The Ann Coulter Decade

Remember the "Al Franken Decade"?

It was Franken's way of lampooning the self-absorbed attitudes of the 1970s by declaring the 1980s to be his and his alone: "For me, Al Franken, the '80s will be pretty much the same as the '70s. I'll still be thinking of me, Al Franken. But for you, you'll be thinking more about how things affect me, Al Franken."

It was meant as biting satire, of course. But in reality, Franken was providing a basic template for all future human endeavors.

"Look at me; I'm unique and attractive!"

"Listen to me; I'm the host of a nationally-syndicated talk-format radio program!"

"Read my blog; I just got a nasty paper cut!"

It's pretty clear that Stephen Colbert has embraced the self-centered ethos of the "Al Franken Decade" for his own comedic purposes. In some ways, though, he has it much tougher than Franken; When something has thoroughly woven its way through the fiber of our being, are we still able to recognize it in ourselves - and laugh? (Since Colbert seems to riding a wave, maybe we DO get the joke. Let's hope so.)

Anyway, after the current "Ann Coulter Decade" wraps up, I'm sure we'll be able to look back with a more enlightened mindset.

Or, wait - is this the "Paris Hilton Decade"?

Or the "Anderson Cooper Century"?

Or the "Rachael Ray Millennium"?