CBS host of The Late Show Stephen Colbert was not thrilled with Rep. Jim Jordan’s weekend comments that no law or amount of training would have prevented the death of Tyre Nichols. Colbert declared that Jordan was so close to getting it, but because he doesn’t want to appear woke it leads him to wonder “what point do you stop being a witness and start being evil?”
Speaking about policing generally, Colbert claimed, “the officers involved have been fired, but is it enough to get rid of a few bad apples? Seems like there might be a problem with the tree.”
As for Jordan, he theorized, “And I think—I think that’s what Jim Jordan came so close to saying, that it’s not just these five officers, there’s always going to be evil of some kind and what you going to do?”
Colbert then suggested that politics were getting in the way of Jordan seeing the light, “But Jordan can't go down that road to identify what kind of evil this is, because then he'd be in danger of being, what's the word? Woke. And if you're a Republican politician, you're afraid of being woke, you’re afraid that once you're woke, you have to give up on having sex on your gas stove while fantasizing about the sexy green M&M.”
Elaborating, Colbert suggested, “You see, it's -- here's the thing. Here's the thing, he knows it's a slippery slope! But Jim Jordan's not just the representative of Ohio's fourth. He's a representative of something bigger. He represents a point of view that is held by a lot of people that don't want to know that systemic racism exists.”
Colbert then continued a trend common to comedians and journalists alike: misrepresenting GOP election laws, “That's why there are so many attempts to outlaw black history in schools, because the moment you acknowledge that something is evil, you've got two choices: Either you can work to stop it, or try to avoid knowing it.”
Starting to unwittingly unravel his own argument, Colbert then claimed, “But if -- if -- if you start peeling back the layers of why modern policing is the way it is, you start to see who it most often polices, and who it most often benefits, which is uncomfortable. And no one wants to be uncomfortable.”
Colbert never gave an answer for who benefits most, because the correct answer would be people who live in high crime areas, which undermines his entire point about systemic racism or Jordan being afraid of appearing woke.
Still, Colbert called out what he sees as GOP indifference on the matter, “But if you keep witnessing evil and do nothing about it, at what point do you stop being a witness and start being evil?”
Colbert should probably be careful what he wishes for when asking that question.
This segment was sponsored by Expedia.
Here is a transcript for the January 30 show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
1/30/2022
11:57 PM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: The SCORPION unit has now been disbanded, and the officers involved have been fired, but is it enough to get rid of a few bad apples? Seems like there might be a problem with the tree. And I think—I think that’s what Jim Jordan came so close to saying, that it’s not just these five officers, there’s always going to be evil of some kind and what you going to do?
But Jordan can't go down that road to identify what kind of evil this is, because then he'd be in danger of being, what's the word? Woke.
And if you're a Republican politician, you're afraid of being woke, you’re afraid that once you're woke, you have to give up on having sex on your gas stove while fantasizing about the sexy green M&M.
You see, it's -- here's the thing. Here's the thing, he knows it's a slippery slope! But Jim Jordan's not just the representative of Ohio's fourth. He's a representative of something bigger. He represents a point of view that is held by a lot of people that don't want to know that systemic racism exists.
That's why there are so many attempts to outlaw black history in schools, because the moment you acknowledge that something is evil, you've got two choices: Either you can work to stop it, or try to avoid knowing it. Like when my doctor told me to get more cardio, I didn't want to, so I stuck my fingers in my ears and ran screaming from the room.
But if -- if -- if you start peeling back the layers of why modern policing is the way it is, you start to see who it most often polices, and who it most often benefits, which is uncomfortable. And no one wants to be uncomfortable. I know that I don't. And life is pretty good for me. Somebody picks out my clothes, I get to talk to celebrities every night, and this office, upstairs, has enough free seltzer to drown a moose. But if you keep witnessing evil and do nothing about it, at what point do you stop being a witness and start being evil?
Because no one's comfort-- no one's comfort is more important than the life of a young man like Tyre Nichols. He was a photographer, a skateboarder, a father, a son. He didn’t get to look away. Why should we?
