Stephen Colbert Goes Viral For Tone-Deaf Moment That Mocks Cash-Strapped Americans Hit by Gas Prices
On Tuesday, gas hit a record national average price of $4.17 a gallon, according to the AAA. According to The New York Times, that surpassed the previous record of $4.11 a gallon in 2008.
For whatever it’s worth, that record was short-lived. On Wednesday, prices jumped eight cents to $4.25. That’s up almost 80 cents from a month ago and $1.50 over a year ago.
If you’re pinching pennies already thanks to inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has you tightening the belt further, late-night host Stephen Colbert would like to play you the world’s tiniest violin. He doesn’t care; after all — he owns a Tesla.
In a moment so tone-deaf it almost sounded like it came from his old Comedy Central character, the CBS host made light of the high price of energy dependence, noting he owns a pricey electric car, so he wouldn’t mind paying $15 a gallon.
(This is how out-of-touch the people who control the media are — something we’ve documented extensively here at The Western Journal during less-trying times. We’ll keep putting a spotlight on Hollywood’s ridiculousness and the real-world consequences it has — and you can help us by subscribing.)
On Monday’s show, Colbert urged Americans to pay a little more at the pump so that we could ban Russian energy imports. This may not have been the worst message in the world, although it’s worth pointing out this could have been averted had we focused on producing energy at home. (More on that later.)
So, sure — you may agree with the message, but it’s the delivery that counts. For instance, wishing your dad a happy birthday only means so much if you tell him he’s one year closer to willing you a whole boatload of money.
Colbert’s contract ensures he doesn’t have to worry about getting his patrimony, so instead he rubbed the plebes’ noses in their own dirt.
“Today, the average gas price in America hit an all-time record high of over $4 per gallon. OK, that stings, but a clear conscience is worth a buck or two,” Colbert said.
“I’m willing to pay. I’m willing to pay $4 a gallon. Hell, I’ll pay $15 a gallon because I drive a Tesla.”
.@StephenAtHome: “Today, the average gas price in America hit an all-time record high of over $4/gallon. OK, that stings, but a clean conscience is worth a buck or two. It’s important. I’m willing to pay $4/gallon. Hell, I’ll pay $15 a gallon b/c I drive a Tesla” pic.twitter.com/my8Ukya5rQ
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 8, 2022
Yes, yes, I get it — it’s a joke. The problem is that, as the left is so fond of telling us, it’s not funny if you’re punching down.
Colbert couldn’t be punching further down the economic totem pole. One even questions whether he’s cognizant of why he’s punching down. Why wouldn’t everyone buy a $50,000 electric car, after all, and install a charging station in their garage? I mean, surely they have that kind of money and own their own property — right? They’re the ones who chose to buy a Kia Sportage. Next time, maybe they’ll get with the green program.
It’s not just that Colbert seems to be back playing the supercilious, out-of-touch pundit from his Comedy Central show. It’s that one surmises that’s who he really was all along — something Twitter users noted.
Stop driving for two weeks. Flatten the curve.
— Trey Radel (@treyradel) March 8, 2022
*I don’t mind paying $15 a gallon, cause I drive a Tesla* is a joke, until you realize that it really defines the disconnect between the mentality of celebrities and the people who have to drive to work everyday in a car that costs less than $50k.
— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) March 8, 2022
What about that single mom driving a Chevy Malibu, who is worried about being able to make her rent payment, car insurance, daycare, and still have enough food on the table? Celebrities are so out of touch with what regular people are going through due to these high gas prices.
— Liss (@LissH2O) March 8, 2022
Well, why wasn’t that Chevy Malibu a Tesla? Huh? Yeah, just as I thought — you can’t answer that one.
But, by the way, this wouldn’t be as much of an issue if the guy Colbert has endlessly plugged for didn’t do things like this:
REMINDER: This is what Joe Biden did on his first day in office. pic.twitter.com/l9xvCbrX42
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) March 8, 2022
It’s not just that Stephen Colbert has no skin in the gas-price game, being a millionaire many times over who doesn’t drive a gas-powered car (and wouldn’t even have to do his own driving if he didn’t want to), he’s an unapologetic supporter of a party and a president that has left us ill-prepared for the moment we would have to ban Russian energy imports.
President Joe Biden’s administration has operated under the misapprehension that, if it simply didn’t produce energy at home, we’d be forced to jump headlong into the green energy paradise of the future. It’s like Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés scuttling his ships when his men reached Mexico, giving them the motivation of knowing there was no way back to the European continent and that they must conquer or perish.
This worked for Cortés because — unlike maintaining America’s energy independence while simultaneously pushing the Green New Deal Lite — subjugating the Aztecs successfully didn’t rely on Russia or Saudi Arabia to behave as rational actors. Live and learn, I guess.
But that doesn’t mean Colbert is going to stop acting as court jester for the Democrats. Don’t like the high gas prices? Can’t get to work? Can’t afford those shoes your kid wanted? Should have listened to him and bought a Tesla! Maybe that $15-a-gallon gas will teach you a lesson.
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