From a good article about the impending end of The Colbert Report:
…the real heart of The Colbert Report had little to do with actual politics — it was far more a critique of modern discourse, where people refuse to agree on the facts. And, more importantly, it shed light on the complete absurdity of the world with enough levity to keep us from going insane.
via In memoriam: Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, DFA | Stanford Daily.