The jury just came in on Aziz Ansari, and the verdict is that the Master of None star is a certified woke bae.
Phoebe Robinson (from the podcast 2 Dope Queens) sat down with comedian Anu Valia to see if Ansari makes the cut as a hot, smart guy who is interested in dismantling oppression and increasing gender and racial parity. Everything about Ansari passed the test.
One particular point in his favor? This New York Times op-ed published in November, where he wrote movingly about cultural visibility in media, and the first time he saw an Indian character in an American movie. The movie was Short Circuit 2 and the actor was...not Indian, but white. The Parks and Recreation alum wrote that these racial biases continue to affect the jobs he gets today. "Even though I’ve sold out Madison Square Garden as a standup comedian and have appeared in several films and a TV series, when my phone rings, the roles I’m offered are often defined by ethnicity and often require accents," Ansari wrote.
But racial bias isn't the only thing on Ansari's radar. Robinson and Valia gave him a passing grade on feminism, too. "This man is covering all the bases: race and feminism," said Valia. "Okay, those are two bases, but they're big-ass bases!"
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