Patriot Act is a show performed by Indian American comedian Hasan Minhaj, in the same manner as the Daily Show and its contemporaries. In this regard, Patriot act is unique in its perspective: Hasan’s cultural background allows him to breach certain topics with greater depth or detail than Caucasian hosts can. It is with this knowledge that Hasan described the situation in Saudi Arabia regarding Jamal Khashoggi, combining current information of the journalist’s death with multiple decades of history.
Hasan deftly weaves two narratives in the episode: Saudi Arabia and its history with the U.S., and non-Asian perceptions of Indian tradition. To accurately elaborate on this, summarizing the episode is necessary. The show begins with a recap of the Khashoggi situation, Saudi Arabia’s holy states, the financial significance of the Saud family, and the U.S.’s relationship with the country. Regarding the last section, Hasan shows the U.S. Guidebook for training missions in Saudi Arabia, wherein the Saudi people are considered to be “Indigenous tribes with some later [having a] mixture of Negro blood from slaves imported from Africa.” His dissection of the guidebook stereotypes is his first handling of tropes in the episode, and prominently handles it in a relatively serious manner: he pretends he is talking to another person who believes the guidebook is not intentionally racist by defending its written date, intent, the usage of negro, etc. All of these perceptions are deftly countered by Hasan, who points out the recent updates made to the guidebook, and other contradictions. The response is a strong one that balances severity and comedy in equal measure: the racism present is dealt with seriousness, though the “other voice” has a comedically high pitch.
Following this the trope of a ‘monolithic Islam’ is analyzed as well. After noting MbS’ recent imprisonments and executions, Hasan states that “Saudi Arabia is only two percent of the entire Muslim population, but whenever Saudi does something wrong, muslims around the world have to live with the consequences. Right? ‘Hey, don’t chop my hand off, Saudi style.’” This paradoxical standard is discussed in a serious manner, which is befitting for the impact of the matter. Hasan often interjects small jokes to lighten segments, but this portion in particular is without reprieve, to great effect. Since this is arguably the most pressing issue when it comes to MbS, the most serious tone is only fitting. Hasan Minhaj’s take on the Khashoggi case is informative and entertaining, but benefits greatly from knowing its tone, and its effectiveness in tackling tropes.