i don't think it's useful to look too deep into it as a precise metaphor - it's just general cultural propaganda, of life in a starkly hobbessian reality. as a viewer, you're meant to internalize that.

i mean, i get that hobbes is pretty widely misunderstood. he was actually some kind of proto-fascist, advocating total control in the hands of the state in order to stop people from getting at each other like they are in the show. his description of "human nature" was presented as an obstacle to overcome, rather than an ideal or even an unavoidable truth.

but, a certain misunderstanding of hobbes is very useful for the kind of casino capitalism that the elites in the united states desire, and want us to live by. what hobbes saw as a tragedy is their ideal order, and they've been actively seeking to influence public behaviour to align with this kind of social darwinism for quite a while now, as a reaction to the perceived threat of communalism that hobbes half advocated. i mean, trust me - nobody with good sense thinks hobbes had good solutions. but he at least realized that some kind of collective action was necessary to present a sustainable future.

what the elite have been saying for decades now is "we agree that hobbes was wrong, but we also agree that marx (and locke and rousseau...) was right. which means that our order is not a total failure, because people are malleable and programmable. so, through propaganda, we can create the hobbesian world that doesn't really exist. we can brainwash people into violent, if not always rational, self-interest. then, we can apply the social theories that have been debunked."

it would be insane, if it wasn't so diabolical.

does anybody know what the actual turnover in writers is expected to be?

i mean, fallon is just a bad imitation of leno, really. i was never a leno fan, but i have to give him points for improv that fallon just does not have. besides that, they're more or less interchangeable, and one needs to wonder if it's basically because the writing team stayed put.

it's an honest question, though. colbert made a big point about him leaving his character behind, and i can't help but think that also means leaving his writers behind. meaning, it seems like he's moving into a furnished apartment...

he might slowly get his own furniture over time. but i'm not sure it's wise to expect that much of a departure.

i see he's brought his writing team with him...

that's a positive.

FortyNineHudson
+deathtokoalas Since they're not constricted to writing for his "character", they might actually get to stretch out some more.

Jake Marsing
Colbert brought a number of his writers from the. "Report" including head writer Opus Moreschi. He's also brought on some new faces who're familiar with the format. One particularly promising hire is Brian Stack, who wrote for Conan from 1996 till this year and created some great characters like "The Interruptor," "The NBC Crooner," and "WikiBear." Colbert's hires tell me a lot about what he's planning. Expect if to follow the traditional 6 act Carson structure (monologue, comedy bit, guest 1, guest 1 again or another comedy bit, guest 2, music act or stand up comic, roll credits) it's an old format, but I still think it works. Colbert's show will feel like a more intellectual version of Conan. He'll do topical jones that Fallon can't, and he'll do stronger interviews. I really expect the show to push back against the prom king comedy we've seen in late night over the last two years.

deathtokoalas
+Jake Marsing i think you bring up a good point - colbert's not really competing against fallon. i couldn't imagine there's really much overlap in potential audience; it's almost a clean partition in the possible viewer demographic. colbert is really going to be competing with conan.

i haven't watched late night in a long time; i haven't had a tv in a long time. but, i always preferred conan to the other carson formula shows by a large margin. the reason was that conan was actually funny, and the two mainstays were just bland observationalists - seinfeld without the knack for the surreal, which both stewart and colbert have always had. for some reason, though, tv executives seem to hate him, and it kind of brings up some questions about how colbert is going to get along with head office kind of thing....

but, i mean, it's not like cbs didn't know who they were hiring, and their expectations had to be something a little edgier. i'm curious as to how this will work out...or, rather, how long it takes for colbert to get himself in trouble.

i'll be honest: my immediate thought was that the power structure was trying to shut him down before the next election by offering him a plush job, then canning him after a month. i hope that's conspiratorial logic. but, if it works out that way...well..

Jake Marsing
There are few things more fascinating to me than late night tv. It's the only genre in pop culture really about one person being funny. I think Colbert's got the chops to pull it off. But, you're right, he and Fallon will be doing different shows. Jimmy's will have mass appeal (like Leno's did) and Stephen will play to a more niche audience (like Letterman did). Colbert will be competitive, but I think his goal isn't to be #1. His goal is be a strong #2 with a young audience.

deathtokoalas
+Jake Marsing it's just that one of the things that killed conan was his refusal to pander to sarah palin. conan didn't want to alienate his liberal-leaning viewing base by doing the network's bidding in sucking up to a right-wing demagogue. it's hard to think that these situations aren't going to show up with colbert in this time slot - who is perpetually in an even worse quandary than conan could ever be in. there's all kinds of people that cbs is going to have to scratch off the list of potential guests, because they're not going to go anywhere near him. and, he's going to have to watch his mouth, which is going to upset long time viewers. i can't see how this isn't going to be an issue.

and i suspect it might be purposefully engineered as one.

schwarzeneggar. first week. wait for it.

argumentativeindian
+Jake Marsing Oh, is Brian Stack now writing for Colbert? That's wonderful! I used to love his segments, and was sad to see him leave Conan.

see, this is bullshit. some of it is just being a slob. but it's actually mostly signs that you're dating somebody you're not compatible with. it's more like "signs you need to break up".

- if you'd rather read instagram than listen to your partner? if the person you're supposed to care more about than anybody else bores you to that level? it's time to break up.

- if you understand your partner so poorly that you jump to menstruation as an explanation for discomfort? if your communication level is that bad? it's time to break up.

- if you can't be bothered to figure out birthdays, anniversaries or other special dates? if you really care that little? it's time to break up.

- if you'd rather watch the idiot box by yourself? if your partner's company is that worthless to you? it's time to break up...