The Athens Newspaper

As any Georgian would know, Athens is more known for its ridiculous parties and massive football games than for its semi-newsworthy events. This is why I find this particular Colbert clip ridiculous. I believe the intended message of this clip is that the classic American newspaper is in some parts of the country as old, outdated, and decrepit as the unfortunate subjects of this video. In this age of readily available information technology, most people receive their news over their phone, through the computer, or on the t.v. This video implies that the only people not receiving their news technologically are old, backwoods hicks and that it is through their efforts alone that the classic American local newspaper is kept alive. As for the image of this state, between backwards, sexist, and racist legislation, to horrific problems with our schools, to the recent, highly controversial execution, I believe this small clip will have little bearing on the already tarnished reputation of Georgia. However, I do believe that this Colbert clip paints an extremely unrealistic picture of Athens, GA, which every college student knows has the capacity to be an as lively, technologically advanced, exciting town as any other. In reality, Colbert could have chosen any small town in the country to do this parody on, but I believe he chose a town in Georgia because of this state's reputation for being backwards and stuck in the 1800's.