To the editor: The tip of “The Late Present With Stephen Colbert” is probably going not the results of some political takedown from the fitting (“Is late evening lifeless? Stephen Colbert’s CBS cancellation raises troubling questions,” July 18). It’s not a casualty of the tradition wars or the newest skirmish in partisan warfare. It’s one thing quieter, extra refined and maybe extra unsettling: the evolution of how we eat comedy within the twenty first century.
Colbert is a grasp craftsman — his satire is razor-sharp, layered and infrequently calls for extra of the viewer than only a passing chuckle. He’s not a punchline artist; he’s a storyteller. However the actuality is, we now stay in a world educated to scroll. Humor, like most all the things else, is now delivered in 20-second bursts and if the hook isn’t instantaneous, the viewer is gone.
This isn’t failure — it’s Darwinism. Consideration is the brand new forex, and the late-night format, at the least in its conventional type, is struggling to outlive in an ecosystem of algorithms and autoplay.
We must always resist the urge to show Colbert’s departure right into a headline for anybody’s political agenda. As a substitute, allow us to acknowledge the excellence of a singular voice in late-night tv — one which elevated political satire to an artwork type. And allow us to hope, even anticipate, that this isn’t his curtain name.
As a result of America nonetheless wants sensible, principled comedy, and Colbert nonetheless has extra to say.
Mark Wyatt, Bakersfield
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To the editor: Rising up in Los Angeles metropolis colleges, I recall how proud I felt after I realized that, in contrast to in another international locations, you might brazenly criticize the president in america with out repercussions from the federal government.
How issues have modified beneath President Trump. Though CBS claimed it canceled “The Late Present With Stephen Colbert” for monetary causes, it’s arduous to consider that Colbert’s frequent jokes about Trump weren’t the explanation when CBS father or mother Paramount is trying to merge and wishes the federal authorities’s approval. Trump himself has stated on social media, “I completely love that Colbert obtained fired.”
Let’s train our college students the reality from right here on out: It turns on the market could possibly be repercussions from talking out towards the president.
Martin A. Brower, Corona del Mar
