Chelsea Does (2016) s01e03 Episode Script

1 [Chelsea.]
When I was really, really small, my parents took me to a swimming lesson, and there was a big, black swim teacher.
And I They said I don't remember this, but they said I screamed.
I was, like, two or three, and I screamed, and I ran in the other way.
- [chuckles.]
- And my dad's like, "You know what?" You saw a shvartze and you didn't like it, and then you ran.
" And immediately, when he said that, I was like When they would tell me that story, I'm like, "That's so awful.
" And that gets embedded into your psyche in such a deep way that you spend your whole life trying to show black people that you like them.
- You're like, "Hey!" - [all laugh.]
I mean, it's awful! I'm embarrassed of the things I've done to overcompensate for that.
Listen, I hate the smell of boiled potatoes whenever I go into my So you hate Polish people - or people from Idaho? - And Irish.
The Irish must be terrible.
I can't stand it.
Or or dog.
- That's a direct hit at you.
- [Aasif Mandvi laughs.]
That's me, sorry.
But I do think it's interesting because I grew up with a father who was really racist but towards everyone.
[Michael McDonald.]
That was mine, too.
The same.
Yeah, right? It wasn't just like, black, white.
It was like The Dutch got it.
- You know, everybody.
- [Margaret Cho.]
I think a lot of comedians use that as their justification for whatever You know, they say, "Oh, I hit everyone.
" But do you feel like that's valid? You feel like that's okay? I hope so, 'cause that's been my excuse for years.
If you're attacking everyone, then you should [stutters.]
Like, you are illuminating the absurdity of racism, right? That's how I feel.
That's the idea.
Unless you're just really a racist.
[laughs.]
I come from the school of making fun of as many people as possible, all the times, no political correctness, and I think that's helpful.
- Yeah.
- [Michael.]
Human beings are assholes.
- All of us.
- [Chelsea.]
Yeah, exactly.
Political correctness is, like, - the handicap of any real conversation - [Michael.]
Yes.
And I hate it.
Especially, now, racially, everything is so difficult.
I mean, I'm actually wearing a body camera right now.
Is that because you're Asian and they love cameras? Yes.
[Laughs.]
When you look at me, when you would come on my show, do you think, "Oh, here's some white girl who just landed" You know, she's got this great career just because she's a loudmouth bitch"? Do you ever think that? I mean, honestly.
- That's what I thought.
- [laughs.]
Some white chick wants to talk about race.
Great.
[all laughing.]
[Chelsea.]
I'm doing this thing on racism, throughout the world.
Like global racism, and then racism that I grew up with, which I learned from you.
- So - I'm not a racist.
- You're not? - No.
I get in trouble all the time for stuff I say publicly.
Or, like, on my show, my old show, I would get in trouble.
And I'm not racist.
I don't think I'm racist.
Do you feel like when you used to sell cars and stuff and have people call, and you'd be like, "Oh, it's an Arab on the phone," or you'd ask them where they were from You had a lot of opinions about different races throughout the world.
Yes, I did.
And what are they? Like, what about Arabs? What about 'em? - What do you think about Arabs? - Not much.
What are their qualities? Well, I just don't get along with them that well.
Because? Different uh, culture.
You think they're cheap? Do you think they're like, uh, liars? I mean, what do you think about them that you don't like? I'd say cheap and liars.
And what about Jewish people? - Same.
- Cheap and liars? Okay, what about black people? Mostly lying.
[chuckles.]
But everyone you're talking about is a liar.
You're saying everyone lies? Pretty much.
Uh-huh.
- That's racism? - We just had to touch on it.
I don't think you covered the subject at all.
[Chelsea laughs.]
[Chelsea.]
Sometimes it feels like the point of political correctness goes so far that you're ignoring being an actual, real person.
And I know that I'm wrong because everyone keeps telling me that I'm way off-base.
So, what do you think about prejudice being hardwired or learned or are people born racist? I think people are born maybe noticing differences.
I may know I'm different than the guy next to me.
But someone has to tell me that I'm better than him and that he shouldn't have the same life.
What's offensive to you? What's acceptable for, like, a comedian? I'm a comedian.
What am I allowed to say? What am I not allowed to say? Like, "Black people like fried chicken.
" Is that offensive to you? That black people like watermelon and fried chicken? Yeah, 'cause I'm a vegetarian and I don't like watermelon and fried chicken.
You can have watermelon as a vegetarian, FYI.
- You can.
- Yes.
- There's too much sugar in it for me.
- Oh.
But I think you have to be able to laugh at yourself without making your culture the joke.
And there's a fine line there.
And I think that people ought to be sensitive to where that line is.
And where do people start to become better educated? You are not a well-rounded, well-educated person if you only look at and around something that reflects and mirrors you.
And I think the only way we break down barriers is we've got to break them down in our individual lives and not self-segregate and not just live in a polarized colony.
- [Loni Love.]
How long have you been here? - [Chelsea.]
Bel Air? - [Loni.]
Mmm-hmm.
- [Chelsea.]
Like, four years.
LA is set up in a way that it's so many white people on one side of town.
- [laughs.]
- The Palisades, Brentwood, Santa Monica.
- 'Cause they can afford it, that's why.
- Right.
[Loni.]
What I do like about living in LA is that there are so many different races and ethnicities.
You have Little Korea, Little Ethiopia.
You have Compton.
The Eastside is known as "Little Mexico.
" You can learn something of a different culture without even traveling around the world.
I had no idea that they have - these little sub-communities everywhere.
- Mmm-hmm.
I mean, I feel like I actually have, like, self-segregated.
[Chuckles.]
[Chelsea.]
Nobody wants to say on camera how they feel about other races.
People don't wanna be honest about it.
- [Loni.]
Right.
- [Chelsea.]
Who cares? Let's all just have a discussion about it.
It's almost racist not to discuss it.
[Loni.]
It's just the way we ask the questions.
You are a little direct.
This is a beautiful part of town.
[Loni laughing.]
I mean, this is fucking depressing.
[Loni laughing.]
- [Loni.]
Hi, ladies.
- [Chelsea.]
Hi.
Hi, how can we help you guys? - I'm learning Spanish right now.
- [Claudia.]
Oh, cool.
- Soy de Bel Air.
- That's perfect.
[Chelsea.]
So is this, like, the heart of Little El Salvador? - Is that what you call - [Claudia.]
Yeah, MacArthur Park is pretty known for that.
I mean There's a lot of Central American, a lot of Guatemalans, too, which also love pupusas, 'cause we're neighboring countries.
And then is this considered, like, a safe part of town? - We feel pretty safe.
[Laughs.]
- I feel safe.
Because MacArthur Park is supposed to be crime-ridden, right? Yeah.
That's why Yeah.
She told me there were bodies in that lake.
- Is that true? - [Norma.]
Yeah, there was a body.
I think on our first week, there was a body floating.
Okay.
But, you know, if you just stay out of the - Out of the lake? - Yeah, out of the lake, you'll be fine.
Have you felt prejudice against you a lot of times being in the States or Many people view you differently.
'Cause if you're, like, more fair-skinned I mean, you're not treated better, but they see you a little differently.
- Uh-huh.
- They mistake you for a cleaning lady if you go on the Westside? That has happened, and I'm like, "I'm just here delivering your food.
" Yeah, they look at you more like the help.
- Yeah.
- They see you as the help.
- Really? - [Norma.]
Yeah.
[Chelsea.]
So what kind of guys do you like? - I like a lot of guys.
- Yeah, girl.
- And do you date - What do you like? I like a lot of different kind of guys, too.
- Black guys.
- I don't like Asian guys.
- I've never dated an Asian.
- [Norma.]
I haven't, either.
- [Chelsea.]
Nobody really does.
- I actually met one two weeks ago and I was shocked that I thought he was attractive.
Not in a bad way! I'm not really attracted to them, you know? No, I feel bad for Asian men, because who is? [laughs.]
[Chelsea.]
Are you on a diet? No, I just Oh, wait a minute.
Oh, it probably won't shut since you're sitting down.
[Chelsea.]
You like dating white guys, right? I like white guys, but they have to have some type of soulfulness.
You know, sometimes they don't have that.
It's just, that's why I think a lot of women tend to like black guys, because they have this coolness about 'em.
Yeah, I like I had a black lawyer that I was really attracted to.
There's a definite masculinity factor to it.
Like, black guys will take care of you.
They can beat the shit out of somebody if you need that, which is, like, a silly thing to think about as an adult - Mmm-hmm.
- But it's true.
[Loni.]
I think a lot of people consider Asian guys cute.
But, you know, because of the rumor about Asians having small penises, I think that kind of ruins it for them.
But I don't believe that.
Do you believe that all Asian guys have small penises? It's like saying all black And we talked about this.
Black guys all don't have big penises.
Oh, definitely.
Kim Bang Ah? Tell me how to say that.
Kim Bang Ah.
Kim Bang Ah.
All right, so we are I've never been to Koreatown at all.
- What's your name? - My name's James.
- And what's your name? Okay.
- Chelsea.
How do you say your name in Korean? James.
- Is it? - Yeah.
No, what's your Korean name? Young is one of my Korean names.
- [Chelsea.]
Young.
- Young.
Y-O-U-N-G.
Young.
You know, there's been this history between Koreans and blacks.
You know That they say that we don't get along.
Well, I get along fine.
- You do? [Laughs.]
- Uh-huh.
[Laughing.]
Are you married? - Are you? No? - No.
We're both looking for somebody to share.
"Share.
" [laughs.]
Ooh, am I blushing? - [Loni chuckles.]
- No, but Loni is.
- [laughs.]
- Who's your biggest customer here? - Korean people? - Of course.
And what about Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai? What about that? No, not even one percent.
- Really? - No.
Why don't you think other people come here? Because both have broken English.
Don't really understand because they're both speaking with the broken English.
It sounds rude.
- Hmm.
- Well That's why I think during the LA riot, the Korean community got hit hardest.
- Because of that language barrier? - Language barrier.
[Chelsea.]
What's good for women? Like, what's good for youth, pretty? You gotta go with this.
- This will - Here we go with the black bean.
Yeah, this has three times more protein than beef, but it has zero fat.
Okay.
It could be used it as a meal replacement.
And you do this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- And you put any fruits you want with it.
- Does it taste good? You could make it taste good.
I'll make you some.
No, it's okay.
I took some.
I'm gonna make some when I get home.
- [chuckles.]
- And what about this stuff? - Isn't that shoplifting? - No.
No, it's not.
Just pretend you're being looted again, - but by white people.
- [Loni and James laugh.]
[Loni.]
What's a habibi? - Do you allow black people? - Yeah, we do.
- Okay, cool.
- Hey, I'm Loni.
[Laughs.]
- I'm half black myself.
- Oh, you are? - Oh, really? - I'm Egyptian.
- Oh, you are? All right! - Yeah, I'm Mickey.
- Chelsea.
Nice to meet you.
- Right on.
Would you like some hookah? Now, what is hookah? - She doesn't know what it is.
- Hookah is a water pipe.
You get high? - I can get you high.
- Yeah? She's a big girl, though, so you need a lot of hookah.
- [laughs.]
- No.
We'll get you going.
[inhales, coughing.]
[Mickey.]
You all right? [Loni.]
Ow.
- Don't you smoke pot or anything? - No, I don't.
I drink.
Oh, God! Why do people start doing this? It seems complicated.
Like, why not just have a glass of wine than heating up an apple and throwing charcoal on it, you know? Well, culturally, in the Middle East and in Iran - Yeah.
- They don't drink alcohol.
Well, that's the problem.
That's why everybody's all pissed off all the time.
That's why they smoke the hookah, to calm them down.
[holding breath.]
Does this calm you [exhales.]
Does it calm you down? Yeah, it's relaxing.
It's a social thing.
- Now, are you Persian at all? - No, Egyptian.
- You have no Persian in you? No? - No.
- Never had it? - I've had some.
- Have you? - Yeah.
[Chelsea.]
I'm a Jew, by the way.
- Yeah? - Is that a problem? - No.
- [Chelsea.]
Good.
- I didn't think it was.
- Yeah, no.
Loni? What about stereotypes you may have heard about Jewish people? - Being stingy.
- Yeah.
Uptight, a little bit.
Yeah.
What about black people? - Cheap.
- Jews and blacks have a lot in common.
- They do, yeah.
- [chuckles.]
This is great.
Should we take a check? - Yeah, give it to her.
- Should I charge her double? - [Loni.]
Yes, do that.
- Okay.
- We'll do that.
- Okay.
[Loni.]
You can afford it.
- You're flirting with him.
- [laughs.]
I'm not.
I'm sitting here enjoying my Whatever this is.
I would love to see that go down, you and him.
- Rock his world, baby.
I will rock that.
- Yeah.
[grunting.]
[Loni.]
Yeah, when I first moved to LA, we stayed in Compton, and it was right during the riot.
And then they had a earfquake after that.
An "earfquake" or an "earthquake"? A earthquake! You know how to say it.
[Chelsea.]
What was that like when you moved, when the riots happened? What did you do? I can remember it was a traffic light and there were some kids, and they got out the car and they put a gun to this man's face.
And I was so scared, you know, and I shouted, "Hey!" And they got back in the car and they left the man alone.
- I mean, it was just pure chaos.
- Oh, my God.
If you've never been in a riot, you never That was my first introduction to But as a black person, when they're rioting, do you feel like you're gonna be I mean, don't you feel like you're on the right side? 'Cause they're not gonna come after you, right? - Or are they? - Well, when people say, "Why is it that when people riot, they tear up their own neighborhoods?" Well, you have to understand, in Compton, none of the blacks owned anything, so they didn't feel like it was theirs, anyway.
[Margaret.]
Whenever there's a sort of a race uprising in the community, the only people that are really victimized are Korean liquor store owners.
- [all chuckle.]
- Because that's who everybody loots.
They're like, "We have nothing to do with any of this.
" You know, they're, like, there.
[Chelsea.]
So, Margaret, have you ever publicly apologized for any of your stand-up or jokes that you've made? [Margaret.]
No, I don't think so.
- But have you been asked to? - I've been asked to.
I would never ever apologize publicly.
On my show and stuff, I'd make jokes about people, but I never got complaints from black people.
I never got complaints from Jewish people.
I get Actually, no.
I am Jewish, and that was one of the only groups of people I got complaints from.
[all laugh.]
I did the Golden Globes in January, and I played a North Korean, um, spy.
You know, my family is actually from North Korea, and so a lot of people complained and said that my performance was racist and that it was yellowface, - but I actually have a yellow face.
- [Aasif.]
Yes, right.
So I was really confused by it.
And the people that were really against it were mostly white people.
So I think that what it is, is that white people like to tell Asian people how to feel about race because they're too scared to tell black people.
[all laugh.]
I don't entirely disagree with that assessment.
I think you might be on to something.
On the Sunday wrap-up political shows, that's all white people talking about race.
It's usually white people talking about race.
[Michael.]
The only thing worse is those talk shows when they're talking about some joke has gone awry, and then you have all those unfunny motherfuckers sitting around the news discussing what is funny, and that's really worse to me than racism.
[all laughing.]
["Why Can't We Be Friends?" playing.]
- [Chelsea.]
Hello.
- Hi! - [Chelsea.]
Hi, everybody.
- [all.]
Hello.
Hi! How are you? So everybody's kind of involved in the media, right? It's very media-related and about representing in a thoughtful and responsible manner.
Let's talk about the climate now.
Because comedians I think it is so important to be able to make fun of stereotypes, and I make it a rule never to apologize for anything I've said publicly, 'cause I really don't think anything I've ever said came out of a really Chelsea, I watch your show, and you know what strikes me about it? - That you're outrageous.
- Right.
- You have a dwarf on your show.
- A Latino dwarf.
When I first saw you going after him, I said, "Goddamn, I'm gonna write a letter of this.
" [Chelsea.]
Mmm-hmm.
But then I see how you treat him on other occasions, and I say, "There's that balance.
" Speaking of Chuy, when I got into trouble with the Anti-Defamation League, it was because I put Chuy Chuy dressed up as Hitler.
It was Hanukkah, in my defense, and I'm a Jewish person, and I was called by the Jewish Defamation League, the Anti-Defamation League, and there was another Jewish society that gets excited when I get a dog and then gets upset when I do something the next day.
It's almost like dealing with PETA, in my opinion.
But I don't think Hitler was a good man.
That wasn't what I was trying to say.
Chuy dressed up as Hitler, I thought, was very funny.
Obviously, there's a whole lot of comedy that's just comedy.
But usually when it's a Hitler reference, it's already getting in our sweet spot.
Hitler being your sweet spot? I do think there are times when comedy does cross, and I think it's our role to say, "Wait, wait, wait," in those moments.
And who decides what How many phone calls does it take for you It's very, very subjective.
I'm gonna be totally honest.
And sometimes it is how big the celebrity is.
One great example of this was when you were on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and you went on and you were all guns-a-blazing, putting down Angelina Jolie.
"It's like, why is she always adopting kids from foreign countries? Why can't she adopt kids in this country? Is she anti-American?" And then you started to pick on Pax, who was this three-year-old Vietnamese boy - [Chelsea.]
Mmm-hmm.
- That she had just adopted, "and you said," He probably doesn't even realize he's Asian yet.
He certainly doesn't know he's going to be a horrible driver "or that he's gonna be amazing at doing nails.
" - [chuckles.]
- Angelina Jolie also adopted - a girl from Ethiopia, Zahara.
- [Chelsea.]
Yeah.
Mmm-hmm.
You did not go after her because the NAACP would've been protesting outside the E! Channel the next day asking for your head.
- I didn't do it for that reason.
I don't - Okay.
Why did you do it? I thought it was a really funny joke.
I still think it was funny.
When you told me, I almost laughed.
- And I - You did laugh, actually.
But I didn't actively not do it about I make jokes about black people all the time.
I make jokes about everybody.
I've never chosen one race and focused on them.
I've always A three-year-old kid? He's a very public kid and it was more about him being a public He didn't ask to be a public kid.
I would say I'd write him a letter of apology, but I won't.
- Well, I'm just bringing it up, you know - Okay.
- I'm just bringing 'Cause you asked.
- [panelists chattering.]
No, no, 'cause you asked.
- [Amanda.]
I'll go to the positive.
- Let me finish.
- 'Cause you asked.
- Right! No, no, I appreciate it.
- This is an open discussion.
- You asked, "Is it that big a deal, comedians making jokes on television?" Well, it does, 'cause it affects people watching it.
You basically told the audience watching at home you can make fun of this kid, even if it's a three-year-old kid.
I make fun of everyone.
I've been an egalitarian that way.
My whole career is based on making fun of everybody.
Some stereotypes are compliments and I People seem to even get upset about that.
Saying an Asian person is good at math.
Is that something that would offend you? I mean, that's a compliment.
I would like to be better at math.
The problem with stereotypes is that you don't have a choice if it's gonna be a bad one or a positive one.
If you accept the positive one, you have to accept the negative one.
If you say that blacks are very good at sports, - you know? - [Chelsea.]
Or Yeah.
If you're black, then you must be a basketball player.
I mean, that's a good It's a good thing.
It's not a compliment, and I'll tell you why.
Stereotypes are created for a purpose.
They don't fall from the sky.
They always are attached to a political agenda.
It's about certain groups being able to dominate other groups.
So when African-Americans are good at basketball, it means they're not good at mental things.
It means that they're not suited for other types of work that involve intellect and other types of abilities more aligned with being affluent in this society.
What about black men being well-endowed? Is that something you'd take offense to? Well, I mean, that's something that people That doesn't mean you're not good at something else.
Black men being well-endowed is Well, I can speak from experience, true.
Well, again, that's the body.
It's physical versus intellectual.
- [Chelsea.]
Okay.
- So that's the purpose it serves.
And it also harkens back to slavery and breeding slaves, - and it's all Yeah.
- Connected to big penises? Well, yeah.
It dehumanizes the whole I think it's really I mean, it's not a bad thing.
Well, it's better than having a small penis, but it's still dehumanizing.
- Well, thank you for saying that.
Sorry.
- [all laughing.]
[Dr.
Steven David.]
Do you think, on some level, everybody's engaging in stereotyping? Do we treat different people differently based on that innate prejudice? I think most people probably do without realizing that they do.
Like, my driver's black.
My driver, Billy, who drives me, not every day, but when I'm going out drinking, I have a driver.
And I have a black friend who was coming over to my house, and I thought, "Oh, I don't want Billy to drive us, because I don't want her to think I have a black man for a driver.
" And then I was like, "That's totally racist.
" [chuckles.]
- "Like, why am I lying about my life?" - Uh-huh.
Okay.
But I'm super-nice to my cleaning lady and the people that work at my house.
I have 'Cause they're Mexican, and I don't want them to think I'm racist.
So I'm overly ridiculous and generous with them, you know? I bought one of them a car, 'cause I want them to like me and I want them to think that I'm not racist.
Yes, that's racist.
But is that out of some sense of white guilt? Yes.
I buy a lot of people cars when I feel racist.
Do you ever cross the line with any of your ethnically-diverse friends? Yeah, all the time.
I mean, on my old show, all I did was make fun of whoever was on the round table.
You know, I would confuse all the Asian races with each other.
I mean, sometimes I probably joke too much and people are offended.
Like, I go over the top to a point where it's a little like, - "That's pretty transparent.
" - Mmm-hmm.
But they've never mentioned it? Yeah, sometimes people get mad at me, but, you know, people are always kind of mad at me.
[Reverend Al Sharpton.]
My grandfather's daddy, and I knew my grandfather, was a slave in South Carolina, owned by the family of Strom Thurmond, the famous segregationist, and we end up going down there.
- Who? You and Strom? - No.
Strom and I didn't exactly hang out together, Chelsea.
But there's the First Baptist Church there, which is a white church in the middle of town.
And half the cemetery were Thurmonds and Sharptons, which were, of course, the white Sharptons that we were named after, 'cause my great-grandfather was their property.
And every time I write "Al Sharpton" on a piece of paper, since finding that out, I realize that I'm writing the name of my great-grandfather's owners, not my heritage.
So, can you tell me a little bit about what your life was like growing up? I grew up in Brooklyn, New York.
In the North, the racism was more subtle.
Nobody put a sign out saying "No blacks.
" They just didn't hire you.
As opposed to the Southern, which was a lot more institutional and a lot more powerful.
I think the thing I hear the most that I find offensive But I'm, you know, a white, Jewish woman.
I don't know if it's offensive.
When people talk about how Jewish people, um kind of recovered from their Holocaust You know, Jewish people are successful.
They're all doctors and lawyers and dentists or whatever, you know, working on Wall Street, whereas black people The argument is, or the point that people make, is that it's harder for them to recover.
Well, what are we comparing? Millions dying in the African slave trade? Wrong.
Millions dying in Hitler's ovens? Wrong.
But we're recovering from what the United States did and enforced by law.
This didn't happen to us in Germany.
This happened to us in Georgia, in Mississippi.
Right here.
People don't wanna admit how vicious it was.
And if they did, then they would understand how the process coming out of that is so difficult and, in some cases, impossible.
[country music playing.]
"Chapter 8, Plantation Life.
" Now, we have come to one of the happiest ways of life in Alabama before the War Between the States.
Suppose you were a little boy or a girl and lived in one of the plantation homes.
You wake up early in the morning, run down the long stairs to have breakfast with your family.
The Negro cook, whom you call 'Mammy' comes in, bringing a great tray of food.
"She was your nurse when you were a baby, and then when you had a baby.
" When you were probably 15 or 16 because we're in Alabama.
I've never been to any plantation before, so this is the first one I'm seeing.
Were the gardens all built by slaves? [Charles Duell.]
They built these gardens, they built the houses.
They took care of everything that happened here.
When I inherited this property, you couldn't talk about slavery.
People weren't comfortable talking about My thoughts about slavery, of course, is that it was not something that I was involved with or that I started or that I can take responsibility for.
What we're interested in doing is learning the facts, not romanticizing it or, you know, making it more horrific than it may have been.
- So you can take a vacation here, kind of? - [Charles.]
Yeah.
[Charles.]
And people come here for day visits, and they get married in the garden and have their wedding party stay at the inn.
- There are all kinds of uses.
- I see.
And there are massages available.
People come in and do stuff like that.
[Chelsea.]
That's amazing.
[Charles.]
We're going to the plantation stable yards, which was, really, the birthplace of all of our African-American research and interpretation.
So, this is a room that's devoted to making quilts and boutonnieres.
And then So there would have been a slave working here.
Sure.
All of these exhibits would have been performed by slave labor.
Got it.
- [Chelsea.]
Oh, hi! - [Charles.]
Chelsea, - this is Doug Nesbit.
- Hi.
How you doing there? - You remind me of Rumpelstiltskin.
- [laughs.]
Well, thank you.
Can you tell Chelsea about what you do here as a carpenter and a cooper? Coopering is the making of barrels and buckets and kegs, all of it done by enslaved Africans.
They brought their wood-carving skills over with them.
So, they were making barrels at a rate of three barrels a day per person, as the task requirement for the individual, a job that would take the average person about 12 hours.
Is there a reason there aren't actual African-Americans recreating these? Uh, well, we don't happen to have any African-Americans on staff now who are Well, we do.
We have Jamie.
We have Jamie Green who's an African-American.
But, uh [stammers.]
we have them coming and going, and it would be more verisimilitude, if you will, to have an African-American.
But Doug is very good at explaining everything that happens here.
Do you want to show her how the great wheel lathe works, Doug? - It's out of order.
- It's out of order? How about your shaving horse? Oh, the shaving horse! Oh, yes, that's a wonderful thing to show.
The African-American who works here, what does he do? Well, he would [clears throat.]
We've had different ones.
This guy is [stammers.]
Something happened to Jamie.
I don't know.
He got sick or something.
But he's just Oh, I saw a black man in the kitchen.
Is that him? - No.
- Oh.
On this plantation, historically, do you know what kind of conditions the slaves would have been working under? - What would this have looked like? - This building - is a fairly recently-built - [Chelsea.]
Right.
I explained to her that no, we don't know what, uh - No idea? - And we know that they were making barrels and doing carpentry and blacksmithing - and all of those chores.
- Mmm-hmm.
It seems like it's a very upbeat kind of environment.
- Well, it is.
It's very creative.
- [chuckles.]
[Chelsea.]
The contributions of African-Americans is one thing, but they weren't contributing, like, of their own volition.
They were here as slaves.
There should be more acknowledgment of the past, but I guess that's what anybody coming here would probably think, unless you're a fucking moron.
If you come on this land, you should know right away what this land was used for.
I don't think you should be roaming around and being like, "Let's get married," and then two years later, you're like, "Oh, my God.
That was a plantation.
" In Dixie Land, where I was born in Early on one frosty mornin' Look away, look away Look away, Dixie Land The goal of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is to honor the heritage of the Confederacy.
A lot of people in this nation still stand for the very ideals that the Confederacy fought for.
It was not about slavery.
Never was about slavery.
It was about the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution, that every state has the right to govern its own.
I understand what the South fought for and, uh, I agree with what the South fought for.
- [bell clangs.]
- [people cheering.]
So, what do you guys think is the biggest misconception of the South? The biggest misconception of the South is that everybody's just dumb white trash The South is about barbecue and drinking beer! - Whoo! - Yeah.
You're saying it's all about drinking beer and barbecuing? - No, no, no, no! I'm saying - [all laughing.]
I'm saying everybody thinks that it's just a bunch of dumb hillbillies, and that's not the way it is.
Right.
We're tired of the stereotypical idea of Southern people.
We're not We're gracious, - we're kind, we're - What is that? What do you think that is? That we're backwards, we're ignorant, that we're racist.
We're not racist.
I'm involved in a church, and we have blacks and whites that worship together.
- Are they allowed to sit together? - Oh, yeah, we all mix.
- [laughing.]
- Of course.
- Just checking.
- We have a black lady, a member of our church, and she wants to be known to the congregation as "Big Momma.
" Oh, Big Momma's wonderful.
Everybody knows Big Momma.
We have two minorities right there on the police force.
There's two women.
One's a black one.
But that says a lot for what Tallassee represents.
Yeah, it seems like a very progressive city.
[stammers.]
What are you doing here? We're reenactors.
Perry and I both are.
So you're reenacting Confederate soldiers in the Civil War.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Can you tell us a little bit about what the war was about? States' rights.
The North and the South was dividing too much.
Power, control, states' rights.
But do you think they were fighting for a just cause? The people in the South and the people in the North both felt that they was fighting for a just cause.
But now, looking back, they were trying to abolish slavery.
Was that a bad thing, or is that a good thing? Sometimes I think the bad things are portrayed more than the good things.
What were some of the good things you feel like - aren't portrayed? - People were taken care of.
Would you take a tractor that you just bought brand new and tear it up, misuse it? No, you gonna take care of it, 'cause you just spent a pile of money on that.
Those people produced their crops, worked their fields, so you're not gonna mistreat something like that.
Interesting.
What do you think Hollywood has gotten wrong in the way the South is depicted regarding slavery? I would think one would be the beating of people.
There may have been one that would do that to their slave, just because they're a mean, bad person, but the majority of 'em would not do that.
- Would not beat their slaves? - They were part of the family.
They were like Big Momma, you know.
[chuckles.]
We just love They were just all a big family.
How do you know that to be true? Because I have family heritage, and I've been told the stories since I was a little girl from people whose grandparents lived it.
The guy here, whose family owned slaves Somebody came down from the "North" in the early 1900s, and he was still living on the farm, and they told him, "You've been freed.
You can go somewhere else.
" And he said, "Well, why would I wanna do that?" Have you ever heard of the phrase "Stockholm Syndrome"? - Well, I have.
- Yes.
- Yeah.
- I have, yeah.
I don't know where that would apply, but I have heard Well, sometimes, people are, let's say, safer in an environment - [man.]
In a secure environment.
- Yeah, that isn't that fun to be in just because they don't know anything else.
Now, I find your questions antagonizing a little bit, and I think that you're bringing in some of those stereotypes, and Well, that's what I'm here to do.
I want you to [woman.]
You want to argue with us about what went on here.
I never know of any direct story of abuse.
And, um So it's hurtful.
It's very hurtful.
Wow.
[meat sizzling.]
- I just figured out who you were.
- Oh, you did? I just knew Yeah, I just figured out who you were! - Oh, hey.
- Yeah.
I watch your show every night.
- Late night! Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do! - Oh, really? - That's funny.
[Laughs.]
- Yeah, yeah.
- Can I ask you a question? - Yeah, go ahead.
Did you really date 50 Cent? - Yeah, I did.
I did date 50 Cent, yeah.
- You did? - Okay, okay.
- It was short, brief.
- I had to ask that question.
- That's right.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Is that why you watched me? Because I dated 50 Cent? No, I like you because you are cute.
- That's why I watch.
- Oh, thank you! Yeah, I watch that show.
That's the first compliment I've gotten since I've come down here.
- There you go.
- Thank you.
So I wanted to talk to you guys about the South a little.
Do you feel like there is a lot of racism that still happens? You see little pockets everywhere, but it's not as rampant as it used to be.
Now, I'm saying that you're cute.
Back in the days, I would probably ran and thrown in that river over there.
- If you said I was cute? Okay.
- If I said you was cute and I made any advance toward a white lady, yeah.
Like, the people across the street say slavery wasn't as bad as we think it was.
There were certain instances where slaves were really abused, but other than that, you know, there were some really nice stories.
Have you ever heard from your relatives or descendants any, like, nice stories about slavery? I don't think there is a good slavery story.
- Any time you're held in bondage, no.
- [man.]
Me neither.
No, I don't think there's a good slavery But at the time, I guess you could say that's what our people knew.
That's all we knew, so we made the best of what we had to work with at that time.
But no, I don't think there's a good slavery story.
[Chelsea.]
The feeling I'm getting from being here is that, I mean, if that's what they're like 50 or 100 years after, you know, real segregation has stopped, can you imagine what they were like when it wasn't? But what I find the most alarming is that the fact that he's allowed to tell me I'm cute is an indicator of the progression that they've made.
I want to live in a place where a person of every color is able to hit on me.
[soul music playing.]
[Chelsea.]
We were looking for slavery museums in the South, and there aren't many.
[Gene Peters.]
This is the only one in the area.
[Chelsea.]
Uh-huh.
We tried to set the museum up where people will get an appreciation of the subject and of the subject matter.
We try to maintain that it's people and not slaves.
Do you know who the first people were, historically, who came over to Africa and said, "Oh, these people look different.
Let's make them slaves"? It is said the Portuguese, actually, had major complaints I've never trusted Portuguese people, FYI.
I don't like the language - I don't know many.
- And I don't like the people.
Okay.
I don't know many personally, - but also, you had the Catholic Church.
- Right.
Yeah.
But certain countries obviously had the lead and this great opportunity to pilfer.
So can you explain to me what all this stuff is? These are the slave shackles.
You can feel the weight of this kind of a device.
- And this would be to their feet or - To the feet.
Usually, that would be from ankle to ankle to ankle while they're being marched, because, again, if you just imagine that you're transporting cattle That's what human society can do if left to its evil devices.
- This is a slave ship.
- This was a slave ship with the bodies actually strewn next to each other.
And are they lying down or are they standing up? They're lying down.
They're lying down.
- For the whole voyage? - For the whole voyage.
They would occasionally then have them come out just to move, but sometimes they did not.
And so they would just go to the bathroom lying down? Right where they are, and you had to then do your defecation, if you will, where then you lay.
Many times, they were called either "loose pack" or "tight pack.
" If you have a tight pack, you've over-packed a 300-capacity ship with 400, 500 people, knowing that you're gonna lose "cargo," again, people, along the way, but you're doing your cost-benefit.
Loss during the Middle Passage would have been about 20 million.
[Chelsea.]
So you live here with your wife? - [Danny Drain.]
Yes.
- [Chelsea.]
Okay, you live upstairs? On the second floor.
Right.
Exactly.
Okay.
After you opened, was there ever any retaliation of any sort? No, we've never had no problems.
We never got a cross burned in front of the house.
So, you know, I mean, I think we're doing very well down here.
Not getting a cross burned in your front yard is doing well? Yes, yes.
I think so.
- The State of South Carolina - [Danny.]
Mmm-hmm.
Is kind of leading the country in police brutality, and obviously, with a climate where it is now, don't you think, "Fuck these white people already"? - I mean, enough is enough.
- Well Maybe you don't think like that, but come on, you've gotta be feeling that.
Right.
You know what? You have to know how to channel your energy.
That's why you need both races to stand up together and to protest and do whatever we gotta do to make sure this doesn't happen again in any state.
[Loni.]
I know my mom, growing up, she would have conversations with me and my brother.
But her conversation with my brother, I could remember, was totally different than the conversation she had with me.
You know, it was basically like, "Bitch, don't get pregnant.
" Okay? [chuckles.]
But with my brother, it was, "If you get stopped by the authorities, you know, things would happen.
" The police stop you "Yes, Officer.
" It's a total different type of thinking right now.
But people are getting fed up, and they're getting tired of it.
And it's true.
These officers, they're out of control.
[police siren wailing in distance.]
[gun firing.]
[Judy Scott.]
The phone rang and he told me, "Mom, the police just stopped me.
I don't know why.
" And I heard a lot of noise and a lot of traffic, and we found out later that they shot him.
What kind of person was your son? Very good boy and he was easy to get along with, you know? Funny guy.
Real nice fella that always liked to laugh.
Every morning he'd go to work, he would always go on the computer and he would send me a joke on the computer and then he'd say, "Hey, Dad!" And we'd always have a laugh about that.
Every time he came by, we'd hug each other.
He'd squeeze me real tight, let me know [grunts.]
He's a bear, you know.
- He's stronger than I am.
[Laughs.]
- [Chelsea chuckles.]
That was something, man.
It's nice to see you laughing, being able to laugh.
Is that new? Is that recent? - Yes.
- Yes, that's the first time - that happened in quite a while.
- Yes.
Today, you just made me think about all that stuff.
Why do you think he ran from the police officer that day? I really don't know why he ran.
Did you ever think that anything like that would ever happen to one of your children? Never, 'cause I never I've never been to the jailhouse for them.
They never got in trouble with the law or anything.
Do you feel like you've experienced, um, prejudice, discrimination living here? Police officers are Um, they abuse their authority.
And I'm not just saying this.
I really I know it's a fact because it happened to me.
I was walking down the street, coming home, and I came through the project, and the policeman stopped me.
He said, "Where you going, boy?" And I said, "I'm going home.
" And he grabbed me, pushed me up against the car, kicked my legs apart, put handcuffs on me.
And I said, "Why are you doing this?" "Shut up!" Slammed me in the car, took me downtown.
I spent the night in jail for nothin'.
How do you feel about living in a country where you're supposed to have your freedom and you're supposed to have your rights and this kind of thing is still happening? - I think racism is all over our country - [Chelsea.]
Mmm-hmm.
From the north to the south, from the east to the west.
And I think that if an individual can serve their country and come home and be faced with violence to the extent that we're facing these days, uh, we have something wrong with our system.
What would you say if you could say anything to that police officer? Well, you know what? I feel sorry for him because he's got a real huge problem.
First thing that he needs to do is repent and ask God to forgive him for his sins.
We're hurting deep inside because it's a tragic thing to watch something like that.
And when I see that, when I look at that tape, I'm thinking in the back of my mind, my brother's running for his life.
And then to see him drop to his knees, and then to go down dead.
No human being should do that to anyone, no matter what the race is.
[Barack Obama.]
To the families of the fallen, the nation shares in your grief.
Our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church.
[crowd.]
Right.
A sacred place, not just for blacks, but for every American who cares about the steady expansion of human rights and human dignity in this country.
A foundation stone for liberty and justice for all, that's what the church meant.
[crowd applauding.]
Amazing grace - How sweet the sound - [crowd singing along.]
That saved A wretch like me No words can bring comfort to a mother seeing her son in a casket.
[Jordan Davis' father.]
That's our only child, and this gentleman has just torn the fabric of our family apart.
[Trayvon Martin's mother.]
I just wanna speak from my heart to your heart because a heart has no color.
It's not black.
It's not white.
It's red.
But now I see [Chelsea.]
I'd love to hear your thoughts on everything that's happening in the current climate here.
We can't change attitudes, but we can have laws that make everything fair and equal.
The problem that the Walter Scott case brings about is that if it had not been for that video no one probably would've believed if someone said, "He shot this man in the back.
" We still have the problem of racism in the country, there's no doubt.
And I think that we, at the same time, made a lot of progress.
So, when you look at in the span of the last half century, we've gone from African-Americans in major parts of the country not being able to vote to an African-American president.
But we still have a long way to go.
As long as there's this inequality, and as long as there's this stuff under the surface, it can just come to the surface at any time.
[Aasif.]
You know, it's funny 'cause we talk about what we were talking about earlier, which is America.
It's very black and white.
You're either black or you're white.
When I got to America, nobody knew who I was.
Like, they were just like, "You're Mexican?" It was kind of They didn't know what an Indian, like, a brown person They were just confused.
Now, of course, the whole new thing that America is really excited about is Islamophobia.
- And how do you feel about Islamophobia? - It is something that the media and politicians use right now, uh, as a tool.
How does it affect you personally? I mean, have you been profiled? I haven't been profiled because, you know, uh, whatever.
I guess, maybe I'm on television.
So, you know, people kind of Most TSA agents sort of are fans.
- [laughs.]
So - Do they recognize you? Well, you don't have to be so cocky about it.
No, but I'm just It's only TSA agents are fans.
This is not gonna be a popular thing to say, but honestly, if Muslims are primarily the people that are blowing up planes, then I would like them to be searching Muslims before I get on a plane.
Yeah, but white people have done more damage to the world than any other group of humans on the planet.
So should we hold all white people accountable and responsible for the fact that we have slavery, that we've had, you know, genocide, - that we've had - No, but I'm saying - specifically to planes and bombings - Right.
I don't think white people are the front-runners in that category.
I understand what you're saying as a whole.
- What I'm saying - My only question is where does that I mean, this is America, so where does that stop? If a group of white men came together and were a gang, - let's say 5,000 of a gang - I don't know.
And they went around bombing, would we then profile white men? - [Chelsea.]
You're talking, like, the KKK? - Yeah, like, if the Ku Klux Klan uses Christianity to do what they do and preach what they preach, Christianity is not held accountable.
When Jihadists do that and "use Islam as a tool" to carry out horrendous things, all Muslims get held accountable for that.
That doesn't mean that it's not about religion.
In their fucked-up minds, it could be about religion, the KKK.
If a guy walks through, like, a TSA, with a big white hood on and a fucking white I would like somebody to pull his ass over.
[all laughing.]
[Matthew Heimbach.]
The idea of staying with your own ethnic group is a long-held tradition.
And I do feel, as a Christian, that taking care of your people, uh, is scriptural, both in the Old and the New Testament and in church tradition.
It's what Christians are supposed to do.
So, I would consider myself an advocate for the best day-to-day interests of normal white people.
So you feel like white people are getting a bad deal? Sure.
The majority of white Americans, they don't feel represented by the political system.
Do you consider yourself a white supremacist? No, not at all.
- I mean [laughs.]
- They never do, though.
I would rather be able to have voluntary separation.
You just want everybody to kind of voluntarily come together and say, "Let's separate"? - Yes.
- So it's not forcing anybody, but you want to have like-minded people saying, - "Yeah, that's a great idea.
" - Yeah.
How would that look if we were looking at a map? The first step is to create local communities, specifically, Appalachia, um, and the Midwest.
- There's enough - Dolly Parton's from Appalachia.
- That's great.
- Yeah, she's great.
We could have a combined state because we share a very similar culture and economy.
Different areas, especially in the Deep South, with high black populations, would do exactly what the Nation of Islam has said and create a black homeland in the South.
Are there any white people that you wouldn't take into your community? It would be insane to have a small community that is very conservative and Christian, and then import a bunch of, uh, people from Seattle, you know, white hipsters who are atheist-communists, into your commune.
What about, like, Paris Hilton? I think she You guys can keep her.
The LA Commune can keep her.
[Laughs.]
All right.
What do you say to people who would say that you're racist? The current definition of racist is if you're a white person who's breathing.
[chuckles.]
So, of course, I am.
But what is a racist? It's always an insidious white person who has some true conspiracy to infringe upon other people and make them sad.
I don't want to infringe on any other group of people.
You're not like a Confederate soldier, is what you're referring to.
I will not insult my Confederate ancestors.
I love my Confederate ancestors.
Good for them and you.
Do you feel like you're a pretty open-minded guy? I'd like to think I'm pretty open-minded.
So, say, you know, teenagers are crazy, and one of your daughters is sneaking out after school.
You know, that happens.
And you find out that she is pregnant - with a black person's baby.
- Mmm-hmm.
What do you do in that situation? I would still love and support my daughter.
But if we had these ethnically separate communities, it would truly break my heart to say that she would not have a place in that community.
At the end of the day, it's not wrong that I want my grandchildren to look like me.
A lot of people would say, "Oh, this is These were Hitler's initial thoughts.
" Like, he wanted to ethnically cleanse.
He wanted only white, you know, the Aryan race to succeed, and he wanted to get rid of everybody else.
I don't think that's true.
That was his whole thing, an Aryan nation.
- That's not true? - Come on, Chelsea.
- No.
I mean, you can't argue that.
- Come on, Chelsea.
- No, we're [stammers.]
- How can you argue that? Because what we're dealing with is post-war propaganda.
They have speeches of his recorded.
I mean, it's not post-war propaganda.
- His speeches, you can listen to and read.
- [Matthew stammering.]
We're dealing with post-war propaganda, because I think that there's a lot more truth out there that people are not shown and are walled-off from.
Okay.
All right, well, I'm glad we touched on Hitler and Paris Hilton.
I think it's important to see intelligent people being that stupid about race, I mean, because that just shows you it's not just the hillbillies and people with, like, three teeth.
[Loni.]
I'm coming into your neighborhood.
- Do you mean the Jew neighborhood? - Mmm-hmm.
[Chuckles.]
[Chelsea.]
I never really hang out around here.
- But there is a good deli.
- I like Manischewitz.
Mmm.
Yeah, you do like Manischewitz.
- I've seen you on Manischewitz.
- They're great.
[Chelsea.]
That is the Jewish museum.
We should go there together one day so I can teach you about my history.
Yeah, I wanna see that one day.
- I don't think you respect the Jews.
- Oh.
[Scoffs.]
Yeah, I do, believe me.
[Chelsea.]
What do you respect about them? [Loni.]
You know, I like their sense of family.
They teach their kids to have pride.
That's what I like about the Jewish people.
They do teach their history 'cause you don't know where you're going unless you understand your history.
[Dr.
David.]
Tell me about your experience of being Jewish.
[Chelsea.]
That's the only religion I identify with.
And every time I read anything about what's going on in Europe or the You know, about Israel and the anti-Semitism It's heart-breaking, but I do feel like I mean, that happened to black people for so long.
And I think now we're in a time where people actually think that that kind of thing could happen to Jewish people again - Mmm-hmm.
- Which is really scary.
Because if it can happen to Jewish people again, then it can happen to black people again, and it can happen to all the people that've been oppressed all over the world.
Right.
Does that touch you? Does that make Yeah, of course it touches me.
I feel guilty 'cause I feel like I should be doing more, instead of just being conscientious about people in your own country.
'Cause people always say, - "Think globally, act locally.
" - Right.
- Mmm-hmm.
- I should think globally and act globally, 'cause you can't just worry about where you live, and I think I'm guilty of that.
[Chelsea.]
Jerusalem is such a magnificent place because you're looking at, you know, rocks and stones and steps that are thousands of years old, and you can't believe you're seeing it.
Yeah, I was moved by it.
- [Chelsea.]
Oh, hello.
- Oh, hello.
You are Chelsea? Oh, why, thank you.
It's an honor to meet you.
Hi.
It's not only an honor for me, it's a pleasure.
Oh, that's very sweet.
[Kisses.]
I like seeing all the women that work here in your office.
There's women everywhere.
Yes.
I think they are the better side of humanity.
[laughs.]
The better side of I agree with you.
Those are some of my books.
Who are your favorite authors? Yes, one of them is myself, because I wrote 17 books.
I've written some books, too, but they're not quite like yours.
How will you know? Maybe they are better.
- They're definitely a different tone.
- [both chuckle.]
I wanna talk a little bit about racism.
Why do you think that Jewish people are so persecuted throughout history? What is it about Jews? I'll tell you.
One, because that was the choice of the Jews.
You know, many nations choose different attractions.
You can choose power, wealth, beauty, happiness.
Our father, Moses, he chooses the greatest attraction the moral code.
And our moral code is not popular.
And since the Jews were in exile, they didn't have land to cultivate.
So from the very beginning they have had to live on their talents, not on their land.
It created jealousy.
It's a very powerful place to be, Israel.
Yes, Israel really was a dream.
The Jewish people have had more history than geography.
The place is tiny, the dream is great.
[male officer.]
You can see here inside Jerusalem.
Behind us is the Bethlehem side, and you can see the houses inside Bethlehem.
And regular security activities are carried out in this area.
This is all Bethlehem? This is all Bethlehem.
You can see that inside Jerusalem, it's very claustrophobic.
You can see how many apartments there are within 500 square meters.
On the other hand, if we take a look and we see the Bethlehem side, they have a much larger area of land in comparison.
Yeah, but they're surrounded by a wall.
So, if you live in Bethlehem, and you're just a young kid growing up like this, because your parents wanted to stay in the West Bank, when you were being surrounded by the wall, and you're not an extremist and you're not a terrorist, how are you supposed to make a life for yourself if you want something better than Bethlehem? - No, that that won't happen, I think.
- Ever? I don't know whether it's a question of ever.
I can only They have no hope for moving out of Bethlehem or leaving? Uh, at the moment, no.
Did you think, at the time, the separation wall was a good idea? No.
I am against impositions.
What about the wall around Bethlehem? I want Bethlehem, if we should stop terror.
And if we should have two states, we don't need the walls.
So walls are not permanent.
Walls are an answer for a given period.
We were not born to live in walls.
We were born to live in freedom.
[helicopters whirring.]
[Jim Gilchrist.]
This is the famous Mexican-American border.
You're a minuteman, right? Is that what you Yeah, the founder of the Minuteman Project.
It's one of many minuteman-like groups around the country.
Okay.
The border fence, this has been here for about 15 years.
Unfortunately, it only extends for 14 miles.
It is used to protect San Diego, California.
- From Mexicans? - From illegal alien, uh, invasion.
- That's the term I use.
- Mexicans.
What do you think should happen? What do you think is justifiable in terms of people who do cross the border illegally? Somewhere between 11 million and 33 million illegal aliens currently occupying U.
S.
territory would be asked to repatriate themselves back to their homelands.
If we do not do that, English will no longer be the common bond of language.
- Do you speak any Spanish? - Uh, no.
I studied Spanish for five years.
I never use it.
Because? Why? Well, I don't wanna speak Spanish.
You want me to speak Chinese or Vietnamese? I don't want to.
I want to use the common bond of English.
We have so many whiners who say, "Oh, you can't have a fence.
That's so mean.
" I think that I'm going to take the devil's point of view here, if we wanna call it that.
I don't think you should have a fence.
That's discriminatory.
That's mean-spirited.
Mmm-hmm.
I think you shouldn't have your doors locked.
I should be able to come into your yard and come into your neighborhood, in your house, and take anything I want from your refrigerator, and maybe even have my way with your furniture.
Wow.
- I might wanna take that, too.
- Oh.
That is the kind of rhetoric we get.
[Chelsea.]
Do you have a lot of Mexican friends? [Jim.]
My son-in-law is Mexican.
Two of my three grandchildren are half-Mexican.
[Chelsea.]
Wow.
So those are Mexican children - over there, playing? - Yes.
Hola.
Okay, so down here, what's up with this part of the wall? Does it go into the ocean? [Jim.]
It goes about 150 yards into the Pacific Ocean.
- Oh, look, there's a dolphin! - Two million - You see a dolphin out there? - Yes, they're all - Hope he's not Mexican.
- [chuckles.]
How does this make you feel when you see this? I feel the same way when I see my neighbors across my fence in the backyard.
[Jim.]
Hola! [man.]
We're shooting a film called Soy Negro.
- Soy "I am black"? - Yeah.
- In skin color? Or - Kind of, yes.
We've got to get shooting.
So it was nice meeting you.
- Okay, yeah.
Good luck to you.
- Take care.
Gracias, amigo.
- [laughs.]
- Thank you.
Take care.
Bye! - Thank you for speaking English.
- No worries.
Seems like you have a really good rapport with them.
I can talk to anybody.
Does anybody ever get caught going over to the Mexican side? [chuckles.]
You mean, illegally trespassing into Mexico? - Yeah.
- Only criminals.
[Chelsea.]
People like that make me wanna just get a bunch of Mexicans and bring them over.
Like, in a hot air balloon or whatever, however many I can get together.
He has a Mexican son-in-law and half-Mexican grandchildren.
I think people should not be allowed to say that anymore.
If we're gonna be in this zone of political correctness, people shouldn't be allowed to say, "I have a black friend," or, "I have an Arab friend," or, "My friend" You know, "I have a friend in ISIS.
" [Guy.]
When we meet with the networks, we say, "We're not looking for a handout.
We're looking for you to reflect reality.
" Eighty percent of all motion pictures are written by white men.
It's not to say white men can't write enlightened roles.
They have and we thank them for it.
But there are a lot of blank spots because of that.
What about Long Duk Dong? Sixteen Candles.
Uh, Gedde Watanabe played him.
[gong sounding.]
What's happening, hot stuff? You ask any Asian-American male, 40 years or above, and they'll tell you how much that portrayal irks them, because that came to symbolize all Asian-American men.
Awkward immigrants speaking with accents.
Have you ever met anyone named Long, Duk or Dong? No.
No.
When our young Indian people watch television, they don't see themselves reflected on that screen.
So consequently, they become non-people.
So when I go out and speak to colleges and elementary schools and say, "Jeez! You guys, you really got to get good grades," they're going, "Why should we? We are not part of this society.
" So what can I do? As a public person, what can I do to change that? I think reach out to Muslims like me now and - Sharing stories that are positive.
- [Samy.]
Right.
Sharing stories that are positive.
Right.
But I need to hear some positive stories to share.
You can't find any? Who are you asking? Well, where do I go? On Tinder? And look for Muslim people? Hire someone to consult with, so that, in fact, they can help you with that.
Tell me when the last time is that you visited an American Indian reservation? - Probably the last time I was at a casino.
- [chuckling.]
- [Samy.]
See, there you go.
- Okay.
I mean, seriously.
Every time I go to a casino in Connecticut, or where I perform, I do stand-up, and they're always on Indian reservations in the casinos.
I don't know a lot about American Indians.
I would love to see what that life is like and what goes on there.
It's pretty modernized from what I understand, now, right? - They're not - No.
[Chelsea.]
You've got a lot of oak trees here.
It's very important to our people.
- Is it? - Yeah, we eat the acorns.
You know, when I got married, I got married under this oak tree.
- Oh.
- And a lot of our people were like, "Why are you getting married under the tree, and not in the church?" And I said, "Well, because the oak tree, you know what it means to us.
" It shades us in the summer.
Acorns feed us.
" And then, right here, because my whole family is here.
They could be here to witness it.
Can you tell me about some of your morals and values as a people? If we look at today compared to a long time ago, and even with America itself, it's about "me.
" Our philosophy was always about "us.
" That, "How do we survive with each other?" You know, this whole resource, this whole area, we utilized.
And today, we're just stuck here.
And so, if you look at our reservation as you go With a lot of rocks, right? It's hard to do any kind of economic development.
Isn't there a lot of anger from that? That kind of marginalization? We've been here 10,000 years, 'cause we know how to survive.
And yet, somebody is in here trying to tell us, "This is what you've got to do to survive.
" It's like, "Wait, now, isn't that kind of foolish?" You look at the media and how media has portrayed American Indians and how they continue to portray us.
- How do you feel that that's portrayed? - In the past, dead, or stereotyped.
If we don't fit the stereotype, then we're non-existent.
- And what is the stereotype? - The Dances with Wolves look.
We're all riding horses, and, you know, we left, um, in the 1850s.
And we've all heard the rumor that we have some kind of gene that makes us alcoholics.
That's not true.
I can tell you that neither of my parents drink, and I love alcohol more than anybody I know.
- [laughing.]
- So it's not a gene.
It's just an interest.
- Well, there you go.
So, you know what - Yeah.
- So we just debunked that.
- That's right.
Well, that's good.
Yeah, if anything gets done today, at least that - Making progress slowly.
- That's right.
On the wrong track - [laughs.]
- but progress, nonetheless.
- We fucked you over pretty badly.
- Yeah, yeah.
So, how do you, kind of, coexist in a world where you have that feeling? Right.
We're the first peoples of this country.
And as the first peoples, we have certain rights and privileges.
But you wouldn't know it coming to many of our communities, seeing all the inequities.
American Indian high school students have the worst drop-out rates.
We have the worst college-retention rates.
So, to be left standing alone and having your native students say, "Why aren't we valued?" That is frustrating.
That is racism.
And we see it a lot, and our kids see it.
Why is it that we still have to struggle with all these mascots? Did you know there are 147 public K-12s in the state of California with Indian mascots? In California.
Keeping us as those stereotypical cartoon figures is so damaging.
If we're not seen as human beings, then what are we seen as? - [Chelsea.]
So you're a bird singer? - [Harry.]
Yeah.
- Am I saying that right? Uh-huh.
- [Harry.]
Yeah.
In our language, we call it Takuk.
And Takuk is four birds that are telling the story of a journey.
For us, it's kind of like these metaphors for life.
[rhythmic rattling.]
[singing in Kumeyaay.]
[R&B music playing.]
[Chelsea.]
I think it's important to think about things that you haven't experienced and that have never affected you directly, because, in some way or another, they have.
[music continues.]
The reality is, I know, right now, if I go to a maternity ward at a hospital and there's a black baby, a white baby, a Latino baby, and an Asian baby, they're gonna live different lives, even now.
Don't put your head down.
Put your head up and scream and yell, especially if you can help somebody else.
You kind of have to take the piss out of it.
So you've got to be able to take some of the air out of it.
Because it feels like everybody gets so tightly wound and so wrapped up, and you just wanna say, "Everybody, don't take yourself so seriously.
There are many serious issues.
" But in every way of life, we can't be so serious about everything, because then, we sometimes forget where all, like, the happiness is.
[music continues playing.]
Do you think we've learned anything today? - A little bit.
- Like what? I think that everybody has the same stereotypes about everybody.
[laughing.]
It's just It never changes.
- So, when you were selling cars - Yeah? What nationality was the best customer? - Black.
- Why? When they have the money, they spend it.
They don't ask a lot of questions? Generally speaking, they don't.
Well, what was your worst customer? Jewish customers were very difficult.
Because? They ask a lot of questions.
Margaret, what is the hierarchy within the Asian community? It's usually, the worse your house smells, the more Asian you are.
So [laughing.]
If it smells like something died, then they're actually really Asian.
[all laugh.]
[Chelsea.]
I think there was one Asian guy that I've been attracted to.
I like Jackie Chan.
I thought I think he's cute.
I like that other Asian guy, remember? Like, the samurai? - Yeah.
Um - What's his name? He's not in a lot.
I think he was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Asian.
Hidden A lot of customer, there are has a constipation problem.
Ooh.
I take care of that.
- They're full of shit.
- Because constipation will lead to bleeding.
- Okay.
Well, it was nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
And then And then diagnosed as a cancer.
[Chelsea.]
Great.
So when you have this cancer, and you eat this thing, right? We're done with that conversation.
Bloody asshole.
I copy you on bloody asshole and cancer.
I'm getting a headache.
I'm gonna be honest, Chelsea.
When you first told me that you wanted to have people talk about race, I thought this would be the perfect way to end my career.
[all laugh.]