Throughout Hasan Minhaj’s stand up performance he discusses what is was like growing up never feeling good enough due to his race, religion, and what he wanted out of life. His parents were the typical Muslim immigrants and throughout his life they continually told him to be grateful for what he had and that many of the hardships he was facing was all apart of paying his dues to America. However, Minhaj believed that he shouldn’t have to suffer, in order to have a place in this country. He expresses this belief by telling stories from his life, all of which involve some level of hardship or struggle. Some of these struggles are minor, like not getting the bike he wanted for his birthday, only for his sister to get the exact same bike he wanted for her first birthday in the US. Many of his challenges were more momential to his life like his family is car windows getting smashed the day after 9/11 and his prom date standing him up and choosing to go with someone else due to his race. He explains that after a while he began to feel the need to instigate change starting with his family, then moving on to…show more content… I had no idea that many immigrants have the idea that things should be hard for them in the US, because they see it as a way that they are paying their dues for being here. A lot of the smaller things that Minhaj experienced such as casual racism and Islamophobia, his parents brushed off the best they could, under the idea that those small acts are just apart of their life. I was surprised that he came right out and said “the first time you experience racism, you don’t know what it is”, reinforcing the idea that racism isn’t something that one is born with it's something you learn. Even though this was said later on in the show, I wasn’t suspecting his bluntness when it came to this
