There have been theories about online communication lacking in tone and gesture. This is particularly true of blogging and text messaging. This is one reason why emoticons exist: to inject some emotional context when communicating online. Jokes and satire also do not translate well via online communication apparently as The Colbert Report found itself on the defensive recently due to a tweet.

The tweet was a direct quote from the show which could only be understood in the context of the joke. As it is, it is a snippet of a conversation, which could be easily taken out of context. As a satirical piece, it was meant to be an absurd answer and reposte. It read:

"I'm willing to show the #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever."

This quote came when Stephen Colbert was mocking the Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder. Snyder had responded to calls to change the name of the team by replying that he was willing to put up a foundation to help Native Americans. The mocking tone and satirical nature of the joke was lost in translation when it was posted on Twitter.

The tweet from The Stephen Colbert show was quickly deleted after a firestorm of #CancelColbert hashtags in response to its racist nature. Even Stephen Colbert shared his agreement in a tweet:

"#CancelColbert - I agree! Just saw @ColbertReport tweet. I share your rage. Who is that, though? I'm @StephenAtHome"

Comedy, especially satire and parody, is a matter of context. It will not be funny unless the reference is also understood. Even the "Who's on first" skit would not be understood unless there's an understanding of baseball. So far, there has been no word as to who posted the tweet.

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