Kulap Vilaysack, who writes for The Office and The Sarah Silverman Program, co-wrote and stars in this “Funny or Die” video about what happens when two minorities, who get by on being the only POC in a room, vie for supreme dominance in a social circle of White friends.
The video is funny — but not in a gut-busting kind of way. I like how Vilaysack pokes fun at the minority folks who seem to revel in the superficial friendships established when they try to use their racial “uniqueness” to socially define themselves. One of the best lines of the video is:
Some people are naturally gorgeous. Other people are forced to develop interesting personalities. But me? I get by on the shape of my eyes and what little I know about Asian culture from Wikipedia.
Pair that with the character’s introduction of Kung Pao chicken as an Asian ethnic dish to her White friends, and we’ve got a pretty funny moment.
The rest of the video manages to mock the genuine phenomenon of minorities who enjoy being tokenized, but tries a little too hard to get a laugh. And the whole thing with the alien? I didn’t know 4 minute videos could jump the shark.
Instead, if you’re looking for a good Funny or Die race relations video, check out “Black Hiker”, which features Blair Underwood hiking in the desert, using trekking poles bought after reading this informative trekking poles guide. I am not kidding you, this video is both hilarious and oh-so-incredibly true.
