Rachel Mellema

If you haven't seen this, in mockumentary style Matt Walsh goes undercover as "Steven", a white guy who wants to embrace the anti-racist movement and even becoming a fake spokesman for it. He earns an "official" DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) certification from a random website, and he pays A LOT for "professional diversity training" from some of the movement's leading voices (for example: the production paid $15,000 for Robin DiAngelo to be there, along with others), and he also talks to people on the street about this as well. All to answer the question of "what does it mean to be racist today?". 10+ years ago the answer to that was actively having prejudice against someone of a different skin colour, whereas today the answer seems to be very different. In this mockumentary it's revealed that some argue that just being white is participating in a system of privilege and empowerment that you can't escape from if you're white. First of all, I HATE cringe comedy, I was squirming the whole time. Although, my favourite part was the segment about the "Moana Problem". Matt says that his daughters favourite Disney princess is Moana and his anti-racism expert is happy about that, however he asks if it would be ok if she dressed up as Moana for Halloween and the woman says no that would be cultural appropriation. So if a white girl only wants to be like white princesses that she identifies with, she's a racist. But if she wants to appropriate the cultures of non-white Disney characters, she's also a racist. So you can't win. That's the "Moana Problem." Secondly, I can see the point Matt is trying to make. This movement can be pretty lucrative for people who promote this worldview, often perpetuating the very inequities they claim to address. Matt also demonstrates that there seems to be no clear path to truly right the wrongs they discuss—some "experts" even admit that, for white people, there's no definitive way to complete the process of atonement they demand based on race and privilege. And lastly, personally I was cringing the whole time because of the approach they've decided to take. I'm not a fan of laughing at the expense of people who don't know they're being tricked. I know these people have a different worldview but it felt pretty meanspirited, which feels out of step for someone who is apparently a practicing Catholic. I feel like a different approach would get a better response from people. Personally, instead of wallowing in guilt or perpetuating division, I think the path forward starts with repenting, then forgiveness, then a future commitment to love others. True healing doesn't come through endless atonement processes but through grace, which allows us to reconcile with others and move forward in unity. We can celebrate diversity while refusing to make race or privilege the defining narrative of our relationships. It's not about ignoring injustice but addressing it in a way that restores instead of divides.

Sure, I like it. It’s funny, relatable and emotional at times. However it relies WAY too much on swearing and crude humour as a crutch for comedy. It’s so repetitive that it feels like it lacks the creativity and wit that makes comedy actually engaging. Just feels shallow after a while.