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Comedian Ronny Chieng Warns Of Coronavirus Bullying
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Just as the coronavirus was spreading worldwide, comedian and The Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng was landing in Australia for a visit. He had a cough and was coming from another country, so he was considered “high risk” and immediately got tested. Don’t worry, he’s negative, but he's still locked down under (watch his bit with The Daily Show host Trevor Noah above).
That’s where Chieng was when Take Two host A Martinez called him up to discuss his Netflix special Asian Comedian Destroys America, which was taped at the Alex Theater in Glendale in September 2019. That may feel like a different era, but Chieng’s jokes have new resonance today with riffs on Asian stereotypes and how the internet makes people stupid.
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Take, for example, all the misinformation on the web about COVID-19 and retweets of President Trump calling it the "Chinese virus":
"Look, there’s adults here, but there’s also a lot of kids in this country — a lot of Asian kids in this country — who, they don’t know what’s going on. They literally woke up one morning and suddenly there’s a new thing that they’re being teased about. And I’m not talking about light-hearted teasing, whatever that means. I’m talking about this thing is something that can affect them growing up. We should think about those people. If we don’t care about the adults anymore, at least think about the kids, right?"
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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