My character is self-important, poorly informed, well-intentioned but an idiot. So we said, `Let's give him a promotion.'
Stephen ColbertRead
We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and Republicans alike....We voted for the people who voted for it, and then voted for the people who reauthorized it, then voted for the people who re-re-authorize d it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the collective responsibility of citizens in creating and maintaining the surveillance state through their voting choices.
Stephen Colbert's quote reflects on the role of the electorate in the establishment of the surveillance state, emphasizing that it is not just the actions of politicians that have led to this situation but also the voters who have repeatedly supported policies and representatives that endorse such practices. It serves as a reminder of the impact of civic engagement and the importance of being informed about the implications of the laws and policies that are enacted.
Themes
SurveillancePatriot ActDemocracyVotingResponsibilityPolitics
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about civil liberties, you can quote Colbert to highlight the importance of voter responsibility.
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My father always wanted to be 'Col-bear.' He lived in the same town as his father, and his father didn't like the idea of the name with the French pronunciation. So my father said to us, 'Do what you want. You're not going to offend anybody.' And he was dead long before I made my decision.
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I may be just an empty flesh terminal reliant on technology for all my ideas, memories and relationships, but I am confident that all of that everything that makes me a unique human being is still out there somewhere, safe in a theoretical storage space owned by giant, multinational corporations.
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And that brings us to tonight's word: Truthiness. Now I'm sure some of the word-police, the 'wordanistas' over at Websters, are gonna say, 'Hey, that's not a word!' Well, anybody who knows me knows that I am no fan of dictionaries or reference books. They're elitist. Constantly telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen.
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