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The first time I tuned intoPatriot Act, I saw a familiar face in Hasan Minhaj.
He looked like the punch in youd expect to be successful.
We did it baby!
Netflix gave us a show.
And he was like, Great, you’re free to finally save up for grad school.
Two years and 40 episodes later, the shows run has come to a close.
On August 18, Minhaj announced via Twitter thatNetflix had canceledPatriot Act.
The streaming giants reason for doing so is still unknown, and fans are furious.
Apetition to save the showhas amassed over 14,000 signatures and counting.
That anger is wholly justified.
Formally,Patriot Actwasnt reinventing the wheel.
In the second episode in October 2018, Minhaj described the show as a woke TED Talk.
But lets not get it twisted:Patriot Actwas a damn good show.
Calling any throw in of representation in media important can be decrying.
Saying This thing matters because its a desi guy doing it can paradoxically come off as tokenization.
That doesnt mean propping up someone diverse that plays into the same tired tropes constructed by white people.
Minhaj understood that worry.
Im the PowerPoint guy!
Representation, really, one man candidly said.
We seeCrazy Rich Asianslast year.
Its gonna be great, I think representations great.
So are you gonna be voting for him?
Minhaj asked, pointing at Yang.
Suddenly, the man started stammering.
Well … Well see where were going, he replied.
Its a hilarious, and uncompromisingly real,Patriot Actmoment.
Unlike Yang, Minhaj rarely played into stereotypes onPatriot Act.
And beyond those physical walls,Patriot Actfound its way into South Asian households across the country.
In my family, and in countless others, viewings became a regular, communal experience.
Patriot Actboth affirmed and challenged us.
Minhaj would often drop references and experiences that only South Asians would get.
The punch line: shut the gap, use a lota, c’mon.
Why dont we treat our butts with the same respect we treat our Air Jordans?
Inserting that reference later on in the season with no explanation, he trained that word into viewers minds.
This is the kind of microlevel cultural educationPatriot Actdid.
You cannot talk about Narendra Modi.
You cannot talk about Priyanka Gandhi, says one aunty.
You are an ABCD.
You are an American-born desi, says an uncle.
Few others in recent memory have spoken to so many of us so directly.
Most strikingly to this point, buried inPatriot Acts final season is an 11-minute episode that breaks form.
Its Minhajs swiftly cut reaction to thenationwide protests surrounding the death of George Floyd.
He looked defeated and dejected.
He tried to fit in a few jokes, but none of them really landed.
Then, he made his point: Indian Americans are as complicit as anyone in anti-Blackness.
Season five references tohot girl summerand theSonic the Hedgehogtraileralready feel dated.
Moreover, his showy, ebullient style, while effective, isnt for everyone and loses steam fast.
Behind the scenes,Patriot Actallegedly faltered, too.
Shows likePatriot Actthat project as woke have to practice what they preach in their work environments, too.
It is impossible to treat such things as commensurable.
Countless viewers found themselves inPatriot Act,while some of its very makers felt dehumanized.
