This one is tough to write, since we are huge fans of “The Daily Show,” and 99.9% of the time, we love what they do. This past Monday, however, a “Cinco de Mayo” segment reported by Jessica Williams just didn’t feel right. First of all, it perplexes us as to why correspondent Al Madrigal didn’t host the segment, because he probably would have dealt with it with a bit more grace and authenticity. But that is for another post.
Now, we get what Williams and the show’s writers were trying to accomplish in the three-minute report: compare the commitment of immigration reform activists to the boorish behaviors of Americans who like to drink and whoop it up on Cinco de Mayo. Even though the premise of the segment started with promise, it soon devolved into something else that just made us uneasy watching.
Was it when Williams mocked the story of the young man who was explaining how his dad was deported when he was a teenager? Or when Williams took the immigration demonstrators to a bar celebrating Cinco de Mayo? How about when the bar manager was introducing “taquitos” to the demonstrators? Or when the drinking game was being played? And did the ending really make sense given the context of the piece?
Here is the full segment for you to decide.
We have seen the segment a few times already, and it just feels like it needed another day or two to contemplate the message it was conveying. Was it funny? Some of it was. Was it condescending? Yes, big time. Williams’ biggest mistake was that she went from mocking herself to making fun of the demonstrators. Maybe that is why it made us feel so uncomfortable watching.
In the end the comedy mocked those who are marginalized from society. Look at us! Witty New Yorkers making fun of dedicated immigration reform advocates! And that is the segment’s biggest problem. The self-deprecating humor disappeared rather quickly from the piece. Too bad.
Gotta disagree with @latinorebels on this one. The segment was not intended to be a burla at Latinos all and she is not really mocking the guy who was talking the deportation of his dad. The whole point was her mocking the indifference of Americans to the issues and realities Latinos while dressing up like Latinos and acting like fools. You are supposed to feel uncomfortable when people act like fools and as awkward as that seemed, to me it conveyed a very good point. I do hope the people interviewed were debriefed and realized that they were not being made fun of, because I can see the issue there, but on the whole, no issue.
DignityPeace We felt that she was and the segment crossed a line. Williams should have stayed making fun or herself. And you were cool with the drinking game? Interesting.
DignityPeace We felt that she was and the segment crossed a line. Williams should have stayed making fun or herself. And you were cool with the drinking game? Interesting.
latinorebelsDignityPeace I still feel that she was mocking insensitivity but maybe it came across bad with a person that had such a tragic story. The Latino in that scene was not the foil of the humor, it was the binge drinking morons that have no clue and don’t care about issues of injustice. Again, I saw them as the target of the mockery, but maybe too much reality was brought in with the humor.
latinorebelsDignityPeace I still feel that she was mocking insensitivity but maybe it came across bad with a person that had such a tragic story. The Latino in that scene was not the foil of the humor, it was the binge drinking morons that have no clue and don’t care about issues of injustice. Again, I saw them as the target of the mockery, but maybe too much reality was brought in with the humor.
latinorebels DignityPeace If you want to take the “should have stayed making fun of herself” route then you would be aplicando la “ayy si me rio de todo lo demas pero cuando es algo que me molesta a mi ahi hay un problema” card. And I say this because you opened your piece stating that you are an avid fan of the show that agrees with 99% of the material and if my historical concept of the daily show is correct, because it might not be shared by all, the daily show and its skits is about making fun of others. I’m up to sign the petition si lo redactas.
AliToxtli latinorebels DignityPeace I think the one thing you always have to avoid though are ambiguities when you are presenting to the public. I have learned that in anything I do or say, I have to ask myself “Could this be misinterpreted?” So in that sense, I think they got close to the line, but I am with you that they didn’t cross it. I can’t speak for the whole comedy part because I am only a consumer of comedy and not a comedian myself.
AliToxtli latinorebels DignityPeace I think the one thing you always have to avoid though are ambiguities when you are presenting to the public. I have learned that in anything I do or say, I have to ask myself “Could this be misinterpreted?” So in that sense, I think they got close to the line, but I am with you that they didn’t cross it. I can’t speak for the whole comedy part because I am only a consumer of comedy and not a comedian myself.
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