instructions for her dog. I stopped and asked her if she was even listening to me.
Difference makers:
+5
If I’m being honest, the portrait kinda creeped me out. But it’s art, so I guess eliciting some sort of reaction, whether that reaction is good or bad, is kind of the point. Let’s just say I’m looking forward to seeing a new portrait next week. I did enjoy the interview with the artist, though.
One thing I loved almost more than the interview with Sherry Turkle was the fact that I could hear my mom watching the interview downstairs. It made me happy that she was watching the show, and she watched the whole interview, so she must have enjoyed it as much as I did. :) My favorite part of the episode, however, was The Word. Short and sweet, but, as always, absolutely fantastic. Stephen summed up my feelings to a T, and I always love those closing lines; they’re always such a nice, clean uppercut.
Difference makers:
+5
I read a book a few years ago about putting technology in its place, but going back waaaay further than 15 years… It also talked about the nature of work and play and socializing as humans… anyway, I liked it…. Better Off, by Eric Brende.
I kind of liked the portrait in a weird way, but I maybe would have liked it more without an explanation, because that’s the fun of weird art, no? Figuring out what you think it means and why the artist made the choices he did…
Overall, the show felt a little odd to me, I think because the studio audience didn’t seem to know how to react to a lot of it.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+3
The Word was great and the portrait was crazy-looking, but I have to give my vote to the Martin Luther King Day Sales bit, for the sheer number of laugh-out loud lines. Watching it in the library with ear buds, it took quite an effort not to burst out loud when he said “Now you’ll have a dream…on a Serta pillow top!” And then it just got better from there.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
I found the portrait provoking, but like when Serrano finished with the other one, I’ll pass on having one in my home. Thanks but no thanks. Stephen is too lovely to cover up.
Tight, pointed WORD and he made brilliantly his point about the MLK sales.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1