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SNL’s ‘Black Jeopardy’

SNL sketch offers some of the smartest political commentary of the year. No, really

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7VaXlMvAvk&w=525&h=300]

A reader points out that Slate’s original headline said, cluelessly, that “Tom Hanks mocks Donald Trump supporters” in this SNL skit. Somebody must have pointed out that this is a really clever sketch. The piece’s writer (N.B., writers typically don’t write their own headlines) saw it otherwise:

Hosted by Kenan Thompson as Darnell Hayes, this episode of “Black Jeopardy” looked to be an easy setup to mercilessly mock Trump supporters at every turn. Instead, it revealed that conspiracy theorist Doug had a lot more in common with the other contestants—Leslie Jones as Shanice and Sasheer Zamata as Keeley—than most people would have likely expected.

That’s true, but still not quite right. What the piece really shows is that poor and working class folks, both black and white, have more in common than either might have thought.

J.D. Vance alert!

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