We all know that there are just some things that no one wants to talk about.  Those tricky topics that mean the instant

Jon Stewart (left) & Stephen Colbert (right)

awkward-izing of any conversation.  The taboo subjects.   Lately though, there is a tactic used heavily by such programs as The Colbert Report, the Daily Show with John Stewart, and South Park.

Satire.

It’s almost magical, what happens when jokes enter the equation.  Suddenly, the heavy, no-no topics are easier to discuss.  Stewart, Colbert, and South Park are allowed to comment on subjects and people in ways that would mean suicide for any News network.  Why?  Because it’s funny!  Only by bringing an entertainment factor in can Colbert. Stewart, and SP speak on touchy subjects.  So is the use of Satire the only way that public figures can firmly voice an opinion.

So are satirical shows the future of news?  No, but they will always exist.  And they should.  They actually may deserve to be taken more seriously than they are.  Take, for example, the reception that Jon Stewart received on The O’Reilly Factor here.  They do, after all, report and satirize real news and events.  The “true” news and the comedy news need each other.  The news can have their formal reporting, and the satirical news and shows can take care of all the stuff that networks like CNN, FOX, and MSNBC won’t touch with a 10-ft pole.

The point is, like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin going where no man had gone before, so satire allows Stewart, Colbert, and Eric Cartman to go where no newscaster would dare.  And in today’s troubled world, and the fearful reservations of many programs on television , we need those satirical programs.

Now more than ever.