MSNBC’s Alex Wagner joined NBC Late Night host Seth Meyers on Thursday to decry Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s “Orwellian” and “white Christian nationalist” education policies while over on Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes wrapped up her time as The Daily Show’s temporary host by bringing on correspondent Roy Wood Jr. to provide a caricatured explanation of Missouri’s new anti-Critical Race Theory history curriculum.
Meyers asked Wagner to tell him just how scared the country should be of DeSantis, “You've been covering the way he's been approaching, sort of, politics via education. Can you speak to some of the steps he's taking and maybe why we should be afraid of those?”
As Wagner tells it, “what he's done is this kind of Orwellian plot to censor what is being taught in the classrooms through the passage of various legislation. Book bans and book approvals I mean, I was talking to a teacher in Manatee County this week, they've literally had to paper over their school libraries and classrooms because the books haven't all been approved to these state-set standards.”
Moving on to the recent controversy over AP African-American Studies, Wagner claimed, “I mean, this is the way we re-indoctrinate people to sort of a white Christian nationalist agenda, which is very much at the heart of the Republican, sort of, platform, if you will, right now.”
Wagner can repeat that line all she wants; it is not going to suddenly become true. Still, she warned, “And Ron DeSantis has been insanely effective in passing this legislation, creating a climate of fear, and ultimately undermining a lot of the social and cultural progress that this country has seen the last 15 and 20 years, so I think we should all be paying attention to it.”
Earlier on The Daily Show, Sykes was discussing how Missouri is banning Critical Race Theory while creating a training program to “prepare teachers to teach the principles of American civics and patriotism.” Teachers who take the program are eligible for a $3,000 bonus.
Sykes asked a money-counting Woods, “what do you know about this patriotism course?,” to which Wood replied, “I can tell you a lot about the patriotism course, because I took it.”
Playing along with the bit, Sykes declared, “It can't be that good if it's run by a bunch of Missouri Republicans.”
If it is an education bill passed by Republicans, then according to Daily Show logic, it must be anti-science, “First thing I learned, I learned Missouri is one of the most important states in the union. Did you know, without Missouri, Iowa would fall into Arkansas? And it would just be chaos. Just a big hole in the middle of the country. It's structurally important.”
It must also be anti-history, “Look, all Republican history is very interesting. It’s a very interesting course. I learned that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by Hillary Clinton. And-- and--hold on-- this is -- I learned this, this is in the book, now, also learned, Harriet Tubman -- you know Harriet Tubman? She really a white man.”
The joke is that Republicans are stupid. Why aren’t you laughing?
Late Night was sponsored by TurboTax and The Daily Show was sponsored by DoorDash.
Here are transcripts for the January 26-taped shows:
NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers
1/27/2023
1:02 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: One of the things you've addressed, which I want to ask you about, because obviously the Republicans are coming off, you know, a sort of underwhelming midterms. But it does seem like they're still sticking with this culture war message.
ALEX WAGNER: Yeah.
MEYERS: And one of the people you see using that as a tool more often than others is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
WAGNER: Yeah.
MEYERS: You've been covering the way he's been approaching, sort of, politics via education. Can you speak to some of the steps he's taking and maybe why we should be afraid of those?
WAGNER: I mean, you should be afraid of anything that systematically tries to disenfranchise people and whitewash history which is exactly what's happening down in Florida. We should care about it not just because it's Florida but also because Ron DeSantis may end up being the Republican nominee for president in 2024.
But basically what he's done is this kind of Orwellian plot to censor what is being taught in the classrooms through the passage of various legislation. Book bans and book approvals I mean, I was talking to a teacher in Manatee County this week, they've literally had to paper over their school libraries and classrooms because the books haven't all been approved to these state-set standards.
People, kids can't read books in classrooms because teachers are so scared they could get slapped with a felony for running afoul of these new standards. Ron DeSantis has said, "I'm not going to approve an AP course on African-American Studies in the state of Florida because so far I've seen no evidence that it has any educational value.
I mean, this is the way we re-indoctrinate people to sort of a white Christian nationalist agenda, which is very much at the heart of the Republican, sort of, platform, if you will, right now. And Ron DeSantis has been insanely effective in passing this legislation, creating a climate of fear, and ultimately undermining a lot of the social and cultural progress that this country has seen the last 15 and 20 years, so I think we should all be paying attention to it.
I've gone down to Florida, I've talked to teachers and students. It's part of the field work that I think is essential to being a journalist. I'm surprised I'm still allowed to enter the state of Florida, at this point. I hope you're not watching, Governor DeSantis.
MEYERS: I don’t think he is.
***
Comedy Central The Daily Show
1/26/2023
11:04 PM ET
WANDA SYKES: I just want to know, what do you know about this patriotism course?
ROY WOOD JR: You know, what can I tell you about this patriotism course, I can tell you a lot about the patriotism course, because I took it.
SYKES: You took the course? But it's for teachers, why would you take it?
WOOD: For $3,000 dollars?! Shit, I took that course 20 times. Look at all this damn time. I took the course as Roy Wood, Jr., then I went back as Roy Wood, Sr., went back Michael Jordan, Michael B. Jordan. All you got to do with all these white people, man, just tell them you’re one black dude and then they believe you. I'm going back next week as Frederick Douglass. What’s wrong with you? $3,000.
SYKES: Well, okay, did you learn anything?
WOOD: Yeah, I mean, honestly, I came up with a real appreciation for the Founding Fathers. Founding fathers like Ben Franklin. Founding fathers like Andrew Jackson too. Actually, I got a Jackson in here.
SYKES: No, no, Roy, I mean, okay, look, what did the course teach? It can't be that good if it's run by a bunch of Missouri Republicans.
WOOD: I mean, actually, I learned a lot. First thing I learned, I learned Missouri is one of the most important states in the union. Did you know, without Missouri, Iowa would fall into Arkansas? And it would just be chaos. Just a big hole in the middle of the country. It's structurally important. Look, all Republican history is very interesting. It’s a very interesting course. I learned that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by Hillary Clinton. And-- and--hold on-- this is -- I learned this, this is in the book, now, also learned, Harriet Tubman -- you know Harriet Tubman?
She really a white man. You can't run from the truth! You can't run from the truth!
SYKES: Roy.
WOOD: I'm telling you what I learned! Harriet Tubman was really a white man.
SYKES: It sounds like you learned a bunch of nonsense.
