It has been more than a week since Minneapolis resident George Floyd was callously murdered by a police officer. Since then, there have been numerous nationwide protests and riots in America, reigniting the country’s age-old racial discrimination history.
Recently, it was Hasan Minhaj who spoke out on the issue. The comedian’s take on the matter was different. He stated that this isn’t just a white against black issue, but a global issue.
He called out Asians and ‘desi’ public figures who are protesting the riots and the injustice of George Floyd but fail to see their own hypocrisy. Check it out:
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Hasan Minhaj takes no prisoners
Comedian Hasan Minhaj pointed out in his YouTube video on Wednesday that the murder of George Floyd by a cop wasn’t the whole story. Others were also involved in the incident, including a Hmong-American officer who blocked off witnesses, and an Arab-American who owned the store that called the police on Floyd.
“That is America. A black man was murdered in cold blood, and we were on the fucking sidelines watching,” Minhaj said as he called out non-black people of color to step up. “I’m not saying we were the ones who killed George Floyd. But we have to be the ones who pull that cop off his neck!”
In a powerful 12-minute monologue, Minhaj targeted anti-black racism in other communities of color. He demanded they take action beyond simply sharing a black square on Instagram.
“We think we’re not a part of the story, but we’re at the scene of the crime! That’s why the full picture matters. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum — it happens in a system. We have to donate our money and time to black organizations,” said Minhaj. “We have got to get our civics law school nerd shit on right now.”
Social media reactions
The video is currently going viral on social media, as people have admired how Hasan Minhaj has made some very fair points that are often ignored. Check out these responses.
Immigrants, especially from Asian and Desi culture should see this. We should call out hypocrisy within our own culture about Kaala and Gora. We love to give the example of Hazrat Bilal yet we don't follow the same principles taught to us by our religion. <contd https://t.co/KRaYEBEAO7
— Ammar Haider (@Ammar_Haider) June 5, 2020
Indian american comedian @hasanminhaj looks at role of Indians and other brown people in physical/spiritual violence against black people. He uses the words काला to refer to Indian's fear/dislike of black color). Hasan also proposes what we can do to heal in this time. https://t.co/4o7aqMFNFv
— Dr. K. Kritee (@KriteeKanko) June 4, 2020
How is racism relevant to you? A beginners course for desis 👇🏼 https://t.co/XE1ek71SSX
— Nosheen Abbas (@Goshno) June 4, 2020
Some solid points by @hasanminhaj in this video 👏🏽
Racism is so embedded in so many cultures and communities that we don't even realise it.
Fair skin is seen as beautiful and superior and dark skin is seen unattractive and inferior.
IT ALL NEEDS TO CHANGE! https://t.co/0BxYYVV0Ry
— Safwan AhmedMia (@SuperSaf) June 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/BIkMamba/status/1268449615084486656?s=20
I’ll say it again, watch this. Especially if you’re desi https://t.co/6CjdYflWgq
— Angad Singh ਅੰਗਦ ਸਿੰਘ (@Angadgsingh) June 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/_saratariq/status/1268417931630829568?s=20
https://twitter.com/lishaesthetic/status/1268420582917447682?s=20
https://twitter.com/nvyas/status/1268422199821533184?s=20
Unapologetically calling out the double standards that plague so many Asian communities 👏🏼 “We love Black America on screen… but if a Black man walks into your living room, or wants to date — God forbid — marry your daughter — you call the cops” https://t.co/A6d23cE6ZX
— Simra (@simplysimra) June 4, 2020
“America’s story didn’t start when we got here,” said Minhaj. “When you became an American citizen you don’t just get to own the country’s excellence. You have to own its failures. That is the deal.”
What do you think about Hasan Minhaj’s video? Do you believe it is time that we acknowledge our own hypocrisy and the racial bigotry present in our society? It is easy to condone racism in countries like the United States, but this is a global issue and must first be addressed in our own country and communities.
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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