There’s been some recent discussion of this news story (originally blogged by Marco). Some of that discussion has consisted of rational non-religious Obama supporters expressing shock upon seeing their candidate’s religious side.
Psst… wanna know a dirty little secret of American politics I learned from talking to the governor of a US state?
The majority of American citizens believe it’s important for their President to be deeply religious (sixty percent, to be exact). Thus, in order to get elected President, a politician must decide early on in his career to either believe in God or pretend to. Do you think it’s a coincidence that George W Bush was born-again immediately before running for governor of Texas? It’s just how the game is played.
Is Barack Obama most likely too smart and logical to be a devout Christian? Probably. Should we be concerned? No. Whether he believes it or not, the reality is that it’s a necessary part of the schtick.
“It’s truly awesome how in recent years, CollegeHumor has birthed its own stable of talent. If the Internet’s not buzzing about the CH founders, it’s talking about you guys or the Prank War or Moberg or the latest video on CHTV. CH/CV is creating and defining our collective web experience as well as our culture in a number of different ways. Has that been the business plan all along?”
That’s a question that was asked in an interview Jake and Amir did on The Apiary today. I smiled a big smile when I read that. Years ago, when people asked me what my long term goals were for CH, I told them two things. First, that I wanted to make CollegeHumor the dominant comedy brand for young males for the web, tv, film, books, and live tours. And second, that I wanted to create a “stable of talent” that would write, act in, produce, and direct all that stuff. To see that phrase used independently in a description of CollegeHumor is awesome.
I’m so fucking proud of everybody in that “stable” and what we’re accomplishing.
In 2000, we sold 35% of our company to Zilo Networks, a college television network [we eventually got it back when they were unable to meet their proposed terms].
When we went in for an initial meeting, they showed us around the office. In the editing bay, a guy was working on a series called “Mind of Martin” starring an up and coming comedian named Demetri Martin. I watched the clips they were editing and thought they were the funniest thing in the world. When I got back to campus, I would re-tell the jokes that I was able to memorize.
Years later, I’d move to New York and get to know Demetri a bit through the comedy world. Anyway, today I stumbled across those clips. If nothing else, it’s funny to see Demetri with long hair.
To put all my cards on the table, here’s a link to the now-kinda-embarassing show we did for the Zilo network, Get $tupid.
Hi! I'm Ricky Van Veen. I live in the West Village, New York City, USA. Professionally, I am the co-founder and Editor in Chief of CollegeHumor.com.
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This is where I write about things that excite me.