Stephen Colbert told Congress about how awful it is to be a farmer, even for ten hours, and how it is funny that white people complain that immigrants are stealing all the "good" farmhand jobs. Read his testimony [PDF]:
Joined by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren—longtime advocate for farm workers' rights—I traveled to upstate New York where I spent ten hours picking beans, packing corn, and learning about the stark reality facing American farms and farmers. I learned that many farms are closing, growers are planting less or switching to other crops, and the production of fresh foods and vegetables is moving abroad. I learned that American farmers have moved at least 84,155 acres of production and 22,285 jobs to Mexico, and that between 2007 and 2008, 1.56 million acres of US farmland were shut down. 1.56 million acres is about twice the size of Delaware.
At the request of Congresswoman Lofgren, I am here today to share my experience as an entertainer turned migrant worker, and to shed light on what it means to truly take one of the millions of jobs filled by immigrant labor.
They say that you truly know a man after you've walked a mile in his shoes, and while I have nowhere near the hardships of these struggling immigrants, I have been granted a sliver of insight.
this whole conceit reminds me -- a little -- of that brilliant first 15 minutes of 'shine a light'. as we follow scorsese ("marty, marty, marty") we see the power structure:
bottom: hollywood middle: president of the united states top: rolling stones