Sasheer Zamata has been making headlines for all the right reasons. The writer, actress, and comedian is not only the first black female SNL cast member since 2007, but she also used to write for a site called Refinery29 (ahem). Now, she’s in the news again for a video filmed as part of the ACLU Ambassador’s Project.
The video — entitled "Sasheer Zamata Says Women’s Rights Still a BFD!" — puts a satirical spin on the daily street harassment faced by women and on the police profiling to which people of color can be subjected.
Her companion, an affable white man, talks about how equal society is as the pair pass misogynist graffiti, catcallers, and a police officer that pulls Zamata aside for questioning. When the man walks back to get her, the (white) police officer shakes his hand and gestures to Zamata that he has his eyes on her. The man only realizes his privilege after he says he’s a feminist and is swarmed by a congratulatory throng of media.
Using satire to expose social double standards dates back to Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, and while this video doesn’t go so far as to suggest that landlords should be able to eat Irish children, it does a great job of showing just how different things are for white men and intersectional feminists. One of the great things about satire is that it creates a safe space, devoid of accusations, that uses humor to prove a point.
The video isn’t really pointing fingers, it’s more of a gentle nudge. A funny nudge. In the right direction.
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