As a comedic American tv show,the Patriot Act offers audiences with humorous entertainment that is both informative and engaging; hosted by Hasan Minhaj who’s satirical remarks add to the popularity of the show. In the “Saudi Arabia” episode, Minhaj carefully uncovers the state of Saudi Arabia before and after the killing of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was assassinated at the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul Turkey; this leaving many, including Minaj to question and analyze the position of the crown prince of the country— Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).
When speaking about MBS, Minhaj does so in a way that captures the gist of his actions while at the same providing humorous references and remarks that captivate audiences. There is a particular scene found within this episode where Minhaj describes how many people fed into MBS’s guise; thinking of him to be the reformer that was going to bring change to the Saudi government. This view being strongly favoured especially when he lifted the ban on women being able to drive in the country; Minaj discussing this while using a humorous video of a Saudi woman “driving” her car in a music video. Many activists who were in favour of women being able to drive; many of whom were women themselves, were detained and imprisoned—mainly so they wouldn’t interfere with MBS’s rise to power. By doing this, Minaj highlights this trope of Islam and people like MBS being ‘uniquely sexist’— MBS even going as far to protect his position in power by putting his mother under house arrest as Minaj had showcased with coverage from news anchors. Minaj then goes on to comment on MBS’s actions towards his mother by stating how “…putting an arab mom on house arrest is like trying to imprison Magneto… she’s just going to escape and there’s going to be hell to pay” adding a lighter note to the circumstance which MBS’s mother was under.
Through MBS’s actions, people from the west that are unfamiliar with his malicious tactics including “strong-arming, cohersion, and detaining people” as Minaj has described in the episode, may be lead to believe that MBS and people who are like him are sexist, when this is a unique case that doesn’t accurately represent the majority of Muslim people. By using humour and pop culture references, I think that Minaj does this to educate those individuals who have one-sided views on MBS and how he represents a group of people. The way that Minaj speaks to his audience and about MBS is effective in lightening the weight that MBS has put on a lot of people; including those Muslims who continue to be impacted by his actions. Although the events are serious and should be analyzed with a skeptic gaze, as MBS is not the person many see him to be, through humour Minaj is able to appropriately inform people on what is going on in the country while giving the audience a chance to laugh alongside his hysterical commentary.