From being a Daily Show correspondent to having his own Netflix original special, to being the White House correspondent dinner host, all the way to speaking in TCNJ’s Kendall Hall, Hasan Minhaj has done it all!
An Indian, Muslim comedian, Hasan is one of the very few people of color, specifically a brown Muslim man that has made it in the world of pop culture and is popular for something positive. Hasan exuberates a chill and comfortable environment, especially for those of us who can relate to his struggles of being brown and Muslim.
He touched upon various topics such as refugees, terrorism, his trips for the Daily Show, life as a Muslim and much more. He used comedy to talk about the hard truths but made sure he spread a positive message in light of all of the hate in this world.
He compared the myth that Muslim women are oppressed to Disney Princesses being oppressed. He compared Syrian Refugees to European and Jewish refugees from back in the day. Hasan made it a point to state how these refugees are vetted for years before the gates of freedom are opened to them, yet they are still debunked as being terrorists. He talked about the difference between a white “terrorist” and a brown “terrorist” and used news clips to show the differences in language and attitude when the media is referring to whites versus others.
During his stand up, there were two things he said that really stood out:
“29% more likely to die from your furniture than a refugee”
“Don’t want history to repeat itself on our watch”
His stand up gave many of us tummy aches from laughing so hard but also made us aware of the truths and statistics to show us the reality.
Although it only took three years for him to finally make it to TCNJ, it was definitely a memorable night!
Hasan, keep doing your thing!