News Satire Roundup: February 1st-February 4th

Monday, February 1 – I liked the story on Zika, particularly the various U.S./Latin America comparisons; the Zika-soccer analogy was spot on.  Trevor’s bout of “mosquito racism” was also fantastic.  Airing a Black History Month clip “from 1965” was an amusing idea, but I think it could have been executed better.  My favorite bits were “Roy Wood, Sr.” and Trevor’s comment that, in Africa, every month is Black History Month.  I’m not the biggest fan of Ronny’s but I liked his report on the Iowa caucus, or more precisely, questioning why it’s even remotely relevant.  (Side note – the “Natural Corn Shillers” header was too perfect.)  Loved guest Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code.  I especially appreciated the observation that people code for things they think the world needs, and a largely-homogenized group of white men won’t have the same perception on the world’s needs as a group that includes women and people of color. 

Tuesday, February 2 – Trevor’s “first-timer to American elections” shtick served the Iowa caucus story well.  All the commentary about the winners vs. the “real winners” was excellent (I really need to find an excuse to use, “It’s like the alphabet:  numbers don’t mean shit, people,” in real life,) especially when Jordan came along to help make things as clear as mud.  I think the Black History Month stuff continues to be better in idea than execution, but in talking about the Emancipation Proclamation, I love that the show brought up the whole border states issue – I always think of that when people talk about Lincoln freeing the slaves.  The interview was with Peter Bergen of CNN, talking about homegrown terrorism.  Really interesting to compare the statistics to the demagoguery happening in the Republican race right now; we’re so good at fearing the threats we’re taught to fear.

Wednesday, February 3 – I laughed so hard at Trevor’s bewildered reaction to Groundhog Day, especially the remark about how Africans with that tradition would be perceived.  The follow-up piece on the Iowa caucus was great; highlights included Ted Cruz being a slime ball, Carson flying halfway across the country for “fresh clothes,” and Trump potentially being the first “millennial” president.  I liked Roy’s field piece on racism in the porn industry (though I felt for him when he realized he was doing yet another racism story.)  It’s not history, but it felt more thorough and well-made than the previous Black History Month showings.  The interview with comedian Hannibal Buress was nothing special.  I did like him talking with Trevor about an unsuccessful show he did in Southern Africa, especially when Trevor revealed that many in the audience hadn’t realized Buress was a comedian.

Thursday, February 4 – The blurb about the thinning of the Republican race was pretty brief; the Fast and the Furious reference was fun, and Santorum twisting in the wind trying to explain why he supports Rubio was delightful.  The Peyton Manning-Cam Newton story was really great.  Trevor did a fantastic job of exploring the many factors at play: how easy it is to create a certain media narrative, the different ways people celebrate across cultures, and the dubiousness of criticizing Newton’s end-zone dances for not being “classy” enough for football.  I loved the separate messages for white and Black viewers.  The next piece, Trevor and Ronny discussing a minor clash between Black History Month and Chinese NewYear, while lighter weight, was still amusing.  I’m not familiar with YouTube star Lilly Singh, but I enjoyed her interview.  She was really fun and personable, and it was neat to hear about what YouTube has meant to her.