Adam Ruins Everything (2015–…): Season 3, Episode 2 - Adam Ruins a Sitcom - full transcript

"One of Each" is filmed
before a live studio audience.

Oh, honey, I'm home...

Ah, gosh darn it!

Every time!

Put it with
the others, Ricky.

I've heard of
"pop and lock",

but ever since
you guys adopted me,

it's more like
"Pops endslocks."

Oh! Oh!

Trey, stop that.

Real men don't dance.



It's so emotional.
Yuck!

According to my calculations,

Trey, you didn't finish
your math homework yet.

We're gonna be late
for Denise's pool party.

Whatchu talkin' about,
Computer?

Inviting a black guy
to a pool party

is like inviting you
to a coolparty.

Does not compute.

Actually...

sitcoms like this one
sure love

making jokes
about stereotypes.

But the roots
of these stereotypes

are no laughing matter.

Cut!



- Wh-What're you doing?
- This is comedy gold.

Ehh, more like
comedy lead.

Let me bring in my own
writer and researcher

to show you what's what.

We got new scripts.

Lotta changes.

What're you talking about?

We don't need
to change a thing.

Are you kidding me?
Our show's terrible.

Come on,
every sitcom

could use
a wacky new neighbor.

Fine, but I'm not paying
for any overtime.

Deal!
Hi, I'm Adam Conover,

and this is
a very special episode

of "Adam Ruins Everything."

Closed Captions Provided
by truTV.

*ADM RUINS EVERYTHING*
Season 03 Episode 02
Episode Title: "Adam Ruins a Sitcom"

Oh, money!

Oh-ho!

Trey, it isn't fair.

Guys like you are
all great at basketball.

It's like you have a gift
for it or something.

Oh, yeah, you know
a little gift melanin.

Speaking of skin, Trey,

why aren't you at
my pool party showing some?

Computer,
what am I gonna do?

I can't go to a pool party,
I'm black!

You know black people
can't swim.

Time out!

Boy, TV comedies like this
sure love making jokes

about black stereotypes.

Yeah, they're hilarious.

Maybe to you, but these jokes
aren't so funny

when you realize that
these stereotypes

have a really dark history.

Yeah, and while many Americans
know this story all too well,

apparently some of us
still need to hear it.

Black people don't have
some natural inability to swim.

The truth is, for decades,
they weren't allowed to.

Time in!

Hey, guys, you know what's
even cooler than a pool party?

A history of pools party.

Okay, Wack Morris.
Let's hear it.

In the 1920s and '30s,

the government built thousands
of new public pools.

But they were mostly
in white neighborhoods.

And until 1964,
Southern segregation laws

barred black swimmers
from using them.

No pool for you!

And segregation

wasn't just
a Southern thing.

Cities like Pittsburgh
actively encouraged

attacks on black swimmers,

and looked the other way
when white citizens

posted armed guards
at pools.

And when brave
civil rights activists

fought back with swim-ins,

they were met by
angry white mobs

who would beat them,
or even throw acid in the pools.

Now that there's acid
in this pool,

only I can swim in it!

Oh, wait...

That really happened?

Yep. Oh, it's up.

Even after desegregation,

cities would
shut their pools down

rather than let them integrate.

Or they'd just let
the funding dry up

once more black swimmers
started using the pool.

Finally, civil rights!

We can drink from
any water fountain we want,

and swim in any p...

White people are leaving.

Pool's closed.
Shut it down!

This is some bullshit.

Yep, and the result
of that bullshit

is that swimming never became
a part of black culture.

Today, 70% of black Americans
don't know how to swim.

And according to the CDC,
black 11 year olds

are ten times more
likely to drown

than white 11 year olds.

But that's not because
of natural ability,

it's because of access
and opportunity.

The same is true
of basketball.

From the 1920s
through the '50s,

basketball was actually
the most popular sport

among poor Jewish people
in urban neighborhoods.

That's because the equipment
is relatively inexpensive,

and it doesn't require
a field.

As a result,
in the early years of the NBA

the league was dominated
by Jewish players.

Shenkman!

But many Americans made
racist assumptions

about why Jewish people had
a "natural advantage".

Boy, all you Jews
are good at basketball.

It must be because of
your naturally scheming mind,

artful dodging,
and general smart alecness.

Yeesh.

As Jewish people
were permitted

to assimilate
into white culture

and moved out
of the inner cities,

black people moved in

and started playing
more basketball.

But again, many people
assumed it was all about race.

Wow...

all you black people
are good at basketball.

It must be because
of your natural advantage.

The reality is
your ethnic heritage

doesn't make you inherently
good or bad at anything.

Far more important
is access and opportunity.

You're right, I gotta tell
Denise the truth.

If you wanna talk
to me, Trey,

how about we go someplace
we can be alone?

Like the deep end?

No, no, Denise, look.

I gotta tell you something.

I never learned
how to swim.

A lot of black people haven't.

But it... it's not because
we can't or anything.

It's because of decades

of violent, systemic
racial oppression.

Oh! Trey, I had no idea.

Maybe I should
give you a lesson.

It's a sitcom,

they always have
a cheesy ending.

Trey, no hanging out
with Denise until

after you've finished
your math homework.

Why can't you be
more like Computer?

I bet he finished weeks ago.

Yikes, that stereotype has
a really sinister history too.

My hair protected me.

Boy, I'm sure glad we left
the pool party, Trey.

Math homework
is way more fun!

Computer,
that's the first thing

you've ever said
that doesn'tadd up.

You're so studious, Computer.

Trey, you could learn
a thing or two from his people.

They're very wise.

Whoa, time out!

Here we go again!

TV and movies are rampant
with Asian stereotypes.

Especially the idea
that Asian people

are some kind
of "model minority."

Smart, successful, polite,
obedient, and of course,

inherently good at math.

What's the big deal?
Those are all compliments.

Well, these "compliments"
actually originated

in a government
propaganda campaign.

And not too long ago,
white Americans

actually thought
the exact opposite.

Time in!

In the mid-1800s,

Americans were so hostile
to Chinese people,

the country passed laws
banning Chinese immigration

and denying their freedoms.

They were stereotyped
as a lazy, opium-addicted,

menacing horde dubbed
the "yellow peril."

But you're old Uncle Sammy
didn't stop there.

Uncle Sammy!
Uncle Sammy!

Yeah, Uncle Sammy

hasn't been
such a cool uncle.

Because of anti-Asian racism
during World War II,

the United States interned
Japanese Americans

in concentration camps.

Hey, it's our Japanese friend
Kenji from up the street!

Oh, that's not
your friend.

That's a spy who wants
to kill Americans.

Uncle Sammy,
why didn't you do that

to German Americans
in World War II?

Yeah, I wonder...

Because they're white.
Because they're white.

But all that changed
when the US needed

to suck up to its Asian allies
during the Cold War.

See, as the Soviet Union
rose to power,

the US worried that
Soviet propaganda

was making communism
sound "dyno-mite".

America
is so racist, am I right?

It's like, hey, USA,
cut it out!

Woof.
Guess I better

"have mercy"
on these Asians.

So America embarked
on a propaganda campaign

to tout Asian American
success stories.

The State Department
highlighted

Asian-American
artists, politicians,

and even sent
an all Chinese-American

basketball team
on tour overseas.

Forget all that
nastiness earlier,

America loves our
Asian sports heroes.

And in 1965,
Congress approved

a landmark
immigration law

that ditched
racist restrictions.

But it gave preference
to immigrants

who had training,
talent, or skill sets

that would benefit
the US economy.

Sammy and The Rippers
are changing their tune.

Border's now open
for smart, successful

Asian immigrants.

Wow! Now that I've let
all these educated,

successful Asians
into America,

I've gotta say,
Asian-Americans

sure are
successful and educated.

So American went
from a country

that despised Asians

to one that held them up

as a shining example
of assimilation.

And this self-fulfilling
prophecy resulted

in the "model minority" myth.

And the most sinister part
of this myth is

it was used to put
other minorities down.

And it's still holding
people back today.

Oh, it's our very special
guest star,

professor of history
at Indiana University

Ellen Wu.

Why did I need to use
the ladder, Adam?

Aren't we on
the ground floor?

It's a sitcom thing.

In the 1960s,
government officials

looked at socio-economic data

from African American
communities

and contrasted it
to the so-called

"family values and stability"
of Asian Americans.

Now, this fueled
racist claims

that black people had
no one to blame but themselves

if they experienced poverty

and other social
disadvantages.

Conservatives went on
to use these claims

to justify making cuts
to many essential

social programs
for African Americans

and other disadvantaged
minority groups.

They were even used to argue
against civil rights.

Come on, you don't see
Computer complaining

about "fair and equal
protection".

Asians earned their place
in this country.

Why can't you?
Wh... what? No!

Uncle Sammy,
you helped Asian people.

Why can't you see that?

And the model minority myth
hurts Asian people too.

If an Asian American student
is struggling in school,

many teachers assume that they
don't really need extra help.

And it's not true
that all Asians

are crazy rich
and successful.

The poverty rate
for Asian Americans

is actually higher than
the national average.

And frankly,
it's kinda ridiculous

that we lump people
from so many different

backgrounds together
as "Asian."

Yeah, Asian people
are not a monolith.

Trey, you and your
multi-ethnic adopted parents

keep referring to me as your
"smart Asian neighbor."

Specifically,
I am Korean American

and, sure, I'm smart,

but I also love
Ultimate Frisbee.

Why doesn't anybody
talk about that?

You know what?
This is messed up.

Computer's a person

who contains multitudes,

and probably
has a real name.

You know what, Uncle Sammy?

This is all your fault.

Get out of my room. Whoa, watch the hair!

Aww, wipe your tears,
you sissy.

Good for you two.

About time you found
your cajones

and stood up for
yourselves like real men.

Oh, Rick, we have gotta
discuss that stereotype...

Before it's too late!

Are you sure you don't want
help fixing the doorknob, Rick?

Real man like Rick

can fix his own knob.

You worry about
fixing dinner.

Pork Chop!
Great to see you, buddy.

Ah, you all ready
for the annual big hang

in your garage, Rick?

Oh, I can't wait to tell you
all about my motorcycle.

Nothing about it
is different from last time.

Heck yeah!

Knockin' bottles
of beer down...

and bottling
our emotions up!

Sorry Mr. Chop,

but the hard-living,
emotion-stifling version

of manliness promoted
by sitcoms like yours

is actually
making men weaker.

According to
the most recent data,

the average American man dies

five years earlier
than women.

Aw, that's just biology.

Men's bodies get worn out

from carrying around muscles
all day long. Yeah!

Wrong again.

Men are 3.9 times
more likely

to experience
accidental death,

the leading causes
of which are behaviors

typically celebrated
as "masculine",

like drinking
and careless driving.

All right!

Drinking lots,
driving fast,

and dying young!

That's what being a man's
all about, right, Rick?

Yeah...

that's what advertisers
would like you to think.

Alcohol and cigarette ads

disproportionately
target men with the idea

that drinking and smoking
are "manly."

After a long, manly day

at my hard, manly job,

I like to watch football...

Crack some beers...

And smoke these cancer sticks.

He's the most
manipulative man in the world.

Oh, come on!

Men aren't being
manipulated

to do anything.

And men's health
is also at higher risk

because of what
we're conditioned notto do,

like take care of ourselves with
regular doctors visits.

House call, Rick.

Did you know men
are twice as likely as women

to wait over two years
between doctor's visits?

Last time
I saw a doctor,

he was pulling me out
of my mom's "hoo-ha."

And how 'bout this,
Mr. "GQ"?

That's an insult because
you're wearing fancy pants.

You ever think that maybe men
are dying earlier

because we're so stressed out

from having to support
our families?

Yeah, I'm under
a lot of pressure

working full-time
at the tool store

to feed a multi-cultural
family of three

plus our smart Asian neighbor.
That's understandable.

Being the sole breadwinner
for a family

would take a toll on anyone,

which may be why studies
have shown men fare better

physically and mentally
when the financial

and caretaking responsibilities
in a relationship are shared.

Rick, the tool store says
they need you to come in.

But you worked all week,
how about I go down there?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

You better watch out
there, Rick.

Lettin' your wife work
is gonna destroy your marriage.

"Not tonight, honey.

I'm too focused
on my career."

Pork Chop,
that's not true at all.

Studies show that on average,

couples with
a female breadwinner

actually report
being happier.

I don't know.

If I wasn't the one
putting food on my table,

I'd feel I let
my family down or something.

Or I'd worry
they'd think that.

Well...

I think a lot of men
feel that way, Rick.

Men and women are under
such intense pressure

to conform to the
stereotypical gender roles,

it's natural to have
conflicted feelings

about deviating from them.

Oh, here we go
with the feelings talk.

Next he's gonna say
men need pedicures

and book clubs.

I mean, why not?

Don't men deserve
to take time for ourselves

and have meaningful
friendships?

Yeah, of course. Well, studies show

that boys feel pressure
to abandon

intimate male friendships
as they get older

because they grow
self conscious that

that's not how men
are supposed to behave.

Nah, not me and Pork Chop.

We've been
best friends forever.

Aw, look at that.

You two literally
grew apart.

Whoa, you don't wanna let
anyone ever know

that you once hugged
another man, okay?

That is weird.

Pork Chop, despite the fact
that we socialize men

to reject intimacy,
men need close friendships.

We all do!

Whoa!

Loneliness is as bad
for your health

as smoking
15 cigarettes a day.

And having strong
social connections

is just as important
for reducing heart disease

as eating right
and exercising.

But despite that,

just 9% of men
report feeling

that they can rely
on friends for support.

Pork Chop, we gotta start
opening up to each other

before our bodies
start breaking down.

No way. I'm outta here.

Uh, Chop?

Oh, I guess those are
my stifled feelings coming out.

What's happening to him?

Don't worry, guys,
I see this all the time.

Hey, that's former
NFL cornerback Wade Davis.

I wanna teach you both a term

that really captures what
we're talking about here.

"Toxic masculinity."

Toxic masculinity
doesn't mean that

there's anything wrong
with being a man.

It's about the narrow
expectations of masculinity

that society places on us

and that we place
on ourselves.

These expectations
negatively impact men,

our partners, our kids,
everyone around us.

Many experts believe
that toxic masculinity

is one of the root causes

when men are psychologically
aggressive

or commit domestic violence,

sexual assault,
or even mass shootings.

Plus, having
to "act like a man"

all the time is just
so restrictive.

We were all brought up
believing that the only way

to be a real man is
to live out this stereotype,

but it's not true.

There are so many
different ways

for us to be men
if we choose to be.

But you make it
sound so easy.

Well, Rick, I don't think
it's easy for anyone.

It definitely wasn't for me.

But one thing
that men can do

is start reflecting on where
these ideas of manhood

even come from.

Personally,
I learned a lot

by reading and listening
to women.

And I have to add
I couldn't have

thought through these issues
without the help

of the women
who work on our show.

And none of us are perfect.

It takes a lot of work

to unlearn how
you've been socialized.

But there's actually
a lot of strength

in being vulnerable.

If we can model
that vulnerability

and hold each other
accountable

when we see other men
performing hurtful behavior,

that's how we can take
the first step.

You're right.

Pork Chop,
I don't think

the cracks you've been making
about Carmen are appropriate.

And I think you should
start examining

why you think it's okay
to say things like that.

I don't know.

I guess I owe her
an apology.

You too.

I'm sorry, Rick.

I'm sorry, Carmen.

Rick, I hope you
haven't felt like

you have to be some big,
strong, tough guy for me.

No, Carmen,
it's not you.

It's... everything.

After I take Chop
to the hospital,

I could do a few loads
of laundry.Yeah.

'Cause we're all in this
together.

I love you, Rick.

Okay, that's enough.

This is terrible,
you ruined the show.

Actually, this is gonna
make your show better.

Let's just finish the so...

Wade, thank you so much

for being on our sitcom,
we really appreciate it.

We're family, brother.
Thank you for having me.

You're the perfect person
to talk to us about this,

because you used to play
for the NFL.

But now you're known for
your work on race,

gender, toxic masculinity.

So you've talked a lot
about how feminist books

are what helped you begin to
reexamine gender roles.

If I wanted to read

one of those books now,
what should I start with?

So if there's one book,

read this bell hooks book:

"Feminist Theory:
From Margin to Center".

So what I learned was that
the root of homophobia

was sexism, and that changed
my entire life.

I was like, "Wow, everything
that I've thought"

that was about men was
actually about women."

When we're calling other men
sexist or homophobic terms,

we're really talking
about women.

But when we're doing that,

we're unnecessarily limiting

the range of things
that men can be.

Yeah, and you also
always put a woman

or "acting like a woman"
in the pejorative sense, right?

Yeah. If I do anything

that can be perceived
as feminine

or perceived that women do,

that it is a negative,
awful thing.

And then that makes
men specifically only have

a very tiny window of how
we can show up in the world.

And that feels suffocating.

How can men get over that
and start having

real conversations
with each other?

The number one thing
I tell men to do

is just be honest
with themselves first, right?

I could never be honest
with you, Adam,

as another human being
if I'm never honest

with myself first, right?

I think when it comes
to gender equality,

we have to own the fact
that we have been socialized

to believe certain things
about women

which impacts what
we think about gay men,

about trans folks, right?

Like, can we actually learn
about people who aren't like us

and then we immediately learn
about ourselves.

Well, I'm really appreciative
that you're out there

talking about it
and helping

widen people's
perspectives on this.

You've widened mine,
and, uh, yeah,

thank you so much for coming on the show.
Thank you for having me.

Gee, it seems like for having me.

We've all been feeling
boxed in by stereotypes.

Yeah. You know,
maybe it's time

that we stopped looking
at ourselves

as "one of each"

and more like a group
of individuals

who refuse to be reduced
by their racial

and gender stereotypes.

That we're created by
cultural and historical forces

way beyond our control.

Kind of like
this very sitcom.

This script is awful.

You took the funny
out of these characters

and you spent the whole episode
deconstructing them.

And you completely
de-spiced my spicy Latina.

Oh, yeah, that's
a whole stereotype

we didn't even have time
to get into.

Man, this 21-minute
runtime is restrictive.

Ehh, I was just happy
to get to put down

the maracas
for one episode.

Oh, jeez, everyone's
so sensitive these days.

Comedy doesn't need to change.

Funny is funny.

Actually, comedy can
and should evolve

with our culture,
and it has many times.

Like today, we know that
blackface isn't funny.

But it used to be so popular,

even megastars like
Bob Hope, Mae West,

and Judy Garland did it.

Oh, I had the most
marvelous dream.

You were there,
and you, and you,

and we were all in blackface.

And in retrospect,
that was terrible.

So you're saying people
realized it was hurtful,

they stopped doing it,
and comedy survived?

Well, not everybody stopped.

Look, the jokes
we choose to tell

and the characters we write

don't just reflect
our cultural values,

they have the power
to influence them too.

So what do you want
the audience to see

when they watch your show?

Tired, old,
reductive clichés,

or themselves
as they really are?

Nah, I'll just cancel it.

I told you.

you, man.
I'm out of a job now.

S... sorry, everybody.

This set is pretty cool,
isn't it?

I love it.

W... do you think this
is an authentic set

to a teenage boy?

- Do I?
- Yeah.

Well, I have pre-teen boys,

um, and their room
is a lot messier.

So this is actually
pretty tidy.

This is like... this is like
a sitcom boys room, I think.

Um, well, so
the model minority myth

is kind of a specific
stereotype that's...

That's usually put on,
you know, some groups

of Asian Americans,
not others.

There are other stereotypes that
affects other Asian Americans, right?

So the one I can think of is...

As the most significant
right now since 9/11

has been the stereotype
of, you know, Muslims

- as being terrorists.
- Right.

And a lot of South Asians,

- you know, Arab Americans... Right.
- A lot of South Asians are Muslims.

So I think that stereotypes
in the American society

for racial minorities,

you're only typecast
in very few ways.

But even those...
Those stereotypes

are not even
internally consistent.

Like, if someone says, "Asian
Americans, they're all like this."

Well, except for
the stereotype

that you're applying to
a different group of people

who are of Asian descent.

The very idea of stereotyping
people in that way

doesn't hold up
if you look at it

with the smallest
critical eye.

Yeah, I think the problem
just seems to be

assumptions about people,
you know?

Whether it's about
being a math-wiz

or whether it's about being,
like, a criminal?

Those assumptions really
have real consequences.

Yeah. But the most useful
thing we can do

is to understand
where they came from

or why they exist.

Then it's like, what do we do
with that information?

I think it's up
to each of us.

Thank you for coming on
the show to help

make us more aware of
this.

Thank you,
it was a lot of fun.