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Joe Vesey-Byrne
Jan 22, 2017
In the last 12 months SNL has become the place many have looked for to find genuine optimism and active opposition to president Donald Trump.
While some might argue that the derisive attitude spurred on his supporters to turn up at the polls, and led many liberals to underestimate now-president Trump, the show has nevertheless proven to be a comfort.
It's a tonic for the ugly feeling pooling in the pit of your stomachs if you opposed Donald Trump, or the right wing Congress that rode his coat tails into a majority.
Aziz Ansari, stand up comedian, Tom Haverford, writer, director, star, and, factotum on Netflix's Master of None hosted SNL and delivered an eloquent monologue the day after the inauguration.
Ansari, who proved his subtle and empathetic touch in his Netflix show Master of None, takes down American racism simply and cogently reassures the fearful.
We can't demonise everyone that voted for Trump...I'm sure there's a lot of people with different political priorities, I'm sure there's a lot of people that voted for him with reservations. I'm sure a lot of people voted for Trump the way a lot of people listen to the music of Chris Brown.
He continued.
But the problem is there is a new group. I'm talking about a tiny slice of people who have gotten way too fired up about the trump thing for the wrong reasons. I'm talking about these people that as soon as Trump won they're like 'We don't have to pretend like we're not racist anymore!
His advice?
You gotta go back to pretending! I know it's been a rough couple of years: Obama, Empire, Hamilton...Star Wars movies where the only white characters are storm troopers. I get it. It's been rough. There's like this new, lower case KKK movement that's started. This kind of casual white supremacy.
Calling on Trump to denounce "the lower case KKK", Ansari alluded to a speech given by then president George W. Bush's in days after 9/11.
Ansari paraphrased president Bush's words before a joint session to Congress in late 2001, when president Bush had said the 19 hijackers did not represent Islam, and that America's enemies were not "our Muslim brothers and sisters".
Ansari's conclusion was the most powerful part, Ansari had hopeful words for those in fear:
He's president. Let's hope he does a great job. If you're scared about Trump and you're very worried you're going to be OK too.
If you look at our country's history change doesn't come from presidents.
Change comes from large groups of angry people.
And if day one is any indication you are part of the largest group of angry people I have ever seen.
Good luck to you.
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