The Monday edition of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show included a video package of correspondent Roy Wood Jr. in Britain asking foreigners to condemn America, trash the Second Amendment, and wonder, “How do you show people that you've got a big dick, but you don’t have a gun?”
Temp host Wanda Sykes introduced the segment, “Over the weekend, America had yet another mass shooting, this time in Monterey Park, California. Tragically, 11 people lost their lives and we send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and the ones recovering. And sadly, that's all we do in this country. Because it only happens here. And why is that? Well, we all know the answer, but we sent Roy Wood Jr. overseas anyway to double check.”
The segment featured Wood talking to several people, the first was man named Edward, who was asked, “Okay, so do you feel safer here or visiting America?”
This could have just as easily been a question and answer about crime as Edward answered, “Here. Safer here… Because everybody’s packing in the States.”
Wood’s questions got worse from there. After asking why British police don’t carry guns, he asked an unidentified man, “But how are you going to accidentally kill somebody you wanted to kill?”
Again, that could have just as easily been a question about crime in blue cities, but that would have complicated the narrative The Daily Show was trying to promote.
Naturally, none of the people interviewed defended the Second Amendment, but a number of them at least tried to understand why an American might think differently. The same could not be said for Wood, who asked yet another man, “So in the U.K., how do you show power? How do you show people that you've got a big dick, but you don’t have a gun?”
Wood then asked a female Norwegian tourist a similar question, “As a woman, are you impressed by men who have big guns?” After the woman claimed that guns are not common in Norwegian homes, Wood followed up, “Okay, so in Norway, how do men let women know that they have a big dick?”
Of course, the idea of female gun owners was lost in this idea of genital compensation.
Later, Wood was with two women from South Africa when he asked, “Why do you think Americans love guns so much?”
One of them replied “Probably the Constitution and just because they crazy.” At least she was half-right. Still, Wood followed up, “Damn, you just hit us right out the gate. What is America's reputation in the world?”
Given the context of the conversation and purpose of the segment, it is not surprising, she answered “Probably mass shootings, as bad as it sounds.” Further along in the segment, Wood explained during a voiceover that, “guns aren't just hurting our people, they are hurting our street cred all over the world.”
The first unidentified man was then seen declaring that “if you look at it from a gun perspective, some of the other topics that are going on currently as well, I think, it is affecting a little bit of its credibility on that global stage,” while the South African woman added, “It's a problem when guns have more rights than women, so, within a country.”
The fact that he was begging the question is also a problem for Wood if he wanted Americans to take this segment seriously.
This segment was sponsored by Hyundai.
Here is a transcript for the January 23 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
1/23/2023
11:18 PM ET
WANDA SYKES: Welcome back to The Daily Show. Over the weekend, America had yet another mass shooting, this time in Monterey Park, California. Tragically, 11 people lost their lives and we send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and the ones recovering. And sadly, that's all we do in this country. Because it only happens here. And why is that? Well, we all know the answer, but we sent Roy Wood Jr. overseas anyway to double check.
ROY WOOD JR.: A little while back, I traveled to marry old England, a country that's all kinds of weapons, swords, shields, wooden catapults, terrible massage chairs, even magic wands. But the one weapon you don't see is guns. So I wanted to find out why in my new segment "Roy Meets World."
Edward, where are you from?
EDWARD: Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
WOOD: Okay, so do you feel safer here or visiting America?
EDWARD: Here. Safer here.
WOOD: Why? Why do you feel safer here?
EDWARD: Because everybody’s packing in the States.
WOOD: You really don't see guns out here on a regular basis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not really. Even with the cops-- if you are walking around and you do see some cops, they don’t have guns on them?
WOOD: Why is that? Why y'all police don't have guns?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I honestly don't know about that one.
WOOD: But how are you going to accidentally kill somebody you wanted to kill?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the whole point, you shouldn’t be doing that.
WOOD: So in the U.K., how do you show power? How do you show people that you've got a big dick, but you don’t have a gun?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: I don't try to show people that I got a big dick. I know I got one. Like, I think—
WOOD: As a woman, are you impressed by men who have big guns?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, we don’t have to use this in Norway. It's not common to have guns in private homes at all.
WOOD: Okay, so in Norway, how do men let women know that they have a big dick?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show it to them.
WOOD: Can't do that in America. That is not an option.
WOOD: So they are packing. See? There's so much our two cultures can learn from each other.
Why do you think Americans love guns so much?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: I think it is something, like, deeply ingrained in the culture, like, guns have been around for a long, long time in the U.S. Like, in the U.K., it is not so much of an issue because it is very underground, where as in America, it is normalized. Like, every—you can walk into a Walmart, you can buy a gun.
WOOD: Yes, and a pack of Skittles and some ice cream and be right back out the door.
So where are y'all from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: South Africa.
WOOD: Why do you think Americans love guns so much?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE 2: Probably the Constitution and just because they crazy.
WOOD: Damn, you just hit us right out the gate. What is America's reputation in the world?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE 2: Probably mass shootings, as bad as it sounds.
WOOD: That’s all we are known for?
[crosstalk]
We got hot dogs, we got Steph Curry.
Why do you think Americans love guns so much?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE 3: From an outsider’s perspective, I think they are also really proud of their military and everything.
WOOD: Well, we’ve whooped a lot of ass. America has whooped a lot of ass.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE 3: You think so, at least, yeah.
WOOD: Check the stats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE 3: Yeah, okay yeah.
WOOD: British ass, Civil War, we whooped our own ass.
So, they didn't really know America's record on the court and turns out, guns aren't just hurting our people, they are hurting our street cred all over the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like, you know, the U.S. was kind of like this beacon that a lot of people followed, if you look at it from a gun perspective, some of the other topics that are going on currently as well, I think, it is affecting a little bit of its credibility on that global stage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE 2: It's a problem when guns have more rights than women, so, within a country.
