http://christwire.org/2009/08/do-you-really-think-you’re-that-funny-stephen-colbert/

First of all, let me say I hope all of you who have commented or will comment here will take a moment to read the entire editorial, rather than just the excerpt included above. If you do, you’ll note that the SECOND PARAGRAPH of the editorial includes the phrase “… the ‘Report’ is admittedly funnier, more poignant, and more attuned to the vagaries of the human condition than ‘The Golden Girls,’ but not quite to the level of say, ‘The Facts of Life’ … .

In my mind, that goofily over-the-top reference, placed as close to the beginning of the editorial as possible, was a sufficient tip-off that the editorial was veering from the serious treatment that is normally given to issues on the editorial page into something very different.

In other words, I was attempting to inject some humor into a framework — i.e., the editorial page — that can sometimes take itself a bit too seriously. That’s not unlike the treatment Colbert gives to cable TV punditry, which is the very definition of something that takes itself way too seriously.

In retrospect, as derisive comments began to flow into the Banner-Herald’s Web site soon after publication of the editorial, I should have alerted readers far earlier than I did to the fact that the editorial was an attempt at humor. As an occasional viewer of “The Colbert Report,” I certainly understand that satire is Colbert’s stock in trade, and I also certainly recognize that he is proud of his Peabody Award.

To the extent my attempt to insert some satire on the editorial page failed — and I’m willing to concede it wasn’t at all artfully done — I’m willing to take the barbs issued here and elsewhere.

But, to the extent that there are apparently many readers who didn’t recognize the editorial as at least an attempt at humor, I’m also willing to suggest that the joke is on them.