Caroline Siede

This piece is cross-posted from my blog Introverted Chicago.

With the recent announcement that Stephen Colbert will take over The Late Show when David Letterman leaves in 2015, there have been a flurry of jokes about the fact that #CancelColbert seems to have “worked”—albeit in the comedian’s favor. Before the hashtag movement becomes immortalized as a simple punchline, I think it’s important to examine just what #CancelColbert was actually about and how Colbert can be a better ally on his next, bigger platform.

I am a 24-year-old white woman. I start with that introduction because when talking about race and gender in our society the context of the person speaking matters. As I follow along with the #CancelColbert controversy and the efforts of Suey Park, I do so through the lens of a person who has never experienced institutionalized racial prejudice. I also do so through the lens of a Colbert fan, a young woman about the same age as Park, a writer, an activist interested in social justice, and a feminist. That last lens has been particularly influential in my understanding of the hashtag controversy and ensuing national debate. While I have never experienced the racism endured by people of color, I support Suey Park because I know what it feels like to face the daily grind of ironic oppression.