The video wasn’t as bad as the linked article led me to expect.

I thought it was kind of cute.

Yeah, I was scratching my head, too. Nice to know at least one other person was perplexed by Raymond’s analysis.

“Colbert would purport to know Chinese, but make an obvious total hash of it. Stewart would act like he is secretly fluent in an off hand way, saying something in Chinese to a guest without otherwise drawing attention to what he did, so we can be impressed by his smarts and his modesty at the same time.”

Have you ever had Comedy Central? I have watched every edisode of both shows for the last 4 year and have know idea what you are talking about.

Apparently somebody has. One of the last lines of Eric’s link was “And the real choir, he (a Tonight show writer) said, already has been in touch with the show to collaborate on a future segment.” Ought to at least boost ratings out West.

Keep in mind that Latter-day Saints tend to be clustered in certain regions. You’re also part of a rather insular subculture. I suspect those are the main reasons why the ignorance is so striking. Most people just don’t know any of you.

The average person in Ohio or wherever probably doesn’t know a single member, and certainly not well. People mix you up with Amish (I have no idea why — perceived strict lifestyle?), the Jehovah’s Witnesses (door knocking), and who knows who else. When pressed, the average person might come up with “Utah” and “polygamy.” Beyond that: clueless.

The Conan segment was funny, but think of the PR possibilities here. Why couldn’t some talented LDS put together an equally witty and playful response, something with just a little bite? A little self-deprecating humor goes a long way in breaking down barriers.