ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from New York City,
the only city in America,
it's The Daily Show.
Tonight, the high cost of gas,
the high cost of weddings,
and Angela Garbes.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah!
-♪ ♪ -(cheering and applause)
What's going on, everybody? Welcome to The Daily Show.
I'm Trevor Noah. Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thank you for coming out in person.
Thank you so much for coming and joining.
Take a seat. Let's do it, y'all.
We've got a really fun show for you tonight.
President Biden is stepping on the gas,
Lewis Black is getting ready for wedding season,
and Congress has agreed on gun reforms
that are somehow a huge deal
and a huge disappointment at the same time.
So, let's do this, people.
Let's jump straight into today's headlines.
-♪ ♪ -(cheering and applause)
All right, let's kick things off with gasoline
or, as scientists call it, dinosaur pee-pee.
Over the past few months, global demand for oil
has kept rising faster than the supply
to the point where the price of gas in the United States
is now $6 babillion a gallon,
so drivers are hurting.
The good news is that as always, President Biden wants to help.
The bad news is that as always, it doesn't look like he can.
NEWSMAN: The president this afternoon
called on Congress to temporarily suspend
the federal gas tax,
which is right now about 18 cents a gallon.
It's a move President Biden has resisted until today
given that it is unlikely to pass Congress.
While officials say a gas tax holiday
is worth considering, there is a cost.
Those funds are used
for repairing roads and infrastructure,
important priorities across the country.
What the president wants is a three-month gas tax holiday
on both regular gas and diesel going into September.
He also wants states to pass their similar versions
of that gas tax holiday.
The president also had a word specifically here
for the oil companies. Here's what he said.
Bring down the price you are charging at the pump
to reflect the costs you are paying for the product.
Do it now. Do it today.
(laughter)
Why are you talking like that?
Is this a secret?
Should the rest of us be listening?
Why does he do that thing? It's so strange.
Like, Joe Biden's the only president
whose vibe shifts in the middle of a sentence.
"Oil companies, you better lower the prices.
"Please.
Please, I'm begging you."
If you're president, you just got to say things!
Otherwise, it makes you look weak, you know?
You can't be like, "Mr. Gorbachev,
"tear down this wall!
"If you get around to it.
"It's such an ugly wall.
Or at least paint it. Come on."
And, you know, I feel like this is the big difference
between Trump and Biden, you know?
It's how they use their power.
Because with Trump it was always like,
"Ah, shit, is he gonna use his power?!"
And with Biden, it's like,
"Ah, shit, is he gonna use his power?"
(laughter)
Also, whoever decided to call it a gas tax holiday?
That person should be fired.
It's not a holiday.
What does that mean? It's a gas tax holiday.
No, just be like, "We're not charging gas..."
"It's a gas tax holiday."
That's the worst holiday of all time.
What, you save 18 cents off of gas,
and I still have to go to work? Are you shitting me?
Even Arbor Day is better than that shit.
And this is what always confuses me about this country.
All right? Everywhere in the world,
governments manage to protect their populations
from corporate greed.
Right? Like, South Africa will limit
how high bread prices can go.
The EU will be like, "You cannot pump chickens
with the same hormones they use in the Hulk."
In China, they're like, "Crypto's done.
And no more dancing on TikTok. Only homework."
But whenever the American government
has to deal with corporations, they've got about as much power
as a tortoise that's stuck on its back.
You know? It's just like, "Come on, oil companies.
"Come on, pass on your savings.
"Drug companies, don't overcharge
"for lifesaving drugs, please.
Please."
(applause)
But, still,
this is good news for Americans.
Instead of the gas tax going to maintaining roads
and infrastructure,
drivers will now save 18 cents per gallon.
And then you can use those savings to buy a new car
after yours gets swallowed up by a pothole.
But let's move on to a different problem
facing practically everyone in America,
gun violence.
There have been many mass shootings in America
over the past couple of decades,
and, after each one, people have always said,
"Maybe this time will be different.
Maybe Congress will do something about this."
And, every time, Congress was like, "No."
But ever since the mass shooting
in Buffalo and Uvalde last month,
a group of senators from both parties
have been working together to see if they can find
any common ground on gun reform.
And it turns out this time is different,
ever so slightly.
NEWSMAN: This morning, after decades of partisan gridlock,
a major breakthrough in Congress--
14 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats
to advance a new compromise on gun restrictions.
This is a breakthrough.
And, more importantly, it's a bipartisan breakthrough.
NEWSMAN: The deal includes enhanced background checks
for people between 18 and 21;
closing the so-called "boyfriend loophole,"
preventing romantic partners convicted of domestic violence
from buying guns;
directing more money for states
to implement their own plans to address gun violence;
and billions for school security upgrades
and mental health services.
And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calls the deal
a "commonsense package of popular steps
"that will help make these horrifying incidents
less likely while fully upholding the Second Amendment."
Oh, I agree with Senator Mitch McConnell.
Thank God the precious Second Amendment has been preserved.
Oh, yes. I mean, I'm all for protecting kids,
but the Second Amendment, oh,
have you seen that little face?
Have you seen it?
Whose Second Amendment are you?
Oh, you're so adorable!
Sometimes I feel like Americans want to protect the Constitution
more than they want to protect the Americans
the Constitution is supposed to protect.
-(cheering and applause) -It doesn't make any sense.
"Oh, I'm glad we could protect the Second Amendment."
I'll tell you now, if the Second Amendment
was in that classroom in Uvalde,
the cops would have bust the door down
with Mitch McConnell right behind them.
"Yippee-ki-yay, mother(bleep).
Mah. Mah."
And I will say, look, I know, for a lot of people,
it can be hard to know how to feel about this deal,
because it doesn't include a lot of things that people want.
You know? It doesn't ban assault rifles.
It doesn't raise age limits.
It doesn't even do universal background checks,
which is the most basic thing imaginable.
So, for some, this kind of thing, you know,
feels like trying to stop Godzilla
by dropping a few mousetraps around the city.
But on the other hand, on the other hand,
after three decades of nothing happening,
this deal is something.
Please remember that. It is something.
It's not gonna solve everything, but it's something.
And something is always better than nothing.
That's the entire philosophy behind the hand job.
(laughter, applause)
All right, let's move on.
If you've been out in New York City over the past few years,
especially pandemic and through it,
you've probably noticed a wild new phenomenon.
And, no, I'm not talking about how the stuff dripping
from air conditioners doesn't taste as good as it used to.
Which-- No, it really bothers me.
It used to have, like, a flavor. It had a tang.
When it would, like, fall in your mouth, you'd be like,
"Mmm!"
No, the problem I'm talking about
is the squads of dirt bikes and ATVs
flooding the streets and sidewalks
like Trump supporters trying to find Mike Pence.
Well, now the mayor of New York City
has decided to crush this problem literally.
Today, heavy machinery crushed illegal ATVs,
dirt bikes and motorcycles confiscated by the NYPD.
Mayor Eric Adams waved a checkered flag and work began.
He said this effort was to ensure
these vehicles cannot ever terrorize the city again.
The NYPD says that it has seized
more than 2,000 of these vehicles citywide,
an increase of more than 80% from this time last year.
Hell, yeah, baby! Crush those bikes!
That's what I want from my city government. Yeah!
I don't even care about the underfunded schools anymore
'cause this shit rocks!
By the way, why is he waiving a checkered flag
-at the beginning of a race? -(laughter)
Does he not understand how a race works?
Guy in the truck is like, "I-I finished already?"
Now, look, I will admit, as a New Yorker-- humble brag--
maybe this isn't the biggest problem
the city is facing right now.
You know, rents are driving people out of their homes,
traffic is always bad,
and the subways are always shutting down.
'Cause I think we have trains
-that are scared of the dark or something. -(laughter)
Yeah, yeah, no, I think that's what it is in New York.
You see, 'cause they're fine, and then they go into a tunnel,
and then they're just like, "Aah! Aah! Aah!
"You guys should walk. I don't know what to do.
This is scary."
In fact, instead of crushing these bikes,
maybe the city could have used them
to solve some of the city's problems, you know?
I mean, this could have been the solution to the subway problem.
Instead of those trains that are always breaking down,
just drop a bunch a dirt bikes into the tunnel, you know?
Yeah, let people wheelie to work,
or give them to the police
so they don't have to ride horses anymore.
What are you doing? Stopping crime in the 1850s?
Huh? "There are cattle rustlers on Broadway!"
Or just hire the dirt bike kids to ride around neighborhoods
where the rents have gotten unaffordable.
-Help keep the prices down. -(applause and cheering)
"This studio apartment with no bathroom. You want it?
You want it? It costs $6,000 a month."
-"What?!" -(imitates engine revving)
"All right, give me 50 bucks, you can have it."
All right, and finally, if you're one of those people
who rarely likes to vape,
well, first of all, congratulations on being basic.
And second of all, you might want to stock up
because your supply is about to run out.
NEWSMAN: One of the largest makers of e-cigarettes may soon
be forced to stop selling products in this country.
The Wall Street Journal says
the FDA could order Juul e-cigarettes
off the market as soon as today.
The FDA has criticized Juul
for gearing its products toward young people.
It already barred the sale of fruity
and sweet e-cigarette cartridges.
Juul had hoped to continue selling tobacco flavors.
It can appeal if the FDA does hand down that ban as expected.
That's right, people.
Juul e-cigarettes are about to be banned.
So your days of going around looking
like you're blowing R2-D2 are over.
But this is a big move by the FDA.
Because you realize Juul is the iconic vaping brand.
So by them doing this,
it's like going after soda by banning Coke,
or going after Coke by banning Don, Jr.
(laughter)
All right, that's it for the headlines, but before we go,
let's check in on the traffic
with our very own Roy Wood, Jr., everybody!
(applause and cheering)
What's happening, Roy?
-What's up, man? -Good to see you again.
-You're doing good? You're doing good? -And...
Yeah, I'm good, I'm good. Now, I know we want to get
to the traffic, man, but that brings up a good point.
Am I supposed to be excited about 18 cent off of gas?
-I guess they want you to be excited. -I don't know.
I don't feel like that's a lot.
I'm sure 18 cent off, I'm sure that's a lot of gas
where you're from. I'm sure that's, like, a lot of gas.
-And... -What? 'Cause I'm from Africa?
(laughter)
You said it, not me. This is the thing.
Like, I feel like 18 cents-- it's like it's a nice gesture,
but it ain't really doing nothing.
It's like when your grandma still gives you ten dollars
for your birthday. And I'm like, "I'm 43.
"What am I going to do with these ten dollars?
This ain't even a sandwich. This ain't even a del..."
Oh, you looking at me. You want me to do traffic.
All right, here, here. You know how to fix this traffic?
-Yeah. -'Cause, like, perfect thing about the gas, right?
-Yeah. -All right, so, gas is up,
-'cause everybody consuming gas, right? -Okay, yeah.
People consume gas 'cause they stuck in traffic,
they ain't really moving.
What gives you good gas mileage?
Motion, the car moving.
So the way you get to fix the traffic-- all green lights.
(laughter)
Every light, every intersection in America,
green light, same time, traffic moving.
-This-- -I think that would create another problem, though.
What's the problem? What-what--
'Cause it's all the green lights, then, like,
the cars are probably gonna smash into each other.
Even better. Even better.
Car's smashed, your car don't run, now you walking,
saving gas. You understand?
That's how it works. All green lights.
-All right. Well, uh-- -Look-- Ooh, look at all
these motorcycles. Why we didn't just sell motorcycles
to these people? What-what country is that, even?
I-- I don't know, a country with traffic.
I-I don't understand why-why would the city of New York
not just sell the bikes? The police love
to put stuff out and then just tear it up.
Man, you could you have sold them bikes for parts.
You could have took them to another country or some shit.
Man, why would you get rid of the bi--
I bet you they didn't even siphon the gas
out them bikes before they crushed them.
-That's messed up, man. -That's a lot of money--
I'm from Alabama, man. I'm from Alabama.
The police downing there, they do something called
the police auction. The police take your shit
and then once every-- two, three times a year, they just
have a yard sale and they just sell everybody's stuff.
And that's how you make a little bit of bread.
You don't burn the stuff up, man. Like, when they be
burning the-the drugs, they be burning up the drugs.
Why would you burn that cocaine? All that good cocaine?
Maybe you could bag that up, you could take that
down to Knoxville, holla at Big Migs,
he got two clubs from the Salvadorians, we can get that--
That shit pretty-- You cut it the right way,
you could get a couple extra dollars and stretch that sh--
Roy, Roy, be careful, you're gonna incriminate yourself.
Let's, uh, let's jump to the traffic.
-That's my bad. Tha-That's my bad. -Yeah, let's just
jump to the traffic.
You know where the Juul people messed up?
The Juul-the Juul cigarette people?
-Yeah, where did they mess up, Roy? -See, they tried too hard
to sell to children.
You can't just go right at the children.
That's what happened to Joe Camel.
That's why they got Joe Camel out of here.
You remember Joe Camel? You remember the Camel cigarettes,
they had the dude-- I remember in the sixth grade,
everybody either wanted to be Michael Jordan or Joe Camel.
That's who you wanted to be. It was a camel,
He had shades, he a leather jacket on,
he had a white woman on his arm.
I was like, "That's the man."
Also, also, the thing with Juul, man, it's-it's the people
who smoke e-cigs. It's they fault.
Y'all had all this time to normalize e-cigs,
but every time they-- You ever seen somebody pull a e-cig out?
They look weird. They-- (mutters)
(deep inhale)
Then they put it back down. Then they look at the floor
when they hitting it. Why you looking at the floor?
Look up at me. That's-that's addiction behavior.
You don't look down at the-- (sharp inhale)
Smokers look you in the eye. Smoker-- Also, when people
smoke a cigarette, they don't smoke in the center
of they mouth-- This is cool. You got to smoke
in the corner of your mouth, you don't smoke nothing in the--
This is a crack pipe, you-- (sharp inhale)
Don't just-- Crack pipe. (inhales)
This is cool. This is meth.
And that's why people be tripping
on them Juul cigarettes, man. You can't be sm--
You want to look cool, you got to smoke around the corner.
I-I hear you there, man. I hear you there.
I'm just-- Mm.
Man, this some nice traffic, man.
Well-- W--
What do you-what do you want me to say about the traffic?
-Let's just-- -Well, Roy, people-- I-- People like--
-watching the news. Yeah, -Every week. What do you--
-because people like watching-- -What do you want me to say?!
People, like, want to know what roads to drive on.
The-- N-Not this one. Don't drive on this one.
You know what, all right.
-But they get cars-- -Thank you so much, Roy.
-Thank you so much. -And they're wasting gas.
All right, when we come back, Lewis Black
will be talking about weddings, so don't go away.
(cheering, applause)
(cheering and applause)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
When a news story falls through the cracks,
Lewis Black catches it
for a segment we call Back in Black.
♪ ♪
(cheering and applause)
Wedding season is here, everyone.
My favorite time of year.
The brides are radiant,
the grooms are terrified
and I'm in the photo booth
letting my artistic side out.
My nipple rings really pop in a wedding album.
And it's a great time
for someone who loves love as much as I do,
because this year,
there are more weddings than ever.
2022 is gonna be a record year.
They're talking about 2.5 million weddings
set to take place, the biggest number since 1984.
That number is up by 600,000
since 2021.
NEWSWOMAN: One out of every five weddings last year
was rescheduled for this year,
which means everything from dresses to venues
to hotel rooms are in high demand.
Planning to marry? Then get ready to rumble.
You can kiss the romantic venues goodbye
because the only one left is the Octagon,
and you're gonna have to choke someone out for it.
And I guess that's America for you.
It's easier to get a shotgun
than it is to get a shotgun wedding.
But at least post-pandemic marriages
are gonna be strong.
After all, most of these couples
have been through lockdown together.
They already know they can spend hours in the same room,
watching TV without speaking to each other,
until one of them falls asleep
and the other one can finally masturbate in peace.
You know,
marriage!
Of course,
even if you manage to find an aisle to walk down this year,
guess what, it's gonna cost ya.
NEWSWOMAN: And the cost to tie the knot? Astronomical.
All of the vendors really didn't have
any sort of income for almost two years.
So they are really trying to make up for that lost revenue.
NEWSWOMAN 2: That coupled with supply chain issues
and inflation have sent prices soaring.
NEWSWOMAN: Couples will spend an average of more than $24,000
on their wedding this year,
up nearly $2,000 from last year.
But it's not just the bride and groom.
Guests should expect to spend more, too,
as a record travel season boosts demand for flights,
hotel rooms, and rental cars.
NEWSWOMAN 3: That's Matt Tressler
from Louisville, Kentucky.
And this is his tenth wedding so far this summer.
Weekend after weekend, he's shelling out
for gifts, gas, hotels, and more.
I don't want to say an exact number,
but let's just say it was, like, four digits.
I've had to buy a lot of suits for weddings.
Hate to brag-- I'm a professional wedding guest.
I'm the wedding king.
"Wedding king" is Yiddish for "schmuck"!
20...
(cheering and applause)
$24,000 for a wedding?!
(bleep) me hard!
At that price, you won't have anything left
for the divorce lawyer!
And thanks to the price of gas,
even get-getting to a wedding costs an arm and a leg.
Gas is so expensive,
you can bring it as a wedding gift.
And make sure you hold on to it, though.
Your grandkids can sell it to a warlord for water!
So with all the logistical and financial challenges,
it's no wonder that some couples are finding creative ways
to save money.
NEWSWOMAN: Weddings can cost a fortune.
The national average-- close to 30 grand.
And in Kiara and Joel's home state of California,
the average is even higher.
Dress is check.
NEWSWOMAN: So how did Kiara pull it off?
She started with the dress, which cost just $47.
KIARA: I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a dress
because I had the mindset--
I'm gonna wear this one time for a few hours.
NEWSWOMAN: Then she found the perfect location--
right off the freeway, key word being "free."
(laughter)
A wedding by the freeway? Genius!
I found love on the side of the road loads of times.
(laughter)
And never once did I think to invite a photographer.
And I definitely wouldn't have invited my grandmother.
But even if you beat the cost and the crowds,
there's one more thing you need to worry about-- the COVID.
One newlywed couple didn't want to reschedule
their already postponed wedding-- understandable--
-the reception-- -NEWSWOMAN 2: Oh, no!
when the groom tested positive for COVID.
It happened just three days before,
so the bride still attended the wedding,
but took this cardboard cutout of her groom instead.
The couple says it was their way of making the best
of a very disappointing situation
after their nuptials had already been rescheduled several times
-throughout the course of the pandemic. -NEWSWOMAN 2: Oh.
NEWSWOMAN: Don't worry, though.
The groom didn't completely miss out
on all the fun and festivities.
He did show up on screen in the ballroom
as a surprise to his bride.
Look, if you find yourself dancing with a cutout,
you're certifiably insane.
And what does it say about the groom that he can be
replaced by a cardboard cutout
and nobody seems to care?
And the bride is in for a rude awakening,
because there's no way the husband
is ever gonna live up to that cutout.
It's well dressed, it listens,
and it has a flat stomach.
It's the total package.
Now, if you'll excuse me, Trevor,
I've got a wedding to get to.
Some asshole is getting married
to a woman he doesn't even like
and those idiots have decided
to make it a destination wedding.
Oh. Wow, Lewis, who-who's getting married?
I am.
And I got to pick up my bride at Kinkos.
Lewis Black, everyone. We'll be right back.
(cheering, applause)
(cheering and applause)
Welcome back to The Daily Show. My guest tonight
is best-selling author Angela Garbes.
She's here to talk about her new book,
Essential Labor,
which reflects on the state of caregiving in America
and explores mothering as a means of social change.
So, please welcome Angela Garbes.
-♪ ♪ -(cheering and applause)
-Welcome. -Good to see you. Thank you.
-Welcome to the show. -Thank you.
Thank you, Trevor, for having me.
Are you kidding me? Thank you for writing
one of the most fascinating books on a topic that I...
I-I love delving into,
because I feel like it is the root of everything.
-Yes. -And that is mothering.
-Yes. I'm glad that you see that. -You know?
-We share a vibe. (chuckles) -No, I... Right.
But let's start with-with, uh, you know, the title of the book.
Essential Labor.
You wrote this book, you know, based on an article
that, uh, that got acclaim from everyone.
I mean, mothers all over the country read it.
Some people around the world read it.
Even people like Melinda Gates and Elizabeth Warren
-chimed in, said, "Yeah, this is spot-on." -Yeah.
What do you think people have been missing
about mothering for so long?
Sure. I mean, I wrote this book...
You know, part of it came out of the grief
and loss that I felt at the start of the pandemic.
Um, as a writer, I had sort of nebulous deadlines,
and I didn't get a regular paycheck or health insurance,
but my husband's job gave us that.
So, I basically stopped writing,
and because childcare centers closed,
I was taking care of my kids.
And I knew that that was the most important work
I could be doing,
um, but it also...
I felt like I wasn't getting any recognition for it.
-Right. -We were hearing about essential workers,
health care workers, sanitation workers
who are, yes, essential,
but we were never hearing about parents
who were working 24-7,
trying to take care of their families,
trying to keep communities safe.
Um, and that's really where, like...
This is what I, like, what I know you understand,
is that domestic work, mothering,
um, we do it to ourselves every day.
Feeding ourselves, taking a shower.
-Right. -Without care work and domestic labor...
You know, this is the work that makes all other work possible.
The idea that domestic labor is somehow less valuable
than "professional work,"
I just think it's a myth.
You know, you know, what you... what you tap into in this book
is-is so powerful because it even goes to...
-Let's say somebody's, like, a rampant capitalist. -Sure.
You know? They go like, "Oh, the country needs to make money.
We got to get people out there. We got to get..."
And yet they don't want the policies
that support mothers in doing that.
So you see mothers-- You know, you talk about in the book
where they have to choose-- do-- am I gonna be a mom?
Or am I going to find somebody to be a mom to my child
-though I can't afford them? -Yes. This is so many--
You know, we talk about this care crisis
-that was exposed in the pandemic, right? -Yes.
When childcare centers and schools closed down,
we were lost.
People didn't know what to do.
But many of us have always known that, you know,
until your child is age six,
in America, you're really on your own.
And there are many people who are choosing
between "should I put my child in daycare?" or "should I work?"
because it's really about the same amount of money.
-Right. -Right? But so-- Studies have been done.
So, Oxfam has a study that if women in America
were paid minimum wage for the amount of domestic labor
that they do unpaid right now,
it would be worth $1.9 trillion per year.
-Wow. -So that's-- Talk about putting,
you know, a value on that.
Like, that is part of our economy.
And that's a thing that we just have not reckoned with
in this country.
Our country, American capitalism,
relies just as much on the labor that happens in the home
as any other labor that happens in the office or on a job site.
And other countries have-have done that in many ways.
You know, you see countries like Sweden,
countries like Switzerland, et cetera,
they've got different methods of doing it.
-Yeah. -But they all say this is so valuable
-to the country that we will pay a mother... -Yes.
...we'll make sure that the government is supporting
a mother. Because, you know, you talk about this
in the book-- and it's really fascinating to get into--
is, like, everything that we struggle with in society,
whether it's crime, you know,
wh-whether it's poverty, whether it's mental issues,
-et cetera, you can link so many of those things... -Yeah.
-...to mothering. -Absolutely. Yes. When you invest--
So, I believe that raising children, you know,
it's a choice that people make to have kids
or to not have kids. And I think we should all--
unfortunately, this is not guaranteed in our country--
we should all be allowed to make that choice for ourselves.
-Mm-hmm. -Right? But whether or not you have children,
you know, raising kids is a social responsibility.
And when we invest--
Like, no one gets to adulthood
-without someone taking care of them. -Mm-hmm.
And that's their parents. It's also beloved aunties.
It's a preschool teacher. It's a teacher. Right?
There are so many people who are part of that.
And when we invest in children, in families, in mothers,
it's investing in public health.
It's investing in the very future
and health of our society.
It's interesting that you also wrote this
not just as a mom but y-you--
I-I enjoyed how many prisms you look through--
you know, at the issue through.
You know, you wrote about it as a mom.
-Um, you wrote about it as a worker and as a writer. -Yes.
And you also wrote about it through the lens
-of being an immigrant or family of immigrants... -Yes.
...but specifically Filipino, which I-- which I really enjoyed
because you talked about how caregiving
and mothering seems almost like
it's part of the fabric of being Filipino.
I would love to know where you think that came from
-or why that's so important to Filipino culture. -Sure.
Um, I'm so glad you asked. Thank you.
So I didn't set out to write about
my Filipino-American family.
I do think that Filipinx American history is something
that is underrepresented, you know,
within the Asian-American community.
Sometimes I'm like, "What about us? What about my people?"
Right? But so there... My mom is a nurse.
And I won't go into the whole long history
of American imperialism in the United States,
but the reason why my parents emigrated here is
because my parents spoke English
because of the American education system
-that was created by American colonialism. -Mm-hmm.
And when there was a health worker shortage,
the United States allowed highly-skilled immigrants
-like my mother and father to come. -Mm-hmm.
And when I was thinking about the history of caregiving
in this country, you know, you have to really reckon
with the reason why we devalue care work,
which is performed mostly by women of color.
It's because of slavery, right?
This is why we accept women of color working in the home
for free or for low wages.
So I was trying to wrestle with, like, how do I take this on.
But there is a statistic that came out during COVID
that, um, will never leave my body, and it is
that Filipinx nurses are four percent
-of the nursing workforce in the United States. -Okay.
They are 34 percent of COVID-related nursing deaths.
-Wow. -(audience gasping) -Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
And that, to me, I was like, "This could be my mother.
This could be my children's grandmother."
And it's because when Filipinx nurses came over,
they tell me... This is a familiar trope
-with immigrants here in the United States. -Yes, yes, yes.
-They took jobs that white workers didn't want. -Right.
They took ICU and critical care jobs
-that were more intimate with patients' bodies. -Mm-hmm.
And since 2020, that means
-they've been caring for COVID patients. -Right.
-And so, they're dying in disproportionate numbers. -Wow.
And that's really where I was like, "Wait a second."
Like, I don't... There are so many ways
into this story of caregiving in America, right?
But this... I realized I could tell my family story,
and it's all of the same forces that are happening.
-It's capitalism, it's colonialism. -Mm-hmm.
It's exploitation, right, it's white supremacy.
These are the things that we are living with now,
and I see it in my family, and I see it reflected
in this crisis that we're dealing with,
which is going to outlast the pandemic
if we don't figure out how to care for each other.
How do we move towards a situation where
women are not in a position where, as mothers or--
and, you know, you talk about it in the book--
how mothering extends beyond just the clichéd idea
of what a mother is. You know, we-we talk about communities,
-we talk about, as you say, the aunts, the grandmas, -Yeah.
-They're all mothering in some way. -Yeah.
Do you see any viable solution? Do you see a world
that we can get to where we say,
"Oh, this is where the government could help. This is
what we could do. This is the way companies could help."
-Etcetera. -Yes. Yes. Well, so, I mean, companies--
I will-- I-- At this point, I want the government
to be part of this, because we've privatized everything.
Right? Like, I don't think that employees and employers
and corporations are save us at this point.
We've privatized all human rights in America, right?
Like, universal health care, right? Like, education,
we've-we've made all of those things, like,
it's time for government support.
And I've gone through phases of being really angry
and really disillusioned, but right now, um,
my friend Ai-jen Poo, who's the director
of the National Domestic Workers Alliance,
who's part of a coalition called Care Can't Wait,
and they formed during COVID to deal with this care crisis.
There is actually-- Right now,
senators are doing budget reconciliation on a bill
that would put money into child care, home care and elder care.
And so, in this moment, if you're looking for something
to do, if you've been affected by care-- and I know
all of us have been-- you can call your senators right now.
And tell them to fund care. And this is not an opportunity
that comes up all the time. So, I feel hopeful, you know,
because there is an actionable item that we can do.
I also feel hopeful because in the pandemic,
what I saw when people formed pods, right,
when people started having these play dates,
that was people saying, "I can't do this alone."
-Yeah. Right? We are not meant to take care of children,
to take care of our elders, to take care of the disabled,
to take care of the sick, we're not meant to do that
in isolation. We can't.
And I saw so many examples in the pandemic.
Like, we are surviving this not because the government
sent us eight tests. We're surviving this because
-we took care of each other. -Right.
And I see that all around me. And I think
if we lean into that and continue,
I don't want that to go away, as we, like, as the pandemic
-moves more into the rearview mirror. -Right.
-Take that one part of it-- more community, -More of it.
more looking after each other and more honoring mothering.
-Thank you so much for joining me on the show. -Yes. Thank you.
-I appreciate so you much. -(cheering, applause)
Essential Labor, a fascinating book,
is available now. We're gonna take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
-Thank you again. -Yeah.
(cheering, applause)
-(cheering, applause) -Well, that's our show for tonight,
but before we go, before we go,
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Until tomorrow, stay safe out there and remember,
if you can't solve the real problems in your life,
just get a bulldozer and crush somebody's bike.
Now here it is, Your Moment of Zen.
♪ ♪
We got a heck of a mess here.
Okay? We-we--
Inflation is hitting my people so hard
they're coughing up bones.
I-I don't care what the inflation is
in other parts of the count-- the world, I'm sorry
they're having inflation in other parts of the world,
but them in misery doesn't make my people feel better.
They're still miserable.
Inflation is hitting people so hard they're coughing up bones.
♪ ♪