Trevor Noah addressed the current focus on reparations by 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls during the March 21 episode of The Daily Show.
“Let’s talk about slavery,” the comedian joked. “No, White people, come back!”
He pinpointed how a once “radical idea” such as reparations has become a mainstream topic, thanks to “every one of the 89 Democrats running for president [who]
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) are just a few who have shared support for repaying the African descendants of slaves in America.
Noah, a biracial South African who grew up during apartheid, said he welcomes the open discussion but is cautious about whom to believe.
“I have my eye on you, Elizabeth Warren,” he teased. “I feel like as soon as reparations have passed, she’ll be like, ‘There’s something I didn’t tell you about my ancestry results. I’m also one-20th Black.’”
The Massachusetts senator apologized last
The Daily Show host presented the other conservative side of the reparations dialogue, which says a payout isn’t possible because of the cost and/or how far removed from slavery we are.
“There are some people on the right who are willing to consider reparations,” Noah added. “But unfortunately, what they’re saying is that that slave ship has sailed.”
He hit back at this positioning on the issue by comparing it to conservatives who support Confederate monuments.
“You know, it’s funny how with slavery, these people are like: ‘Get over it. That’s history.’ But if you try and take down a Confederate statue, it’s like: ‘How dare you! That’s history.’”
Watch the full clip below.
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