Turns out Fox News' Jesse Watters isn't as hilarious and adorable outside the Fox News Bubble as he thinks he is. Chris Hayes watched his latest racist man-on-the-street segment and wondered aloud how Donald Trump got where he is today. (But really we all know it's because Republicans.)
CHRIS HAYES: Fox News is no stranger to warranted critique over its racial politics. Now the network finds itself facing an actual firestorm of controversy over a segment featuring one of its correspondents. The correspondent was dispatched to New York's Chinatown to ostensibly discuss the 2016 election. But segment that aired had little to do with political discourse. Instead, it trotted out a host of tired and offensive Asian stereotypes, half-edited together with movie clips. As writer Suzy Khimm put it, "How much trolling, anti-Asian racism can you pack into one news segment? More than I ever thought possible. "
FOX NEWS CLIP:
Am I supposed to bow to say hello?
I like these watches. Are they hot?
JCPenney.
Do you like Donald trump?
Yes. Hillary Clinton basically is an extension of Obama.
Who are you going to vote for?
Clinton's wife.
Clinton's wife has a name. What is it?
Oh, man. I forget it.
Snap out of it.
CHRIS HAYES: This kind of shtick was played out and racist decades ago. Today lawmakers and civil rights organizations are expressing anger over the segment. The Asian American Journalist Association is demanding an apology from Fox News. Quote, "It's 2016. We should be far beyond tired, racist stereotypes and targeting an ethnic group for humiliation and objectification on the basis of their race. Sadly, Fox News proves it has a long way to go in reporting on communities of color in a respectful and fair manner."
Interestingly enough, Fox News has not defended the segment. In fact, has not commented on the matter. As for the correspondent, he called himself, in what I don't think was meant to be a joke, a political humorist and defended his segment on Twitter: "My man on the street interviews are meant to be taken as tongue in cheek and I regret if anyone found offense."
In completely and totally unrelated news, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S., and could influence key battleground states in the election cycle. Because over two decades, the Asian-American vote in Presidential elections has gone from being solidly Republican to being solidly Democratic. In fact, new polling shows Hillary Clinton up 41 points among Asian Americans. In fact, that same survey, found that Asian Americans are more than twice as likely to identify as Democrats than Republicans. And maybe, just maybe, because they are completely repulsed by a political movement whose most high-profile voices think it's hilarious to punk and humiliate their grandmothers.
WATTERS: Trump has been beating up on China. How does that make you feel?
Speak, speak, speak, why don't you, speak!
CHRIS HAYES: Boy, it really is impossible to figure out how Donald Trump became the Republican nominee, isn't it?
