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♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WE'RE BACK WITH AMERICA'S SWEETHEART, JON STEWART.
OKAY, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE CIVIL RIGHTS
DEMONSTRATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON IN THE WAKE OF GEORGE
FLOYD'S DEATH AND BREONNA TAYLOR'S DEATH AND AHMAUD
ARBERY.
WHY DO YOU THINK RIGHT NOW THERE HAS BEEN SUCH A POWERFUL
MOVEMENT IN THE STREETS THAT HAS BEEN SO BROAD, LIKE, 2,000
DIFFERENT TOWNS AND CITIES?
PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, ALL TAKING TO THE STREETS
DEMANDING CHANGE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS DIFFERENT NOW?
>> BOY, THAT'S SUCH A GREAT QUESTION.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
>> IT'S FUNNY, I WAS THINKING BACK WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO--
WHEN I WAS STILL DOING THE SHOW AND THE TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN
CHARLESTON, FERGUSON, ERIC GARNER, AND-- AND I DON'T KNOW.
IT'S BECAUSE THOSE-- I REMEMBER THOSE MOMENTS BEING SO CHILLING
AND FEELING LIKE SUCH A WAKE-UP CALL.
BUT ALSO FEELING HOPELESS THAT WE CONTINUE TO STARE AT THE SORT
OF THIS ABYSS OF A GAPING RACIAL WOUND THAT WE NEVER SEEM TO DO
ANYTHING ABOUT.
AND SO, IN THIS MOMENT, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS-- I THINK WILL
SMITH SAID IT'S NOT THAT RACISM IS WORSE.
IT'S BEING FILMED.
BUT THE OTHERS WERE ON CAMERA AS WELL.
IN SOME RESPECTS, I WONDER IF THE PANDEMIC, BECAUSE WE ALL
WENT INTO KIND OF A STASIS, AND SO MUCH OF OUR-- THE
DISTRACTIONS OF YOUR DAILY LIFE WERE REMOVED, THAT IT ALLOWED
THE COUNTRY A MOMENT OF CLARITY BECAUSE SO MUCH OF THE NOISE--
IT'S ALMOST LIKE IN THIS MOMENT OF MORE QUIET REFLECTION,
AMERICA SUDDENLY STOPPED AND SMELLED THE RACISM.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> Stephen: YEAH.
>> THERE WAS THAT FEELING THAT WE WERE IN A MOMENT'S PAUSE, AND
IN THAT-- IN THAT ONE BREATH, MAYBE IT SUDDENLY BECAME CLEAR
TO US.
BECAUSE, LOOK, THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO CHANGE HAS ALWAYS
BEEN OUR INABILITY TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT ENDING
SEGREGATION.
IT'S ABOUT DISMANTLING THE BARRIERS.
I WAS TALKING TO CHARLAMAGNE IN THE MORNING, AND IT FEELS LIKE
BLACK PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO FIGHT SO HARD FOR EQUALITY FOR SO
LONG, AND THE EXHAUSTION OF TH THAT, AND THE DESPAIR OF THAT,
THE ANGUISH OF THAT.
WHILE THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY, WHITE PEOPLE WERE
BUILDING EQUITY.
AND THE DISPARITY THEN BETWEEN A LACK OF EQUALITY AND A RISING OF
EQUITY JUST EXACERBATED.
SO THEY'RE ALWAYS NEGOTIATING FROM THIS SUBSERVIENT POSITION
WHAT SHOULD NOT BE A NEGOTIATION.
THEY HAD TO, FROM THE GET-GO, ASK FOR HUMANHOOD, ASK FOR THOSE
THINGS THAT IN OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE SAY, VERY
CLEARLY, "ARE YOUR INALIENABLE RIGHTS FROM YOUR CREATOR."
THEY'RE NOT, YOU KNOW-- IF GOD CREATES US ALL EQUAL, THE
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT SOMEHOW GOT TO BE THE BOUNCER OF THAT CREED,
AND YOU HAD TO ASK AND BEG AND PLEAD AND FIGHT AND TAKE TO THE
STREETS TO GAIN AN EQUALITY.
BUT WHILE THAT WAS GOING ON, WE STILL HAVE LEGAL BOUNDARIES TO
KEEP THEM FROM GAINING EQUITY.
AND I THINK EQUALITY WILL ONLY COME ONCE THE COMMUNITY CAN GAIN
THE EQUITY THAT'S BEEN TAKEN FROM THEM.
( BLEEP ) FROM THE BEGINNING.
I MEAN, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE HOMESTEAD ACT.
YOU KNOW, ALL THE SLAVES WERE FREED.
THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED TO HAVE THEIR OWN LAND.
THEY DIDN'T GET THEIR 40 ACERS AND A MULE THAT WAS PROMISED TO
THEM.
ANDREW JOHNSON MADE SURE OF THAT.
AND WE DID THE HOMESTEAD ACT, WHITE HOMESTEADERS WERE GIVEN
MILLIONS OF ACRES OF LAND, WHICH WAS THE EQUITY-- SOMEBODY WAS
TELLING ME... I THINK THEY WERE SAYING THAT 20% OF THE PEOPLE
FROM THAT-- OF THE WEALTH IN THAT AREA CAN ACTUALLY BE TRACED
TO THE HOMESTEAD ACT, WHICH EXPLICITLY DID NOT INCLUDE BLACK
PEOPLE.
FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION IN THE NEW DEAL EXPLICITLY SAID
YOU CANNOT LOAN THESE LOW-COST LOANSES THAT WERE INTENDED SO
THAT WHITE PEOPLE COULD GAIN EQUITY, YOU CANNOT GIVE THEM TO
BLACK PEOPLE.
THIS IS THE MOST PROGRESSIVE PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT MAY
HAVE EVER HAPPENED ON THE SOIL OF AMERICA, EXPLICITLY EXCLUDED
BLACK PEOPLE.
THE G.I. BILL IN LONG ISLAND, WHEN EVERYBODY WAS BUYING INTO
LEVITTOWN, EXPLICITLY EXCLUDED BLACKS.
UNTIL WE ADDRESS THAT, THERE IS-- THERE'S-- EQUALITY WON'T
COME.
I THINK YOU HAVE TO-- THAT, TO ME, FEELS LIKE THE ROOT.
>> Stephen: I THINK THAT IS THE ROOT.
I THINK IF I WOULD ONLY ADD TO THAT IS THAT I THINK ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY THIS IS A CATALYTIC MOMENT IS BECAUSE OF ALL THE
WORK DONE BY BLACK ORGANIZERS OVER THE LAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS,
SPECIFICALLY BLACK LIVES MATTER, WHO FOUR YEARS AGO IN THE
ELECTION WAS LIKE, "WHO IS THIS RADICAL ORGANIZATION?"
AND NOW IS GENERALLY SEND AS HAVING A PROPER GOAL.
THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT BLACK LIVES MATTER MEANS IS MORE
BROADLY ACCEPTED.
THE SECOND THING WOULD BE-- GO AHEAD.
>> NO, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, SO STILL-- IT'S GOING
TO BE THE "BUT" PEOPLE.
THE THINGS WORKING AGAINST IT ARE THE "BUT PEOPLE."
AND, BY THE WAY, AS RIDICULOUS AS IT IS FOR TWO OLD WHITE DUDES
TO BE SITTING AROUND GOING, "THE PROBLEM WITH RACISM IN THIS
COUNTRY..."
>> Stephen: BUT I THINK IT'S VALID TO TALK ABOUT WHY IT'S
ACCEPTED.
>> RIGHT.
AND HERE IS WHY I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT.
I BELIEVE WHITE PEOPLE CAN FUNCTION AS AVATARS FOR SOME
REASON-- AND WE USED TO HAVE IT SOME TIMES ON THE SHOW, MYSELF
AND JORDAN KLEPPER TALKING ABOUT ONE OF THOSE INSTANCES IN
FERGUSON, AND SHE WAS MAKING GREAT POINTS ABOUT SYSTEMIC
RACISM.
AND JORDAN KLEPPER WOULD SAY, "I DON'T KNOW, THAT JUST DOESN'T
SOUND LIKE IT'S REAL."
AND I WOULD SAY THE SAME THING SHE SAID, SLIGHTLY REFORMATTED,
AND HE WOULD GO, "THAT IS SO DEEP AND FROFOUND.
YOU ARE SUCH A THOUGHT LEADER ON RACE, AND I REALLY RESPECT YOU
ON THAT."
AND SHE'D BE LIKE, "I JUST SAID THAT."
AND HE'D GO, "I DON'T THINK YOU DID."
BECAUSE I THINK THE PROBLEM HERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN MAYBE TWO-FOLD.
ONE IS THE "BUT" PEOPLE.
AND YOU SEE THEM-- THEY'LL COME OUT, YOU KNOW, "WHAT HAPPENED TO
GEORGE FLOYD WAS AWFUL.
WE WATCHED IT.
AND NO ONE CONDONES THAT.
BUT..." AS SOON AS YOU HEAR "BUT," YOU KNOW THEY'RE ABOUT TO
NEGATE THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION.
"HE WASN'T AN ANGEL."
"YEAH, BUT HE-- THE CRIMINALITY IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD."
ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS-- I THINK THE PROBLEM IS TWO-FOLD.
ONE IS I THINK THERE'S A LARGE SLOTH OF THE WHITE POPULATION--
AND YOU KNOW THIS AS WELL AS I DO-- THAT BELIEVES SOMEHOW THAT
THE INEQUALITY IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY IS ON THEM.
>> Stephen: THEY'RE JUST NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH.
>> CORRECT.
THAT THERE IS A-- IT IS A-- IT IS A PROBLEM OF VIRTUE AND
CULTURE.
IF YOU JUST WORK-- MY GRANDFATHER HAD TO WORK.
RIGHT, YOUR GRANDFATHER-- WHEN HE CAME HOME FROM WORLD WAR II,
THEY GAVE HEM A LOW-COST LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE.
WHEN A BLACK G.I. CAME HOME FROM WORLD WAR II THEY WERE NOT
ALLOWED TO AND WERE NEVER ALLOWED TO BUILT THAT EQUITY.
THE FIRST THING IS TO TRY TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION TO
CONVINCE PEOPLE-- WE DON'T TALK ABOUT ENTRENCHED WHITE POVERTY
IN THE SAME WAY.
LOOK AT THE WAY THEY TALK ABOUT POVERTY IN THE INNER CITY.
SOMEHOW IT'S THE FAULT OF THE DENNISONS THERE.
BUT WHITE POVERTY IS A TRAGEDY OF CIRCUMSTANCE.
IT'S GLOBALISM.
IT'S JOBS THAT GO OVERSEAS.
THEIR PROBLEMS ARE DEPTHS OF DESPAIR.
LIKE OPIOIDS ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY THAN CRACK.
CRACK IS CRIMINALIZED AND PEOPLE PUT AWAY.
OPIOIDS THAERK JUST SAD BECAUSE THE JOBS HAVE GONE.
WELL, HOW WOULD YOU HANDLE WHAT HAS BEEN SYSTEMICALLY DONE TO
THE BLACK-- AND TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY, IT'S ALWAYS, "COME
ON, MAN, WE'RE NOT SLAVE HOLDERS.
WE'RE NOT-- WHY CAN'T YOU GET OVER IT?"
MEANWHILE, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO WHITE PEOPLE SIX WEEKS OF
QUARANTINE, AND THEY WERE LIKE, "I'M GOING TO STORM THE
GOVERNMENT WITH MY AK-47."
>> Stephen: JON, WE'VE GOT TO TAKE ANOTHER BREAK.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE JON STEWART, EVERYBODY.