The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - How Racist Is Boston?

Episode Date: December 29, 2020

Roy Wood Jr. travels to Boston to find out why it's often regarded as one of the most racist cities in the U.S. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. Boston, home to Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg, and all of the rest of the

Walburgs. It's also home to Spotlight. The team of Boston Globe reporters who exposed the rest of the wallbirds. It's also home to spotlight. The team of Boston Globe reporters who exposed the city's church sex scandal. I'm here because the spotlight team has been asking another uncomfortable question. How racist is Boston. For decades people have called Boston raustian. The Red Sox were the last baseball team to integrate. Bostonians violently resisted desegregation even in 2017 fans at Fenway Park called Adam Jones the N-word and all this got spotlight curious reporter Akila Johnson. So we wanted to look at why does Boston have the racist reputation and why does it

deserve it? How do you measure racism? Well you do it in a right? How many times the n-word is said in a day? Like a Negro meter? Like a negrometer? No. The inward meter? No. OK.

So one study we found showed that the median net worth of white families in Boston, which was $8. the median net worth of black families in Boston, which was $8. Eight, like counting thousands? Like $8,000? No, just eight. Eight dollars. That's not even a grand-desoilatte.

In essence, net worth is what you own, minus what you owe. And black folks in Boston don't own a lot. That's not even enough for a footlong with the drink. You know racism is more than just attitude. That's not even enough to buy 12 don't 11 donuts. This is one example of what structural racism looks like. I'm sorry.

I eat when I get sad about social inequality. If Boston is the cradle of equality, Spotlight wants to know why black enrollment at many of Boston's universities hasn't really gone up in 30 years, or why there's so little diversity in boardrooms and hospitals, or how among eight major cities black people voted Boston the least welcoming to people of color. Surely the people of Boston must be filling all that structural racism. To find out, I went to one of the city's most beloved cathedrals, Fenway Park. I don't see that racism myself, honestly. No, I don't think Boston's a racist city. I think that we've got a lot of attention with our sports being in the media. So Boston's racist reputation is a the c-ciiiiiiiii. the the people. the people. tholol. the people. th. th. the people. th. the people. th. thi the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, surely, surely, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people. Surely, the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the people. the the the th. th. the th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the people. the the the people.s. the the the the.s. thi. thi's a racist city. I think that we've got a lot of attention with our sports being in the media.

So Boston's racist reputation is a conspiracy formed by people who hate Boston sports teams for winning all the damn time. Yes, they love to hate us. Yeah, I don't think if Boston is a racist city at all. So how do you know? I don't feel it. You know, it's just a gut feel. I don't feel like it's racist. I've just never encountered it. Huh. The spotlight says the city has a race problem. Why haven't these Bostonians seen it? The NWACP's Tunisia Sullivan has a theory. The spotlight gave us data to support what black people in and around this city already knew. So if the data was news to you, you call the article the the the the the the the the the the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight????? I the spotlight. I the spotlight. I the spotlight. I the the the the the the the the the the the th. I've just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just. I've just. I've just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just. I I. I. I. I. I. I. I the the the the spotlight. I. I I. I the spotlight. I. I the spotlight. I. I. I the spotlight. I. I. I. I the spotlight. I the spotlight. I. I. I the spotlight. I. I the spotlight. I. I the spotlight. I the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight the spotlight. I've. and around this city already knew. So if the data was news to you, you call the article the spotlight article. But if you already knew about it, you just called it, that's what the f-I've been trying to tell y'all, article.

Because the racism is not as overt, it's difficult for people who don't experience it on a day-to-day basis, to realize that it's there. Ah, I get it. I've been asking the wrong people. If you want to know if Jurassic Park is safe, you don't ask the dinosaurs. It's not as racist as it to the to the dinosaurs. It's not as racist as it to be, but there are some blatant problems. A white person. They don't want want to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to think to think to thei. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I to to to to to to to to to think thi. I. I'm to to to their their their their their their their their thi. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I tha. I thii. I thi. I thin. I thin. I the. the. thea. tie. tie. tie. tie. tie. tie. tie.a.a. tie.essions. How uncomfortable is it for black people?

Tell me when to stop. Come across. There's Jeff Sessions right here. Right there. So about, what's it? About, 60, 70% comfortability. Not quite. Hey boy, go home, but definitely not. Know your neighborhood. Know where you are allowed, know where you're wanted. It's hard to fix a problem you can't see. To help this city recognize structural racism, maybe I just need to use the one thing that brings all Bostonians together. Sports, sports, sports, sports, yeah. Sports teams, we're winners, this is what we do.

I just need to get this city of champions hyped about finally winning at the one thing they suck at. We're about treating people with respect. Which city treats black people the best? Boston! It's Atlanta actually. And then New York, and then San Francisco, and then Charlotte and Tampa. And then at the bottom is Boston. What these people really needed was a mascot. So I gave them one, introducing Wokey the Walrus.

Who's got the best baseball? Who's got the best football? Who's number one in creating a system where structurally black people don't always get the same opportunities. It's working already. See Boston, to be honest. It's working already. See, Boston, feels good to be honest. Fighting structural racism is going to be exhausting, but if white people are willing to put in the legwork, we'll get there.

The Daily Show with Cover Noa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show week nights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central and the Comedy Central Act. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.

You're rolling. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.