The video uses a high-stakes, relatable personal story combined with a shocking, absurd punchline that creates a 'pattern interrupt' for the viewer, keeping them engaged until the end.
Summary
Comedian Malik Elassal tells a story about his mother's experience with Islamophobia and his satirical solution to protect her. The video is a clip from a Don't Tell Comedy stand-up set.
Structure
1Introduction of the premise regarding his mother's hijab
2Story about a road rage incident
3The mother's defiant response
4The comedian's satirical business idea
5Punchline about the confederate flag hijab
Product placement
The video is branded with the 'Don't Tell Comedy' logo throughout, identifying the production company/platform hosting the stand-up set.
Their other posts in the index, biggest breakout first.
DON'T TELL COMEDY
MY MOM'S SICK, MAN! SHE'S...
YA KNOW, SHE'S—
SHE WEARS A HIJAB.
I DON'T
LOOK...
VERY MUSLIM, LIKE, JUST OFF—
OFF LOOKS, SO NOBODY EVER
BOTHERS ME ABOUT IT, YA KNOW?
SHE WEARS A HIJAB,
SHE LOOKS MUSLIM ALL THE TIME.
ONE TIME SHE TOLD ME
SHE WAS DRIVIN' AROUND
AND A GUY PULLED UP
NEXT TO HER IN TRAFFIC
AND SAW THAT SHE WAS WEARING THE HIJAB
AND HE, LIKE, FLIPPED HER OFF.
AND THEN HE, LIKE, FOLLOWED HER...
IN HIS CAR FOR A WHILE.
AND I WAS LIKE, TERRIFIED WHEN SHE TOLD ME THIS!
I DIDN'T WANNA ASK HER THIS QUESTION,
BUT I ASKED, I WAS LIKE,
"HEY MOM, HAVE YOU EVER, LIKE...
THOUGHT ABOUT TAKING OFF YOUR HIJAB?"
"MALIK, I WOULD RATHER DIE...
...A MARTYR
THAN LET THOSE
PEOPLE CHANGE ME."
TUPAC, F*CKIN' RELAX!
JESUS!
DON'T TALK LIKE THAT!
—DON'T WISH A MOTHERF*CKER WOULD!
THAT'S EXACTLY...
THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT I WANTED."
SHE'S NUTS!
CRAZY TALK!
BUT I WAS PROUD OF HER!
LIKE, I DON'T WANT HER TO CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT HERSELF
BUT I WANT HER TO BE SAFE,
SO IT'S LIKE...
WHAT DO WE DO HERE, YA KNOW?
LIKE, SOMETHING'S GOTTA CHANGE.
SOCIETY
IS NOT GONNA CHANGE,
SO IT'S LIKE, WE GOTTA
FIGURE SOMETHIN' OUT.
WHAT I'M THINKIN'...
OF DOIN', IS, COMIN' OUT WITH A LINE OF
HATE-CRIME-PROOF HIJABS
THAT MY MOM CAN WEAR!
COMPLETELY HATE-CRIME-PROOF, OKAY?
FIRST ONE,
I'M THINKING STANDARD, JUST,
CONFEDERATE FLAG HIJAB.
'CAUSE...
'CAUSE, LISTEN, THAT'S GONNA
SHORT CIRCUIT,
BUT NOBODY'S GONNA KNOW WHAT TO DO...
WHEN THEY SEE THAT!
NEXT TIME SOME GUY PULLS UP
NEXT TO MY MOM IN TRAFFIC
HE'S GONNA BE LIKE,
Transcript
My mom's sick, man! She's... ya know, she's—she wears a hijab. I don't look... very Muslim, like, just off—off looks, so nobody ever bothers me about it, ya know? She wears a hijab, she looks Muslim all the time. One time she told me that... she was drivin' around and a guy pulled up next to her in traffic and saw that she was wearing the hijab and he, like, flipped her off. And then he, like, followed her... in his car for a while. And I was like, terrified when she told me this! I didn't wanna ask her this question, but I asked, I was like, "Hey mom, have you ever, like... thought about taking off your hijab?" And she was like, "Malik, I would rather die... a martyr than let those people change me." I was like, "All right, Tupac, f*ckin' relax! Jesus! Chill out! Don't talk like that! Don't wish a motherf*cker would! That's exactly... the opposite of what I wanted." She's nuts! Crazy talk! But I was proud of her! Like, I don't want her to change anything about herself but I want her to be safe, so it's like... what do we do here, ya know? Like, something's gotta change. Society is not gonna change, so it's like, we gotta figure somethin' out. What I'm thinkin'... of doin', is, comin' out with a line of hate-crime-proof hijabs that my mom can wear! Completely hate-crime-proof, okay? First one, I'm thinking standard, just, confederate flag hijab. 'Cause... 'cause, listen, that's gonna short circuit, nobody's gonna know what to do... when they see that! Next time some guy pulls up next to my mom in traffic he's gonna be like, [gestures flipping off] [gestures saluting].
