The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Misguided Boycotts Against Russian-Themed Businesses in the U.S. | Tiffanie Drayton

Episode Date: March 18, 2022

President Biden declares Vladimir Putin a war criminal, Desi Lydic talks to restaurant owners affected by anti-Russian boycotts, and Tiffanie Drayton discusses "Black American Refugee." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter's smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, zip recruiter's powerful matching technology

starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use zip recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites, and let zip recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address. Zip Recruiter.com slash zip. Again that's zip recruiter.com. Sip Recruiter, the smartest way to hire. I am so excited to be going back to a show that has a live audience for so many reasons. I think one of the biggest reasons I'm excited to be going back to a show with a live audience

is because then I no longer have to pretend that there's people here that I'm talking to. Sometimes I even hear laughs in my head. It's gotten so bad I've heard that the audience hears them as well. That's how you know your delusions are super delusional. People like, who are you talking to Trevets all in my head, man? Can't wait for that to be real people. Coming to you from the heart of Times Square in New York City, the only city in America. It's the Daily Show, Ears Edition, tonight. COVID's back, baby.

The war is raging. And Tiffany Drayton. This is the Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Hey, what's going on everybody. Welcome to the Daily Show. I'm Trevor Noah, and I'm so excited because joining me for today's headlines is my good friend, Ronnie. Ronnie, how's going on Ronnie? How are you doing?

Trevor, thanks for having me. I'm excited to have our last show here in this place. We're moving, we're moving to...right? Studios. Yeah? You know, I'm gonna miss, I'm gonna miss, I'm gonna miss this, I'm gonna miss this a little bit, you know, a bit a the the the the the the the the the the the tho, I'm a bit, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm a bit, I'm gonna, I'm a th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, tho, th. th. th. I'm, th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm gonna, th. I'm gonna, th. I'm gonna, th.. I'm gonna miss performing jokes awkwardly to complete silence. But, you know, most of all, I'm gonna miss you. What? You know, some people would say that you're the most important part of the show, and I just think

it's a shame that you're not gonna come with us to the new place. Well, you know, you shouldn't have signed that two-year lease here, I'm telling you. Wait, no, no, no, I'm coming. You can't go without... No, no, it's okay. We'll find a new house. It'll be fine. Let me guess. It won't be the Asian guy. You're not running? I'm glad you're coming with me. All right, people. to jump straight into today's today's today's today's today's today's to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to tho' tho' tho' tho' to tho' to to tho' the their tho' to to to to to the to 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 the the the the to the to the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th th. th tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. the tho tho tho new to to new to to tho tho to tho to tho to tho tho tho tho tho to begin with big news from Netflix, the friend who checked on you most during the pandemic. Netflix is still the most popular streaming TV service in the world, but its lead has been slipping recently.

Major rivals like Disney Plus have been gaining steam. Upstarts like Peacock have also been getting buzz. And of course, there's Paramount Plus, which is the best streaming service of all. They've got Champions League, they've got Yellowstone, and they pay me. Ha! I mean, I can't think of a better network. So, with Netflix no longer bringing in new customers the way it used to, the service is looking for ways to make more money off of the users it already has. And one idea Netflix is testing out is the exact opposite of CHIL. Sharing your Netflix account with someone else or a few some ones could cost you some money soon. Netflix says it'll start charging a fee to primary account holders who share their passwords with people outside their homes.

They're going to test this in three countries, Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. And depending on how the test goes, it could be expanded to other countries. Netflix says the fee will allow them to invest in more shows and more movies. Also, bottom line here, it'll boost their profits and cost you more money. No. No, no, Netflix! This wasn't the deal.

The deal was that we get to share a single account for our 30 closest friends. And in return, the the the the th, th, th, th, th, th, th, you, you, you, th, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, to, to, to to to th, to thi-n, to to to to to to to to thi, thi, to to to to to thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th.......... th, th, th, th, th.. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, theeeeeeeean, theean, thean, theean, theeean, theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, thi, thi, the deal. The deal was that we get to share a single account for our 30 closest friends, and in return, you get to keep murdering people to get material for your true crime documentaries. And by the way, you do have to admit, it's pretty shitty that they're testing this feature in Chile, Peru and Costa Rica. All right? I mean, those people just want to watch TV. They didn't sign up to be guinea pigs. Like, this makes me wonder how many other things Netflix has tested on them that we don't even know about. It could be anything. Could be different shows, it could be different features.

Like the sound, the Netflix sound. We're used to it, babbom. You find in those countries they're testing other ones. What's just someone screaming, ahah! Welcome to Netflix. Yeah, man, I don't know why everyone's always so casual with this Netflix password. You know, everyone's... What happens to ethics in this country? You know? Yeah, we like, is this like a country of crooks or something? We should be... We're paying for a good service here. This is a good service. They make good programs. This isn't a victim with crime.

This isn't a small crime like, like tax fraud or arson, being born a crime in half white, whatever you are in South Africa. This is a major intellectual property issue, man. Every time you look at someone's Netflix that you didn't pay for, you're taking money away from smart, capable, good-looking Netflix executives who make great decisions, not to mention comedians who make a ton of money saying whatever the fuck they want. And on a separate note, my new Netflix comedy special is coming out April 5th, Ronnie Chang, Speak Easy, so make sure you tune in. You don't even have to watch you just put it on. The views still count for my contract negotiations.

Thanks guys. I thought you know I was supporting you and then it took, you know what, all right, let's move on. So the coronavirus pandemic, which unlike most Netflix shows, has been renewed for season three. COVID cases are rising at an alarming rate in Europe, drawing renewed attention to the Omicron sub-variant known as B. A. 2 or the stealth stream. In the UK, daily COVID cases soared of 100,000, marking a jump to to to to to to to to toe toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, th, th, th, th, thiiiiiiiiiole, thiolvueueueueueueueueueueueueueueueueueueueuee, the same. Soe, the same, the stealth strain. In the UK, daily COVID cases soared of 100,000, marking a jump of 77% in a week. This comes right after they dropped pretty much all their COVID restrictions. In recent weeks, Germany has also continued to mark record high daily infections with more than 250,000 new cases a day. Meanwhile, in France, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands,

COVID infections are starting to rise following a rollback of coronavirus measures. We're seeing these cases rise in Europe, where they essentially have the same vaccines we've used, they have the same level of protection that we have here, both from natural immunity and from vaccinations, possibly even higher, and they're starting to see these cases, could be a harbinger what's going to happen here. Nah, shit. A harbinger? I don't even know what that word means, but harbingers are never good. Yeah, it's never like, this dog is heavily pregnant, which could be a harbinger of more puppies!

It's always bad shit. A harbinger of more COVID in America? Ah man. And look, I will say this guy. Before you panic, before you plan. Please, remember, remember, if most people are vaccinated, there will be a lot fewer deaths and hospitalizations than before, even if cases shoot up, remember, that's the most important thing. So we're not necessarily going back to the bad old days when every day you were scared that one of your loved ones might send you that Imagine video. Oh mean, I don't know, Trevor, this, this COVID,

this isn't the weak-ass 2020 peacetime COVID. This is the 2022 coming out of European war COVID. This is going to be strong COVID. This COVID survived like a direct nuclear hit. It's going to, it's going to come to America. It's going gonna infect everybody, you know it's it's gonna be tough people gonna get sick from it. It's gonna call you the end word. Right what? It's gonna look through your tweets and

find offensive stuff and get you canceled. I mean honestly I'm reading reports that this spike is gonna be really bad in a few weeks especially on April 5 so I suggest on that date everyone should stay at home and maybe do less dangerous activities like watch a Netflix comedy special like mine Ryan Chan speakeys you know on April 5th and on Netflix so tune it. I thought you were worried okay you know what finally here's a story that's definitely gonna bring you a little ray of sunshine in these dark days. Because let's be honest, people, all of us are pretty stressed out right now.

The pandemic doesn't seem to end. There's a giant war. There's mega droughts in Africa. And just yesterday, just yesterday, my dentist told me that I've been grinding my teeth while I sleep, which has stressed me out even more because how did my dentist get into my bedroom? But if your favorite coping method isn't doing the trick anymore, well, there's now a group of experts that you can call for advice.

If you've been feeling mad, frustrated or nervous, just know you're not alone. There's a group of elementary school students with some positive messages, only a phone call away. Welcome to the PEPTAC hotline. Real advice you can use from the students at Westside Elementary. The hotline is the brainchild of Westside art teacher Jessica Martin and local artists, a Cheryl Weiss. Two days after we went live, we were getting 500 calls an hour. And last I checked, we were getting 11,000 calls an hour. If you're nervous, go get your wallet and spend it on ice cream and shoes.

You're frustrated, you can always go to your bedroom, punch a pillow or cry on it, and just go scream outside. Huh? Just when you thought there was no goodness in the world, you see something like this. I don't care what you say, that is the most adorable way to feel better ever. You call a five-year-old and they give you advice. You know? Like, I gotta say, I like getting advice from kids

way more than the alternative. Because if you tell a kid you're stressed. They're like, go buy some ice cream. That picks you up, you know? But if you tell your therapists you're stressed, what do they do? They're like, let's relive every failed relationship you've ever had. And then just when I'm getting into it, they're like, all right, our time is up. Good luck out there, kid. I will say their advice could make you feel a whole lot better, but then, you realize you're taking advice from a child.

Are you depressed again? I love the service. There's nothing wrong with it. Ronnie, would you do this? Trevor, hang on. Pep Talk? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I've been feeling this accidental dread from this pandemic and this war.

the gas prices are going through a roof. Also my Netflix specials coming out on April 5th and I've been feeling a little insecure about it. Also my marriage, you know I want to say why I'm happy but you know it just feels like there's this silence and emptiness that just keeps growing. I don't know. Do you have any advice? What's that? Drink some apple juice? Okay. Thank you. Do you think I haven't tried that? It's fucking kids, man. I think you're missing the point of what the kid is trying to do, Ronnie. I mean, how much juice can one man take? You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I get it, but the kid, it's not like actually about doing the thing, it's about the feeling of the kid. Well, if you can't deliver, then don't the the the the the the the the the the thi thi thi thin thin thin thin thin thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thi. thi. thi' thi' thi' thi' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' the thin' the thin' the thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' the feeling of the kid. Well if you can't deliver then don't start the business all right? It's not a business it's a thing to make you feel

good. Well it's funny I don't want to get a bill for that shit that was completely useless. Yeah it's not about the bill running it's about the joy it's like there's some things in life that bring people joy. Look if I'm gonna get It's like, what you're doing kindergarten, it's like coloring a book? Dude, in Asia, we'd be doing advanced calculus by this point. I want some Asian kids to give me to my advice. Wow. You know, it's so grumpy. You know what you need to do, Ronnie? You need to go on Netflix on April 5th and what's your special?

It'll probably cheer you up. All right, thank you so much Ronnie Chang. Let's move on to our top story. We are now in the fourth week of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia's worst decision since sending their horniest spy to kill James Bond. So, let's catch up on all of success recently in terms of capturing Ukrainian territory, that doesn't mean the military hasn't been successful at killing Ukrainian civilians. Every day brings new reports of a hospital, school or shelter being hit by a Russian airstrike, or entire cities under siege with no access to food, water or medicine. And I honestly don't know what the point of it all is.

Like, unless Putin's plan is to win over the Ukrainian people with the world's largest case of Stockholm syndrome, what is he doing? But either way, either way, Ukraine has been saying for weeks that Russia is guilty of war crimes. And now it looks like the President of the United States agrees. Now to Washington, where President Biden has called Vladimir Putin a war criminal for the very first time.

Here's a war criminal. The White House says President Biden was, quote, speaking from the heart about Vladimir Putin's barbaric actions when he made that declaration. The Kremlin responded to that charge just moments ago, calling it, quote, absolutely unacceptable and inexcusable in pointing to the US bombing of Hiroshima and Hagasaki during World War II. Ah, seriously, Russia? You're going to bring up something America did in the 40s? America's committed plenty of war crimes since then. Keep up with the times,

you come with that old shit. And just because America committed war crimes, doesn't mean that you have to as well, Vladimir Putin, okay? I mean, what, if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? No, seriously, would you? I'm just brainstorming ways to end this whole thing. I just want to know what you'd do, you know? Now, despite being under constant bombardment, Ukraine's president, Vladimir Zelensky, he's made it clear that he's, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thiii, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th.. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th........ And, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. And, thi. And, thi. And, thi. thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. And, thi. And, thi. And,that he has no plans, zero, nada, to ever surrender to Russia.

Yeah, practically every day he releases a new video reassuring Ukrainians that he's still in charge, he's still in Kiev, and he's still making olive green t-shirts the hardest fashion item of 2022. Although, if you were watching Ukrainian news yesterday, you might have heard a very different message. A video claimant to show Ukraine President Zelensky calling for the Ukrainian people to surrender to Russia was aired on news station Ukraine 24. It then circulated on social media. In the deep fake video, a phony President Zelensky tells Ukrainians to put their weapons down in their war with Russia. Digital forensics quickly picked it apart catching a number of visual and audio glitches. The official Facebook account for Ukraine's land forces posted a warning

that more videos like this may be coming. Yeah. You know what's funny is the first time I saw a deep fake, the first time I wondered when it would finally be used for something dangerous in the world, like something actually meaningful. Because you realize, like some Ukrainians could have seen this video and actually surrendered. And the only only the only the only only the only only only the only only the only only the only only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the only the o' the o' the o' the o' the o' thi thi thi thiou, thi o' faui o' faui faui faui fa faucucu. Fa fa fa. Fa. Fa. Fa. Fa. Fa. Fa. Fa. Fa. Faui f. Faui f. Faicicicicicicicicicicicicicicicicc, the f. the f. the f. the f. the f. the f. It's f. It's f. It's fc. It's fc. It's fc. It's fc. the fc. the official fc.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c. the the the the the the the fc. F. F. the the like, some Ukrainians could have seen this video and actually surrendered. And the only reason they spotted this was because of small discrepancies and also because the fake Zelensky says that Putin had a big dick and he's a karate king. I mean, that sort of gave it away. But you realize why deep fakes are so scary, right?

It's because they can make you think that anyone was doing anything even if they were not......., have you seen, there's a video of me online where they make it look like I was crying at the end of Jurassic world, which is ridiculous. Why would I, why would I cry just because that one dinosaur, fought with other dinosaur, like, like, like dinosaurs, why are they killing each other? Why are they doing that? other? Why they didn't? You see, they did it again! That was... The point is, the point is, this was a bullshit way for Russia to try and win this war. Yeah, which is why we at the Daily Show decided we're getting back at Putin by releasing our own deep-fake video.

It's me, Vladimir Putin. I made boo-Buddin' Ukraine, and I just pooped my pants. Ha! Check mate, Putin. Now, we don't know for sure who's behind this deep fake, but it obviously wouldn't be shocking if it was the work of the Russian government, since fake news is kind of the whole thing right now. In fact, if you turn on Russia's state media, you'd probably hear that Ukraine was the aggressor in this war, and that Russia had no choice but to defend itself, and also

that the war is going great. And if a few thousand Russian soldiers never come home, it's not because they're dead, it's because they're on a permanent vacation. You know how it is. And believe it or not, believe it or not, the Russian government is being helped, their, th. th. th. th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, the. And, the, the, the, the, the, thi. And, thi, thi, thi, thi, and, thi, that, that, and, thrush, and, thi, thi, that, thi, thi, that, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, and, and, thi, and, and, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th, th. And, th, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, the, the. And, the. And, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, the. the. And, the. And, the. And, the Russian government is being helped in this propaganda effort by conservative TV networks in the United States. Yeah, as wild as it sounds, channels like Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN, they've been so friendly to Putin's narrative that Russian TV stations have even reportedly been ordered to play clips of Tucker Carlson on its broadcasts. And that's a smart move by Tucker. You might be like, why is he defending the Russians? Yeah, it's a smart move.

You don't want to put all your eggs in the Trump propaganda baskets. You got to diversify, you know? Think about other bad guys you could roll with Putin, Kim Jong-un. Hey, maybe the joker. Are we really supposed to believe a Batman is keeping our streets safer? Why is that? But the point is America's conservative media is doing almost as good a job at spreading Russian propaganda as Russia itself. All right, when we come back, Desiletic checks in with the Russians, we shouldn't be blaming. You don't want to miss it.

Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not the the the th, but th, but th, but the th, but th, but the th, but not the th, but not the the th, but not the the the the th, but not th, but not the the thi, but not thi, but not the their thi, but not their their, but not their, but their, but their, but their, but their, their, their, their, their, their is. But, their their is. But, the point is. But, the point is. But, the point is the point is the point is the point is the point is the point the point the point the point the point the thi. But, their their, their, thi, their, their, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, thi. thi. their their thi. their their their their thi. their their, their, their, their it. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter's smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, Zip Recruiters' powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner.

Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruit find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address, Zip Recruiter.com slash Zip. Again, that's Zip Recruiter. The smartest way to hire. Welcome back to the daily show. Since the start of Russia's war war war war war war war war war war war war war war war war to to to to to to to to to the to the the to th. th. th. th. th. to th. to th. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to thi. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thi. the the. the the.a.e.e.e.e.e.e.e. the the the the the the the the the the.a.a.a.a.a. the. the. to the Daily Show. Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine, everyone has been looking for a way to help Ukraine and get back at Russia.

But it turns out some people are doing it the wrong way. And Desilic has more. Like Pride flags in June, Freedom Fries after 9-11, or Black Squares on social media, Americans have a knack for making real change with their creative activism. And no surprise, now they're turning their focus to Russia. Russian restaurants here in the U.S. that once proudly display the country's heritage or feeling repercussions from a war thousands of miles away.

A new call this morning to ban the sale of Russian alcohol here in New York. Surely these savvy New Yorkers know a Putin supporter when they see one, right? But are these businesses really in the pockets of Russian oligarchs? And how much are they sending back to Putin himself? As a true patriot, I had to find out how well our boycott strategy was working. My first stop, a Russian front, sorry, Evna. Sound suspicious already. Did Putin help you set up this place????? th. th. thuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu in the West Village, Sarajevna. Sounds suspicious already. Did Putin help you set up this place?

No, no. How much of a share does he have in this business? None that I'm aware of. If I order the Borsch, how much of it will go back into his hands? Presumably none. It's here somewhere. Where's the yacht? There's no yacht. I wasn't able to find the spy stuff at Rikis, but a restaurant with Russian in the name

must be a front for Moscow loyalists. I went to the Russian Samovar to meet with the owner. Look at this guy, he's got to be in Putin's pocket. You brought this out for me? Yeah. Misha von Schottz. that's your real name? It's my real name. Misha won a shot. Do you always refer to yourself in the third person? Misha sometimes does. This is going to be a long shoot.

You know what, you should probably try this first. I know what Russia does to journalists. No. Mmm. What is your most popular dish and drink here? Uh, no surprise, chicken Kiev. And how has business been up until this point? Business was just getting good again, coming out of the pandemic, and then because we have Russian in the name, we're automatically

vilified. You know, just because we are a Russian establishment doesn't mean we write a check to Putin or his regime. We're standing with Ukraine in our staff that is mostly Ukrainian. People don't understand many Ukrainians work for Russian establishments. And by blackbullying the business, you're hurting them earning their wages and their tips where they need to send it back home to help theirs, which becomes the problem as well. Where exactly do you stand on this war? We stand behind all Russian New ers when we say that violence is not the answer, and we are here to make Borsh, not war.

How has your business changed since this war started? Since the first week of the war, we definitely noticed a big decline in business and revenue. We'd probably say about half of what we normally do, just people not coming in. Americans have a way of sort of not knowing exactly where to put their activism and sort of misunderstanding a proper boycott. Is that what's happening in the situation? That's sort of what's happening. Yeah, they like to assume that maybe the Russians in New York by maybe hurting us, it might hurt Russians back home when in reality, the Russians that are here left Russia for a reason. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi the the thi their their thi thi thi thi thi thi thi their thi thi thi. their their the when in reality, the Russians that are here left Russia for a reason.

Could it be that our protest strategy was punishing the wrong people? I mean, these guys are even part Ukrainian themselves. This is worse than the time my sister went to jail because our DNA profiles are so similar. Business dropped like overnight. We were just getting threats and calls, calling us all types of names, Nazis, this and that and that, and that, and that, and th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi. And, thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, and, and, and, and, the, and, and, and, the, the, the, the, and, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. theei. thi. thi. thi. the. thi. thi. thi. thi. th just getting threats and calls, calling us all types of names, Nazis, this and that, and being of Jewish descent isn't always a nice thing to deal with. And that's happening pretty frequently? On a constant basis, yeah. So that's another shot.

I'm, that's okay. Yeah, it's all right. Okay. There, there we go. Okay. Oh, you went for the whole thing. I don't want to be rude. You sure you're not a Russian spy?

You drank that like a Russian. I'm so sorry that your business is suffering and that Americans are so misguided on this whole thing. I want to support your business. You know what tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho th what? I'll take one of everything. Rounded drinks for everyone. Well, there's no one in here, but you get the idea. Just everything. We can get you our Russian kid juice. Yes. Cheers. And to wash that down some of our famous Borsh. Nice. Okay, I've very much been looking forward to this. What is in this? So, beets and beef and potato, all Russian's favorite thing.

I have a slight beet allergy, but it'll be fine. Oh, it's so good. I'm not going to let that get in the way. What would be your message to Americans during this time? My message to Americans is don't vilify anything or anybody that is Russian. We didn't start this war. It's Putin's war. One final question.

Why so many beats? Why not? It's full of vitamins and minerals. Well, if one thing is abundantly clear, it's that New Yorkers have gotten this one all wrong, and the only Russian asshole in this war is Putin. Now the only thing left to do is to support my fellow Americans. Thank you so much for that, Desi. All right, people don't go away.

Because when we come back, you know how people always say, if you don't like America, you should just leave. Well, we're gonna talk to someone who actually did that, so stay tuned. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. zip recruder finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at ziprecruiter.com. Zip Recruiters smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, Zip Recruiter's powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it.

And you can use Zip Recruiters' pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive webthat's zip recruiter.com slash zip. Zip recruiter, the smartest way to hire. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is journalist and author Tiffany Drayton. Her new memoir is about how her family came to America for a better life and why she

returned to Trinidad and Tobago because she felt they couldn't find it. Tiffany Drayton, welcome to the day show. Thank you so much for having me, Trevor. You know, you have one of the most interesting takes in this book. You do not want to be middle of the road. You very much want to speak your piece. Black American refugee. You say of that I'm leaving.

Absolutely. So when you say black American refugee, that's a very specific title to choose for a book. Because you don't say black American immigrant, you say black American refugee, which implies some sort of fleeing. You're leaving the place, you're living in exile now. I would love to understand the thought behind that because many would say, oh, but you chose to leave and you could stay as well. But you argue in the book, you couldn't stay. Staying wasn't actually an option for you if you wanted to live a life. Right, and that's when you have to really

take a good look at systemic oppression and what that does to an individual. So when I made that decision to leave the to leave, I the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the theiiiiiioprassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassassass. to be to to leave, to leave, I to leave, I to leave, I to leave, I was to leave, I was to leave, I was to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave, I to leave, I to leave, I to leave, I to leave, I to leave, I to to to to leave, to leave, the the the the the the the the the the tooombusheoumoombusheou-s. tooombushe, tooes. tooombushe, tooes. tooes. tooes. tooes. toe, toe, to withholding of your diploma, the living in a neighborhood that is rife with violence. These are all things that I was experiencing at that time and then on top of that, to add an additional layer of trauma, I was in a narcissistic abusive relationship. And that's something that's more common with people who are of an oppressed minority, you realize it's so hard to not find yourself in abusive dynamics because guess what?

Everybody is existing in a way that's so traumatic and so full of constant distress. And not only that, but we internalize so many of the messages from our abusers. And in this case, this larger structure of systemic oppression, right? For example, you know, so many black people, inter-interns, the thir, because, because, because, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, because, because, thi, because, because, thi, because, because, thi, thi, thi, because, thi, thi, thi, thi, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, thi, because, because, because, because, because, thi, because, because, because, thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, this larger structure of systemic oppression, right? For example, you know, so many black people internalize ideas of self-hate that they would have learned from the media that brands us thugs or crack babies or welfare queens, all of these brands and all of these labels.

And so my decision to leave was really born of my desire to even free myself from those labels. And that's what I was able to do by going back to Trinidad. There are pros and cons to every country. I have friends from Trinidad who'll be like, man, Trevor, I wish I lived in America. There's opportunities, there's ways you can do things. It seems like there's upward mobility. and it's a village, but it also feels constricting at times. Do you not think it's just a case of maybe the grass being greener, or do you think it's something that you've chosen to weigh up and go, you know what, me feeling like being black

is not an issue is worth more to me than the ease of upward mobility? Or do you think the upward mobility doesn't even exist? I feel like, you know, when you recognize that you are in a a a a a a the the the the the tha, the tha, the tha, tha, thrown, the thrown, the thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, throwne, throwne, throwne, thrassasse, thrasse, thrasse, thrasse, thrassui, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, throwne, throwne, throwne, throwne, ta, togu.a, isa, isa, isa, isa.a, isa.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a, isa, isa, is tomea, a caste system, it is true that upward mobility may exist for the few. But what does that say about the majority? And is there truly upward mobility if when you move into that rich neighborhood or you start driving that BMW, you are still under the same threat of white supremacy? Is it truly upward mobility if you have to be afraid to gift your child a car that's expensive because a police officer may shoot that child because they think that the child stole the car just because they're black. You know, I think that we can only view mobility in terms of maybe our economic circumstances,

but when that brand of blackness puts you at the bottom rungs of a society, there is really no way to escape that aside from destroying that very system that seeks to put people in that rung and keep them there. I like that you say cost system. Because it is that. Yeah, but I think people don't understand what a cost system actually is. No, they don't.

But it doesn't have to be India. It could be the American, I, I, I, I, I, the the the the the the thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, tho, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, is thi, is thi, is, is, is, is thi, is, is, is thi, is thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.eea, is thi, is thi, is thi, is're like, but it's not India. It's like it doesn't have to be India. It could be the American version. Yes, but I still, I often say to people, we're still dealing with a very basic level of it because here it's still like, we're still like, I always think of, if I was playing a video game, race is still like, almost like the first boss. Do you know what I mean? They're still gonna, like classism is the, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the, the, the the their their. their, their, like, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their their, their, their still still their, to to to their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their their their to their to their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. what the racism is hiding under. You don't think so? No, absolutely not. Because ultimately, you don't think so? Darling, let's go take a trip down MLK. Let's go to take a trip down Malcolm X. In fact, let's go to Barack Obama schools across the United States of America. Tell me about class not being interconnected with race. The class system, in America, remember that you brought enslaved people to act as your... Completely with you.

And from that moment, you built a system around oppressing them. Right. So that you can constantly use their bodies to profit from, let's look at mass incarceration. And I'm not saying not interconnected. This is what I'm saying, this is what I'm no one in the same, like this, hand and glove. In America, it may not be everywhere. Oh, they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they then, then, then, the, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the, the, the, tho, the, the, the. the. the. tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, completely, completely, completely, completely, tho, completely, completely, completely, completely, tho, tho, tho. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the, the, the, the, the, the. the. the. the. thea. thea. thea. the maybe into twine now. Yes In America, you built both systems simultaneously I mean, it's a very young country. It's not like it's a brand new country It's not like it's a very old country. And that's that's what I'm saying people I think Don't seem so I appreciate that you said it like that so okay. Let's look at America as an example, the thing I always try and try try try try try try try try try. try. try. try, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th let's the, the. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the the the. the the the the to to the the the the the the the the the the the. the the. the. the. to people is this. The system that exists screws over so many

white people as well. Agreed. Because there are so many white people who are kept poor by a system that has taught them that black people are coming to take your shit. So you need to fight the black people. And that's what the caste system does. If you look at the history of America, right? Yes. Europeans of all sorts can come to America and eventually assimilate. You absorb the whiter folks so that your power is maintained. But that doesn't mean, but the key thing is that the white is on one end and the black is on the other. So anybody who falls off into that black category, like if you're dealing with descendants of slaves who are American, they know it's a caste system.

There's no question for them because they see how there is no like generational wealth. Yes. Where, where's it at? Like the average wife family has like 16 times the amount of generational wealth. So to say it's not race, that's just... No, no, no, I'm not saying it's not race. This is what I'm saying. Let's look at it, yes, but I'm saying they are are they are they't think they're the same thing, and I'll tell you why. Let's look at immigrants who come to America. That first generation will come from a place and go, huh, I was given opportunities, I could make something of it. Yes, I had to be a the... Then, ironically, they're kids who are black American are now promised a dream, like MLK said.

So immigrants will go, this is not my country, ergo, the promise is not to me, so the country's not failing me. They have American children. The American children go, I have a promise. Then the promise is not fulfilled, which creates... You know, I want to give you another thing to think about as we're on this, because if you want to look generationally, like my mother, when she came to the United States of America, despite the fact that she worked as a nanny and then eventually became a nurse, she was actually a very educated woman.

Now for her to give her children that same level of access to education, we ventu. to three, four states. So it requires so much th, so thia th. th. thia, th. thiii. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thathea. thathea. thathea. thathea, that. that. that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to. to. to, to, to, too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. to. to. to. to. to, like, if you look at the education system, like, if you are in a majority black school, it's going to be hot garbage, and that's just a fact. In other countries, that's not going to be the thing that's holding you back. It's not going to be the fact that you're black-a-black that you can't, these titles of being immigrant or Trinidad or whatever are going to protect you, and perhaps they might give you a blinder, but

for your children, they're going to have to experience what it is like to be educated in the education system of the United States of America. And to read There are things I agree with that things I disagree with there things that are new to me I hope everybody reads it for that reason. Thank you so much for joining me on the show. Thank you so much for having me All right people. All right people Tiffany Drayton's memoir black American refugee is available right now we're gonna to tak, we to tak a a a tak a tak break a tak break a th break a quick th break a quick th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi thi thi. thi. I'll th. I'll th. I'll th. I'll th. I'll th. I'll th. I'll th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I'm thin's the. I'm thin the. theeeeea thin theeea thin theeeea thin thi. thi. thi's thi thi thi thi th for tonight, but before we go, in honor of Women's History Month, the Daily Show partnered with Lolly Lolly Ceramics to create three special edition Daily Show mugs. All month long, you've seen Lolly Lolly's mugs right here on our desk, and you've got one last chance to buy a mug of your very own. Remember, they're limited.

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