The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Please Allow Me to Introduce Yourself - Joe Manchin | Katherine Maher & Travon Free

Episode Date: April 14, 2021

Trevor examines the powerful position of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, Katherine Maher discusses the mission of Wikipedia, and Travon Free talks about his short film "Two Distant Strangers."To help support UNICEF's efforts to ensure equitable vaccine distribution, testing and treatments, donate at dailyshow.com/UNICEF. 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. 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, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's going on everybody? I'm Trevor Noah and this is the daily social distancing show. Today is Tuesday April 13th and as we all know, April showers bring May flowers. So remember, even when it starts raining, just keep in mind, keep in mind that it's... It's all worth it for the flowers. That was weird. Anyway, coming up on tonight's show, Japan is trying to make a real-life Godzilla. We introduce you to the

Democrat that Democrats hate most and cancel culture is coming for vaccines. So let's do this people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. From Trevor's couch in New York City to your couch somewhere in the world. This is the daily social distancing show with Trevor Noah. Ears Edition. Let's kick things off with the coronavirus vaccine, aka People Magazine's Sexiest Vaccine Alive.

In the last few months, we've gotten all sorts of different vaccines. Pfizer, Moderna, Astra, AstraZeneca, Montero, but for at least a little while, it looks like there's going to be one less. Breaking news this morning, the CDC and the FDA have just issued a joint statement recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in the US. The agencies say they are reviewing six reported cases of a rare type of blood clot in people who have received the vaccine. Nearly seven million doses of the J&J vaccine have already been administered in the U.S.

officials say these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. Yeah, the FDA has temporarily halted the Johnson and Johnson vaccine vaccine while they look into six cases of rare blood clots in people who got that vaccine. And look, on the one hand, I get it. You don't want the vaccine for one disease to give you another disease. Like, I wouldn't want the flu shot

if it also gave me restless vagina syndrome. But on the other hand, it's six cases out of seven million doses. You realize that means you're more likely to get struck by lightning 10 times, which, by the way, is the origin story of Marvel's most useless superhero. Help us! Help us! Help you! Well, I need help! I've been struck by lightning 10 times. Call an ambulance! Yeah! Well, he's still better than Hawkeye. And don't forget, yes, yes, you might have a 0.001% chance of getting blood clots from this vaccine.

But if you get coronavirus, you can get lung damage, heart damage, neurological damage, strokes, seizures, Guillain-Barre syndrome, immune disorders, erectile dysfunction, and get this also blood clots. Honestly, if you ask me, I think it's actually impressive that Johnson and Johnson even made an effective vaccine with such a low chance of blood clots. I mean Pfizer and Madonna, those are drug companies. Johnson and Johnson makes a baby shampoo. I'm surprised their shit works at all.

But still, there is no question that this is a setback. I'm not going to deny. It's a setback for a country that is already dealing with a shit ton of vaccine. Because even if they look at the problem and they decide that the vaccine is safe, you best believe for a lot of people the damage is already done. And I get it. I mean imagine you're at a restaurant and the chef comes out and says, we need to pause eating to make sure your dinner is not going to give you diarrhea. Even if he then says, never mind your crab cakes are safe.

By then, you've been thinking about diarrhea for 20 minutes, so you probably probably probably probably probably probably probably probably probably probably probably probably probably to have drinks. But look, while this is a small setback, the US is still doing a really good job with its vaccine rollout, which you have to admit is little unexpected. I mean, given how America handled everything else about the pandemic, I wouldn't have been surprised if when vaccine time came around, America accidentally locked all 300 million doses in the trunk of the car. They melted. I didn't know it locked itself. In fact, one of the only countries that's doing just as well as the US is Great Britain.

And today, they're celebrating the result of that success. People in England can once again have someone else pulled them a pint of beer and enjoy it while sitting in a pub garden. That's just one of several coronavirus restrictions now being eased, thanks to a fast vaccination rollout, coupled with a falling death rate. Many businesses reopened for the first time since January. Long lines of eager shoppers formed outside clothing stores in London.

Some Brits got their first real haircut of the year. But for others, this is what they'd been waiting all winter for. British people, I mean the way we cope with being British is going to the pub as often as possible. So we've been denied that for months and now we're like, okay then we're back to normal. I've seen everyone smiling. It really feels like, it feels you with positivity and hope that we're going to get over this. I'm on my tenth pint pint already already already already already already already already already already already already already already already already already already thine pint thine pint thine point point point point to get over this. I'm on my tenth pint already and I'm speaking straight it's great. Ooh ten pints. This guy doesn't even need the vaccine. The alcohol in his blood will kill any corona that gets in there. But

that's right. The UK is finally out of lockdown and that's in part thanks to a very successful vaccine program. Now one thing that the British did differently is that they prioritized giving everyone a first shot quickly rather than making sure that people got both doses, which actually makes sense. You know, it's like if you have 10 pints of beer. You want to let everyone have some so that everyone can enjoy the party. You don't let one fucking guy drink all 10 pints. That would be insane, Charlie!

Oh, and another big difference between America and the UK is that the UK and a lot of other countries actually had a real lockdown. No stores, no pubs, no nothing. America never did that. And that's why right now some Americans are going, well, I don't get why my life will change with the vaccine. Well, yeah, for you it won't, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because with the vaccine. Well, yeah, for you it won't, because you never stopped going to TGI Fridays.

But let's move on, because you might be asking, now that we're slowly getting out of this coronavirus disaster, what are we going to do now? Well, we try and make another one. Japanese officials say, in two years years they will start releasing radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. The water's been accumulating at the site since its meltdown in 2011 after a massive earthquake and tsunami, both China and South Korea say they've got grave concerns over this move but Japan insists the water is safe.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. They're just dumping that water back into the ocean? I mean, I don't know what kind of brittle filter they're using, but I've got doubts. And Japan better be telling the truth about this water being safe, because if it's not, that's going to be really bad for ocean life. It's going to be bad for the environment and for people. I mean, on the plus side, it's going, it, it, it, it, it, it's th, it's th, it's th, it's th, it's th, it's th, it's th, it's th, it's th th th th thi thi, it's going thi, it's going thi, it's going to be to be to be thi, it's going to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be thi, it's going to be to be to be thi, it's going thi, it's going thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's the the the the thi. the thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thin, the thean thean thi. thean thean thiii. thii. thii. thi. that I kind of wish Japan hadn't announced it. Yeah, I know. I'm just saying, if they're going to do it, they should have done it quietly, you know?

Like when you pee in the ocean. Okay, Fukushima's empty now. I mean, isn't there anything else Japan can do with that water besides putting it in the ocean? Like, I don't know, use it to fill waterbed mattresses. Anybody who owns one of those is probably going to die of something weirder than nuclear waste water anyways, so I mean... And look, I'm going to say something that might not be popular right now. But even if this destroyed the ocean, how would you know? Huh?

You're not hanging out in the ocean? What, David Attenborough has to stop making documentaries about it? Big deal! He's already made like 20 ocean documentaries. We'll just re-watch those. If anything, it's those shows that are the problem. He's always telling us shit that makes us depressed. You see this coral reef, it's dead now. Why did you show it to us then, David?

We would have never known it was dead if not for you. If you think about it, he's the one who killed it. He killed everything. But let's move on to the hot topic out of Washington, D.C. America's infrastructure is crumbling faster than a nature valley, which is why Joe Biden has released an ambitious plan to rebuild. His new infrastructure bill covers not just roads and bridges, but also manufacturing, high-speed internet, green energy, and even home health care for the elderly.

And yeah, I know that that last one isn't really infrastructure, but come on. You know, Biden had to throw a little something in there for himself, you know what I mean? So this bill would be a huge investment in America. But because it costs more than $2 trillion and might actually help people, no Republican senators are expected to vote for it. The good news for Biden is that this is one of those bills that the Democrats could pass with a simple majority, which they do have in the Senate. The bad news is one of those votes has thiiiots thiots thiots thiiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. That thi. That thi. That thi. thi. thi. thi. thoes thoes thoes thi. thoes thoes thoes thoes thoes tho tho tho tho tho tho tho 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. the the the the the to theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. tho. tho. tho. they do have in the Senate. The bad news is, one of those votes has to be Joe Manchin, West Virginia Senator and Owl

on a job interview. And right now, Joe Manchin isn't too happy with the bill. Joe Manchin might be a roadblock to the infrastructure plan. The one man who may control the fate of President Biden's agenda is not making life easy for his fellow Democrats. Senator Joe Manchin has continued to rail against a 28% proposed corporate tax hike to pay for this thing. He thinks this will be broken up into three bills because one of the big arguments is

that some things like child care and housing aren't technically infrastructure. Look he is that 50th vote for Democrats, and Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, can't pass anything that Biden sends over without Joe Manchin. You hear that? The entire fate of this infrastructure bill rests in the meaty hands of Joe Manchin.

And it's not just infrastructure. If Joe Biden wants anything past, from gun control to raising the minimum wage, to making the barburtain the host of Jeopardy, he has to get Joe Manchin on board. Basically, if the Democrats are Britney Spears, the Joe Manion is their dad. Which makes Joe Manion the most powerful person in America. Well, second to the guy at CVS who is the key to the razor shelf. But who is Joe Manchin? And more importantly, why is Joe Manchin? Well, let's find out in our brand new segment.

Please allow me to introduce yourself. Jo Mansion first rose to prominence as the governor of West Virginia. Before getting elected. Joe Manchin first rose to prominence as the governor of West Virginia, before getting elected to the Senate in 2010. And while all senators talk about reaching across the aisle, Manchin has made it a personal mission. Joe Manchin believes in working across the aisle and has relationships. He wants to focus on trying to get Democrats and Republicans that work in the same room.

He has been part of some bipartisan groups that have been trying to come up with some kind of legislation that can get support in the Senate from both parties. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. They are the newly announced honorary co-chairs of No Labels, a group advocating bipartisan solutions in Washington. Everything No Labels does is in a bipartisan way. It's not from one side, ideologically or the other. We're in the radical middle.

That's right. Joe Mansion is in the radical middle. He'll eat extra vanilla ice cream! Woo! Now crank up the edge here and make a reasonable bottom noise! I will say, the term radical middle is a great way to trick your friends into riding bitch, isn't it? Ooh, the middle back seat. Oh, so radical.

Both of your legs are going to be touching one of ours. Oh, tho. But if I'm I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I'm the the th th thi thi thi thi thine thine thine thi thatath. thathe thathe thathe thathe thathe thathe thathe thoen is thoen to be thatrae. thoen to be to be to be to be to be tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. to to tho. tho. tho. tho. thatat. that. that. that. that. that. thatt. thatt. thattha. thatch. thatch. thanananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananed going to be touching one of ours. But if I'm completely honest here, Mansion is kind of right. It is radical to be in the middle during this time in American politics. I mean, Democrats and Republicans are further apart than my nipples were after that botched boob job. So the fact that he can agree with both sides, that's extreme. It's kind of like being a robot who's also Amish. We are simple people who believe in the old ways.

But even if the working across the aisle is going out of fashion in Washington, it makes Manchin very popular in West Virginia. Although he's also popular there because he looks out for his people's interests, whether it's defending their coal mines or their reputations. MTV's newest reality show, Buckwild is been described as a Jersey Shore Appalachia. One thing these shows have in common, they stir up controversy before they go on the air. As Chip Reed reports, a senator from West Virginia is condemning the new program's view of his home state. Well, no way shape or form is this reality, and definitely not reality in West Virginia. If it was

your state and these were your children, how would you feel about it? Okay, first of all, I'm not sure that this is the best argument to make if you care about your state's tourism industry. Don't believe the reality show. This place is boring a shit, but also a mansion can relax because everyone is fully aware that reality TV isn't reality. I mean, think about it, the Bachelorette makes dating seem like you go zip-lining with a woman and 30 other guys. That's not real. Everyone knows that dating is really just grabbing dinner with a woman and 30 other guys.

Ain't nobody's zip lining. But fighting for his state wouldn't be enough if Joe Manchin supported standard democratic policies. Because don't forget, West Virginia is an extremely conservative state. So anyone who wants to get elected there has to be pretty conservative too. And Joe Manchin definitely is. He actually said that he regretted supporting Hillary Clinton, said he might be open to supporting Donald Trump in 2020 if he agrees with him on a number of issues.

Joe Manchin tweeting this, quote, Defund the police, defund my butt. He he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he th. He he th. He he th. He th. He th. He th. He th. He th. He 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 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. to th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. to to to to to to to to to to to to issues. Joe Manchin tweeting this, quote, Defund the police, defund my butt. He opposed some of President Obama's energy policies and has supported gun rights. When President Trump brought a bipartisan group to the White House, Manchin, Senator Manchin, from West Virginia, is the first Democrat to say, all right, I'm on board.

I'll cut federal spending and I'll repeal the bad parts of Obamacare. I sue DPA and I'll take dead aim at the cap and trade bill. Okay, first of all, can we just stop this thing where politicians shoot bills in their ads? It's tacky. It's also kind of disrespectful to the staff at King Coase. But it's people like Joe Mansion that make you you realize, America needs more than two major parties. Because he doesn't seem to totally fit into either one. I mean, think about it. Joe Manchin is in the same party as AOC. Imagine if other industries work like this.

Like, to have a career in music, you had to either join B.T.S. or the Wu Tang Klan. I mean, Billy Eilish is like, but I don't fit into either of those. You gotta choose, Billy, you gotta choose! So, Manchin is in the Democratic Party, but he doesn't really get along with the Democratic Party. In fact, I'm sure there are moments that get really tense when he walks by the Democrats in the cafeteria. There's probably the th th th th th th th th th tho th tho tho tho th tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho th seat left empty at the table and Bernie always puts his giant mittens on it. I'm once again asking you to

set somewhere else. So Joe Manchin is pushing conservative ideas and preventing Democrats from passing their bills. The question is then, why do they they put up with him? Do they love his homemade gazpaccio? Is he the only tenor in the Senate Barbershop Quartet? Or could he be the only only only only only only only only only only only only only only. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the. the the. the the. the the. th. the the the the. th. the th. the the the the th. th. th. the th. th. thiu, t. thi. th. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. toe. I. I. I. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. I. I. I. I. toe. I. toe. toe. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. the t. the the tte. the the te. the te. the the the te. the the te. the te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. the the only tenor in the Senate Barbershop Quartet? Or could he be the only Democrat with the upper body strength to open a pickle jar? No. It's mostly because when it comes to Democrats from West Virginia, he's the best they're ever going to get. Joe Manchin, coming from a state that Donald Trump won with 68% of the vote. He's the only Democrat who could win in West Virginia. So therefore, he's sort of an immovable object.

Joe Manchin is one of the 50 Democratic votes. He's the only Democrat who can get elected to the Senate from West Virginia. And so they got deal with Joe Manchin. Yeah. Joe Manchin may be a pain in the ass who wants everything done his way, but without him, the Democrats wouldn't have a majority at all. And then, they wouldn't get anything past. He's like that annoying kid on your block who had a pool. Yeah, he hogged all the noodles and wouldn't let anyone use the diving board, but without

him, there's no pool party. And then, you're just running through the sprinkler, like a little bitch. So that's Joe Manchin. Party pooper, radically boring and the most powerful man in America. And you might not like him. You might wish he was someone else. But if you don't want all the roads and bridges to collapse, well, you've got to get in his pool. All right, when we come back, I'll be speaking to Catherine Maher, one of the people behind Wikipedia. And maybe she can tell me how I can just look up one thing without spending the next hour looking up 10 others. So don't go away.

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. 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, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. My first guest tonight is Catherine Maher. She is the chief executive of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that runs Wikipedia. We talked about relying on its army of volunteers to provide accurate information and what the future may hold.

Catherine Mar, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Hey, it's great to be here. Thanks for having me. I remember a time time time time time you do better than me when Wikipedia was really just a place where like celebrities went to lie about how tall they were and now it's become the place that people look for information. I mean even if you talk to your Siri or your Alexa it'll say this is what I found on Wikipedia. Let's start with that maybe. How did Wikipedia become so trusted as a valuable source of information? Well, it surprises us, too, to be totally honest with you, Trevor. I think that part of the reason Wikipedia has become so trusted is that we're available for

any question you might have, and we never judge you for what those questions might be. And so to your point, we can look up, like, to tall celebrity or is this movie I'm watching real, but we can also look up really important things like what's going on in this coronavirus pandemic or what's the story behind this election issue that people are talking about in the news. And I think that that's something that's really appealing to people is just kind of being there for whatever they care about. I've thir. the the the the the their. their. th. I'm kind th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thin. thin. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. 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. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to thee. thee. the. the. the. the. th. you've successfully navigated away from turning into, let's say, Yahoo answers, where random questions are answered by random people with incorrect information. Wikipedia is by and large, correct. I mean, fact checkers have always applauded it.

It is a system that somehow manages itself, and yet anybody can come in and make edits to these pieces of information. So how did that come to be? Well, it's always a little bit more tha tha thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th these pieces of information. So how did that come to be? Well, it's always a little bit more complicated than it sounds, of course, but I think essentially, yes, anyone can edit Wikipedia, but you actually do have to learn some core policies that are behind all of the articles that you read every single day. Things like Wikipedia has to be neutral.

It can't skew to one side or another in a polarizing debate. Wikipedia has to be based on reliable sources, which means that it's not just whatever I think is true about a situation. It actually has to be based on maybe a newspaper that's written about it, or a medical journal or an academic book. And coming back to these over and over again,

over the course of 20 years or so has really helped Wikipedia's get really good at fact-checking and thinking about how to write for a broad audience in a way that I think builds trust. A few years ago if you told me a website or a source of information is neutral, I go like, yeah, that makes sense. 2021 though, nothing is neutral. I mean, you know, a vaccine is not a neutral thing. Even how a vaccine works, people are like, there's microchips in them, they control our brains. This is not, you know, it seems more and more that information and facts themselves are being broken apart and people aren't saying

that it is neutral, there is no neutral. So then my question to you is, how do you make sure that you still have accurate information that is, as you say, neutral, but then doesn't shift with the Overton window that, you know, like, let's say social media has created. The idea of neutrality is actually something that we kind of hold collectively as a social body. I think that Wikipedia's, however, really focus on a couple core things. I mentioned verifiability earlier.

So verifiability has to come back to facts. Those facts have to be researched. If something's controversial, it has to be cited in multiple sources. Wikipedia's just really come back to like the just-the-fax-mam sort of approach to building information. How do we present information in a way that is both accurate and informative but also neutral is going to be the critical challenge for Wikipedia going forward. I do have a thement thement thement thement thement thement thement thement thement thement 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, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th, thi, 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. thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, th challenge for Wikipedia going forward. I do have a tremendous amount of optimism, however, that this is something that can be done. You know, Wikipedia's are radical believers in, or they're believers in a radical idea that is upends everything that we've ever known about power and knowledge in the history of the planet and the history of civilization. If they have changed so much of the paradigm in the last two decades,

I know that this is something that they can do as we go forward into the future. There are two things that I've always known about Wikipedia. Number one, I'm going to find the information that I'm looking for. And number two, Wikipedia is gonna ask me for. I used to be very irritated by it that, I, I, that, I, I, to started going how much would I buy an encyclopedia set for I'll just give Wikipedia this money I because it's hard to realize how much value you derive from something when it's on a digital platform but I wonder if that has been

part of the reason you've been so successful in remaining neutral is when you don't have profits you are now in a space where you don't try to generate profits. The downside of it means you often struggle to have enough money to keep Wikipedia up and running. So two parts. One, is that true and how does it affect you? And then two, why would you make the thing if it's not going to make you money? Why if it's going to be a non-profit? So I completely believe that the fact fact fact the fact the fact the fact the fact thia fact the fact thia fact thi fact the fact thi fact thi fact thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi 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 to to to to to to to to to thi thi thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thin, the. the. the. the. the. the. the the. the. the the. the. the. the. the. to thi. to that the fact that Wikipedia is a non-profit is a big part of why we are trusted today. We don't try to sell you click bait. We don't try to place ads alongside sort of salacious headlines.

We're not collecting your data and selling it. These are all choices we can make because we don't have to make a profit. That's core to who we are. We believe knowledge should be free also the truth that Wikipedia is something we do in conjunction with hundreds of thousands of volunteers, millions of people all over the globe over 20 years. And most of those folks, the first thing they'll tell you is I wouldn't do this if someone was going to make a profit off it. So it's something that we all sort of hold together and trust that this is something

that should belong to commercial enterprise. With regards to the editing of the articles, there are many people who contribute to Wikipedia, but there's no denying that a lot of those people who contribute are generally white and their men. Now some people argue chicken or the egg, you know, they go, well a lot of the things on Wikipedia are based on books or on citations or on stories or journals and those have been written about. So my question to you is in a situation like that, where they may be limited resources or where it may be harder to find a neutral fact about what, you know, what was happening

with Native Americans or with South Africans or anywhere around the world with indigenous communities or peoples, how have you begun that journey? And what do you think you can do in that regard? You have nailed one of the biggest challenges Wikipedia has on the head, right? The fact of the matter is that most written knowledge today has been written by white, colonial, European, North American men.

And so one of the things that we're really focused on is how do we think about correcting the record? How do we think about writing people into history? How do we think about writing people into the present who haven't been represented in the same way? Knowledge, when we talk about knowledge for the whole world, it needs to be reflective of the whole world. And so one of the first things we do is we measure the gaps. Who is missing on Wikipedia? Women are missing, people of color are missing, people from the global south are missing, the history of black Americans is missing from Wikipedia. Then we think about the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, thi, thi, the history, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history, the history the history, thi, thi. thi. And history of history of history of history of history of history of history of black, the history of history of history of history of black, the history of history of history, the history of history of history, the history, the history, the history, the history, from Wikipedia, then we think about who's doing this work today and how can we support them. And it's not just about, say,

for throwing money at the problem, it's also about going directly to these communities and saying, what do we need to change about ourselves? You know, what about the experience of editing Wikipedia? What about the beautiful thing about Wikipedia is it is changeable all the time. It's edited 350 times a minute. So if we want to change it, that's fully within our power.

So yes, we are cursed with a record that is hugely biased throughout history, but the power to change that, that agency lies with every single one of us who contribute to it. Well, congratulations on what you've helped create. I wish you the best of luck for the future, and thank you for helping me understand how bridges are built over rivers, because that plagued me for a very long time. Catherine Maher, thank you so much for joining me on the show. Thanks so much, Trevor. If you want to support Wikipedia's mission to provide free knowledge, then go to donate.wikipedia.org.

All right, when we come back, I'll be talking to writer Trayvon Free about his amazing new short film that's getting big Oscar Buzz. You don't want to miss it. 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. 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. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. My next guest is comedian, writer, and director, Trayvon Free.

We talked about his new Oscar-nominated short film, Two Distance Strangers, about a black man forced to relive the same terrible day over and over again. Trayvon Free, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thanks for having me, man. This is very weird for me, because we worked together for so long. You know, you were one of the writers who was with me when I kicked off the daily show. And now here you are being interviewed on my show because you have been nominated for an Oscar for the short film, two distant

strangers. First of all, congratulations. Second of all, I feel like I get a percentage of it in some way, don't I? I mean, I was going to throw you in my thank yous if things go well, but I don't know if they'll allow me to slice it up and give you a piece. But for real, man, congratulations. Like, um, congratulations, not just because of the journey you've been on, but because of the story that you've told. You know, two distant strangers is a short film that has just been met with so much critical acclaim. You know, people are loving it.

It just came out on Netflix. It's essentially the worst kind of ground-dog day of a young black man who wakes up every single day and cannot find a way to not get shot by the police. Tell me a little bit about the story and why you thought we would need to hear this in a world where it's a reality every single day. You know, I mean, for me, it was a way of processing what happened last summer. You know, we were all going through the same emotions and feelings of watching, after watching what happened to George Floyd. And as I was processing that for myself,

it felt like, you know, every time I heard a new name and a new story, I went through the same cycle of physical emotions, of, you know, sadness, anger, hopelessness. And that to me was what the movie, you know, represented when the idea came to me. It was, how can I visualize this cycle so that other people who aren't black understand it? I wanted people to understand beyond the conversations we were having on social media and on the news, you know, when you watch the movie,

you can't argue with the screen. You have to just accept what's happening to you. Right. You have to take that journey. You're put into to the the screen. You have to just accept what's happening to you. You have to take that journey. You're put into Carter's shoes, and you have no choice but to follow that protagonist with the story, and you come out on the other side and you have to feel what he felt. You know what I found particularly interesting in the story is how you take our protagonist, thrown the weed, and then it's thea, the thea, and thea, and the and he has a fat stack of cash and then it changes. And then it's like, no,

he learns his lesson. He doesn't have the weed. Then he doesn't have the money. Then he doesn't have the hoodie. Instead of just going like, oh yeah, no, it's it's only an innocent quote-unquote black man. It's every version of a black man for you. Yeah, I mean I wanted him to represent, you know, all the different instances we've seen of people having done those various things, change your clothes, pull your pants up, take the jacket off. All the things that we've heard before to prove the point that it doesn't matter. Like it really doesn't matter. Everything looks like a gun to a police officer. A subway sandwich, a cell phone, your keys, like everything looks like a gun to a police officer, a subway sandwich, a cell phone, your keys, like everything looks like a gun.

And so there's no real way for us to combat that with our own behavior. And so the point that I'm trying to make to people watching is, they have to change their behavior. It's not on us. Like, you keep telling us what to do. You keep telling us if we had only done this, if we had only done that, it's like, if they had just not shot the person, if they had been better trained,

if they had just not reacted to the color of my skin, a lot of these people would still be. One of the aspects of the film that really hit home for me, because it felt like a larger commentary on the system versus the people, was how you have this young black man Carter, who then goes, you know what, let me make friends with the cop. Maybe that's the solution. And what was really interesting is how that still didn't work, and for me I remember sitting there going like, oh, man, I hoped it would work, even though

it was a movie. I hoped it would work. And I think a lot of people are in that space where they go, well, maybe if, you know, the communities just connect with police officers, then maybe it'll get a little better. What were you trying to tell time forever you've ever seen the police go to a white neighborhood to play basketball with the white kids in order to keep from like having to shoot them? You just don't see that like that's the solution they give to us. They like drive a bus around with a basketball hoop on the back last year for tops to come play back like

why do you need to even know me to see me as a human? They don't require this extra step that for some reason our neighborhoods require. And so in that instance, I wanted people to understand that. Like, there's, even if Joey or Carter's, uh, is talking to the officer and getting to know him and befriending him and disarming him, the reality is what happens next. And we've seen stories of people who were a part of these community policing programs and still got killed by the cops in that community.

It's like, what more can we do? Like, what is left for us to do? And right now, I feel like, especially after, you know, Dante Wright, and looking at how this, this this this thiiiiiiii and this this this this thi and thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is feel like, especially after, you know, Dante Wright and looking at how this thing continues to happen, it's why the film ends that way. Because right now, all we have is our hope and resilience as black people to continue fighting against this particular thing that keeps happening to us. Because we, the laws don't change, the politicians don't change. They all bow to police departments and unions. So it's what's left for us, this. this. this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this thing, this thing, this thing, this thing, this thing, this thing, this thing this thing this thing this thing this thing this thing this thing this this this this this this this this this this this th thing th thing th thing th thing th thing th thing th thing th thing th thing th thing th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thi, th change, the politicians don't change, they all bow to police departments and unions. So what's left for us to just wait? To wait to wait our turn, to wait to be the hashtag, to wait to be, you know, the name on a sweater? Like it's really, you know, when you think about it, sometimes it's really depressing, but you have to, you know, you just have to believe that you'll find a solution because if you don't, then

you just lay down and die and that's not who we are. It's never been who we are or who we work. It's a good movie in and of itself. It's a great short film, but I think because it speaks to the times is probably one of the biggest reasons that people are finding it resonating with them so much. I wish you the best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best the best the best the best resonating with them so much. I wish you the best and I hope you remember to mention me because that is the most important part of winning is that the people who you were with,

the people who helped you get there. But for real, man, congratulations, my friend. Thank you so much for a great film and good luck. Thanks, forever. Don't forget, two distant strangers is available right now on Netflix. All right, we're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back. After this. 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.

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, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Well, that's our show for tonight. But before we go,

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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. 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. Starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.