VIDEO Stephen Colbert pays touching tribute to Boston with his opening monologue
Stephen Colbert, the late-night host of The Colbert Report, makes his money by poking fun at aspects of politics, religion and social issues. During the opening of Tuesday night’s show, he addressed the tragedy in Boston with a familiarly humorous monologue — that simultaneously managed to be heartfelt and moving.
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During the show, the first filmed after Monday afternoon’s bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Colbert spoke about the tenacity of Bostonians.
“For Pete’s sake, Boston was founded by the pilgrims, a people so tough they had to buckle their goddamn hats on,” he joked.
He also said that the historic marathon itself is testament to Boston’s strength and fortitude: “But here’s what these cowards really don’t get, they attacked the Boston marathon, an event celebrating people who run 26 miles on their day off until their nipples are raw – for fun. And they have been holding it in Boston since 1897. And do you know how tough you have to be to run in a whalebone corset? And when those bombs went off there were runners who after finishing a marathon kept running for another two miles to the hospital to donate blood.”
The thing about laughter is that it also moves us not to forget, but to get stronger. To show whoever is responsible that we — as a united country — aren’t going to take attacks as a part of life. Colbert’s speech summed up the whole silver lining that has appeared in the wake of the bombing.
“These maniacs may have tried to make life bad for the people of Boston. But all they can ever do is show just how good those people are.”
