It’s just a little thing, and I really shouldn’t complain since I am a long-time loyal fan, but I am seeing WAAAAY too much of real tRump on The Late Show these past few days.
Colbert has been the main place I go to for sanity through comedy -- for clearing the nightmare visions of that waddling, bizarrely-gesticulating despicable man; for sweeping away the sounds of his raspy, effeminate, Queens-accented voice that I inadvertently hear on NPR at the top of the hour; for washing away images of his anatomically-weird mouth that suggest another orifice; for eliminating my dismay at his fifth-grade level elocution, turn-of-phrase and vocabulary . And of course for some relief at the pain of seeing our democracy dismantled daily.
In general, I look away from his pictures in the press, I turn down the volume when I hear him on the news, and I delete posts and pages on Facebook with his image or voice. I have a visceral, near-puking reaction to that man.
I love Colbert’s brief opening monologue where he satirizes tRump’s ridiculous and appalling actions and words of the day. I laugh at Colbert’s Cartoon Trump, at Donald and the Giant Impeach, and of course at Colbert’s spot-on exaggerated imitation of the man – he nails the voice, gestures and speaking patterns.
But recently there’s been too much of real tRump on The Late Show. The show’s format has changed a bit, to where after a few lines of Colbert commentary, there’s a switch to video of the actual man speaking – at a rally, on the White House lawn, wherever. The other night I endured three clips of him.
It reminds me of when Jon Stewart started to spend much of his hour parodying Fox News. If I wanted to see what Fox News had to say, I’d watch Fox News. That is when I cut back on Jon Stewart.
And now, watching The Late Show, I have to reach for the remote and quickly mute or fast-forward so I don’t have to endure the disgust at watching and hearing the man. If I wanted to watch tRump on TV news, I’d watch Fox.
Stephen, keep on skewering him, keep on satirizing him, but please, please stop showing us how revolting he is in person. We already know, and we need you to save us from him, not further torment us.
Or maybe I’ll just shut my eyes, put my fingers in my ears and sing “lalalalalalalaala.”