Funny

"Diplomats are just a bunch of anti-war talk-mongers, word-mincin' their way around cocktail parties, dancin' around the truth to find "common ground" between hostile nations, all the while laughin' behind our backs about how their license plates allow them to park their Peugeots in handicap loading zones!" - Stephen Colbert

It's amusing to have a job that occasionally gets talked about by media pundits.

I like Colbert. I find him amusing on the surface, and I think it's interesting to watch the way he mocks certain viewpoints by playing a character who supports them. Even when I personally agree with the position he's making fun of by arguing for it in a ridiculous way, I love the way he uses humor to channel those passions that often get aroused when people disagree.

In this case, of course, I certainly do not agree with this unfortunately all-too-common mischaracterization of diplomats that he presented on the show the other day. There are always plenty of well-informed people who understand the importance of maintaining good relations with the governments and peoples of different countries. But there have also apparently always been people in this country who resent the very idea of diplomats, who see us as a privileged and unaccountable elite selfishly living a protocol-laden high life at the expense of "real Americans" and providing nothing of value. It's becoming trite on FS blogs to lament this and to point out how hard it is to change those attitudes, what with most Americans never coming in contact with an Embassy abroad. But fortunately, the work is its own reward.