Profiles for APAHM: Hasan Minhaj
“To me, this story is indicative of unchecked capitalism.”
It’s a Sunday morning. Excitedly looking through your Netflix recommendations, you see a new episode of the show Patriot Act available. Clicking on the video, with the epic trumpet blasting the theme song into your ears, you know you’re in for a great 20-30 minutes of television. But it’s not just the amazing intro music that gets you hyped - seeing host Hasan Minhaj step out on the stage to a cheering audience is part of the fun.
The son of Muslim-Indian immigrants, Hasan was born and raised in California. He went on to attend the University of California, Davis, where he started branching into comedy, alongside his political science major. In fact, before Patriot Act, he was a correspondent on The Daily Show - that might be where you’ve first heard his name.
But this is not intended to be a biography profile, highlighting the milestones of Hasan’s career. Rather, I want to use this space to talk about why I admire him so much.
Hasan has that rare ability to be likable and informative at the same time. He has so much charisma you can’t help but agree with what he has to say, even if your political views don’t align with his. Every week on Patriot Act, Hasan takes an issue that has slipped under the radar due to the overwhelming amount of bad news we’re pummeled with every day, and breaks it down in a way that any layperson can understand, as well as listing ways us regular people can help. Sample topics include the broken policing system, the difficult process of getting mental health care, the ethics of the cruise line industry, and the sinister intentions/consequences of fast fashion. He’s also dealt with topics that personally affect him, such as violent Islamophobia in a Hinduism-dominated India.
While these topics may not sound interesting at first glance, especially since they’re just more things to add to your plate, you are guaranteed to laugh out loud at the jokes he makes in his monologue. And, like it or not, you can’t help but admire the way Hasan is so unflinchingly bold in tackling such issues, especially since the people he’s calling out have immense status and power. For example, consider the episode that he did about the immorality of billionaires. Too often, capitalism’s death trap has people who will never be as rich as Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg blindly idolizing and defending their actions. Hasan points out the greedy underlying intentions of the ultra rich and even dares to go after who most people consider the “ideal” billionaire—Bill Gates.
While there are plenty of other popular Asian comedians out there, I think my problem with them is that their comedy is rooted in gaining the approval of the white gaze. Consider Ken Jeong, who plays up his medical background in an attempt to cater to the stereotype that all Asians are doctors, lawyers, or engineers. Or Mindy Kaling, whose most recent project, Never Have I Ever, contains several instances of Anti-Blackness and casteism. Hasan balances his comedy in a way that doesn’t diminish Asians (or other people of color), talking about his experience growing up as a second-generation Indian-American without playing into stereotypes. News flash: it is actually possible to be funny without making jokes at your own expense, ones you think white people will like.
All seriousness aside, Hasan is funny, talented, and smart. He loves his wife and his kids, and he’s always kind and thoughtful to the Patriot Act audience. I hope one day I get to meet him and tell him how much his work means to me.