There is a difference between Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report and “Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report.” Surely you are aware of this-one is a fictional character, and the other is a real person who would probably find his fictional self a total idiot. Recently, though, the difference between the IRL Colbert and the character he’s created for himself is becoming highly blurred, especially now that he’s using his satirical show to launch semi-earnest Presidential bid. The move is essentially one meant to point out the flaws in PACs that claim not to be influenced by or working with presidential candidates when they clearly are, but it creates weird little wrinkles in the space-time continuum, like in the new Final Fantasy XIII-2. The Atlantic reports:
Money is no concern for Colbert, whose perch on “The Colbert Report” has allowed him to raise a bunch of money for his very own super PAC, Citizens for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Flush with cash, Colbert announced his decision to form an exploratory committee for his second bid for the presidency … of “the United States of South Carolina.”
Abiding by the rules governing campaign spending, Colbert’s super PAC will no longer be affiliated with the comedian directly. Colbert has handed the reins over to his Comedy Central colleague, Jon Stewart, and changed the name of the PAC to The Definitely Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert Super PAC.
The piece brings up a few valuable questions: What creates reality? What determines a “frontrunner?” If the media (or a game, for that matter) tells you someone is winning, does that mean they’re actually winning? What is a “fictional environment” vs. a “real environment?”
ARE WE REALLY ALIVE??? (Sorry, got a little carried away there.)
In closing unplug yourself from the matrix. Watch more Colbert Report.
-Drew Millard