Stephen Colbert: Public Intellectual
Stephen Colbert is #1! Well, not quite actually. He is, however, the Top Write-In Candidate in Foreign Policy Magazine’s list of The World’s Top 20 Public Intellectuals. I thought these kinds of lists were usually resigned to issues of Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone and just about every other page of Blender, but, as it turns out, intellectuals also enjoy numerically categorizing their preferences. Just like you and me, they slip on their pleated, tweed slacks one leg at a time.
I am not sure how a super patriot like Colbert feels about being in the company of Islamic leaders Fethullah Gulen, Amr Khaled, and some obscure weirdo named Al "Jazeera" Gore, but I’m positive his brand of comedy fits in with the hilarious hijinks of noted linguist Noam Chomksy. Seriously, Topics in the Theory of Generative Grammar is up there with I Am America (And So Can You!) on my personal list of Top 20 Most Humorous Books Written by Public Intellectuals.
Even though Colbert is not a number (he is a free man) it is nice to see him written in by the readers of Foreign Policy as their Top Write-In Candidate. I am confident that he will be eligible for the #1 spot on Foreign Policy’s upcoming World’s Top 20 Ballsiest Human Beings Ever list.
-Gonzalo Cordova
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