From Johnny Carson to Stephen Colbert

I had a good friend (he passed many years ago) who had been a talk show host on WNBC New York and we talked about Carson and his competition. I wondered why he was so popular while really smart people like Dick Cavett failed to dislodge Carson from the number one spot. His opinion was that people didn't want intellectual at that time of night. We were tired. We already had enough of the details of work and family, the bad news of the day and such, and just wanted light entertainment before we went to bed. (Sort of like the dentist suggesting that you think of Mickey Mouse before giving you gas to put you to sleep) I think he was correct. Now, I wonder what my friend would think of today's "entertainment". Colbert isn't funny except to those who share his anger and ideology. His audience laughs at such insults while others fuss and fume over the insult. This goes hand-in-hand with my complaint that comics are no longer funny. They don't make me laugh, not like Li'l Abner and Snuffy Smith, Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny, Laurel and Hardy or Charlie Chaplin (who can still entertain me). The bottom line is that Colbert doesn't bother me half as much as his audience does.