In Hasan Minhaj’s Netflix show “Patriot Act” he discusses a wide variety of topics effecting the globe today and adds a comedic twist. In the “Saudi Arabia” episode he talks about the recent issues/scandals happening in the country and their effect on the Middle East. He discusses this topic for half the episode and then touches on Indian Americans and what it means to be an immigrant.
Since Minhaj is an Indian American he has first hand experience of the stereotypes perpetuated of Indian Americans by Western media. This includes them to be academic scholars and have jobs such as being doctors, lawyers or engineers. There is high pressure to get top grades, attend the elite universities and get a successful high paying job. He talks about how Indian Americans are always held at such a high standard that it can be hard to break out of that mold. He mentions famous “bad” Indians who are Indian Americans who have used their position to spread insane ideas and carry out illegal practices. He mentions Dinesh D’Souza, an Indian American filmmaker and author. D’Souza is known for being a very conservation political commentator who makes completely outrageous statements. Indian Americans most of the time are represented in the media as being very liberal and democratic. Indian Americans are supposed to be smart educated people who have ideas that make sense and can be backed up with evidence. D’Souza is the complete opposite of this and completely contrasts this stereotype. A lot of Indian Americans aspire to become doctors and many of them work in the American medical field. Minhaj mentions John Kapoor a billionaire pharmaceutical entrepreneur who was charged with fraud as he bribed doctors to give patients his medications even when they did not need it. This goes against the stereotype of Indian Americans being good natured and ethical doctors. Asian immigrants do not have room to mess up because there is so much pressure to fit into the stereotypical mold that society possess. Minhaj claims that these bad Indians actually “sets us free.” It allows other Indian immigrants to realize they do not have to fall into the stereotype and they are allowed to mess up, however hopefully not to the extent where it is illegal.
Minhaj placed the Indian American segment after discussing Saudi Arabia as it relates to both identities of himself. He is effected as a Muslim by the issues happening in the Middle East but also has been effected as an Indian American immigrant in the US. The topics both talk about foreign identities and their representation in the Western world. It is effective because it allows the audience to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural experiences faced by Minhaj and other immigrants.