Patriot Act: “Civil Rights Under Trump” Episode Recap & Review

Politics Above Equality

More so than all the other shows I’m currently watching, Patriot Act achieves a consistently impressive level of quality. Delivering another bout of hard hitting facts and well-written comedy, Hasan Minhaj returns to tackle the troubling issue around civil rights under the Trump administration.

I’ve said numerous times in these reviews that some of the US policies are a little alien to me, especially being from Britain and not in-tune with the day-to-day politics of the country. Having said that, the scary similarities between Theresa May and Donald Trump’s policies explored this week is something that a lot more people should be aware and take notice of. It’s baffling to me that in 2019 we’re still talking about equality, equal rights and fairness but through a series of archival footage, we’re shown the establishments seemingly hell bent on undoing years of hard work on this front. No other place is this more apparent than the issues surrounding civil rights and ongoing racism.

After comparing the administration to the death eaters from Harry Potter, Hasan takes us on an educational and comedic journey through the various powerhouses in charge of determining rules for millions of Americans. From the Department of Justice through to the Department of Education, the faces pulling the strings behind the scenes appear to be systematically undoing all the work done by the Obama administration.

Seeing these shocking revelations come to light reminds me of what could have been over here in the UK. I won’t go too political but some may remember Theresa May’s infamous Snooper’s Charter which almost passed as state law until the EU stepped in and said it was a violation against human rights. I won’t go into the details of this policy but suffice to say, it was a questionable policy to say the least. Unfortunately, with America being such a dominant global player they don’t have the same authoritative power calling them out on these shots.

Once again, Hasan Minhaj delivers a good dose of wit and comedy on a very troubling and dangerous issue affecting America. The episode doesn’t do anything stylistically different from what we’ve seen before but what it does do is deliver a concise and eye opening account of what’s going on in American politics right now. Whether Donald Trump will stay another term is anyone’s guess but based on the policies presented, Americans certainly face a difficult challenge ahead if these civil rights continue to be abused.