Written by Mike
Am I Racist? Is a comedic documentary produced by Daily Wire Studios and Digital Astronaut, and distributed by SDG Releasing. The movie was released on September 13, 2024. The documentary is about the progressive ideology surrounding race relations. In the year 2024, we live in a time when racial tensions are on the rise. There are different beliefs on how important these issues are and how to deal with them. This documentary tries to bring the progressive ideas on this to light.
The basic idea that is used to tie the documentary interviews together into a narrative is Matt Walsh asking himself if he is a racist, and trying to find out if he is or not. Matt then goes about throughout the movie interviewing and observing DEI experts, credentialed representatives of the progressive race relations ideology, and people with notable experiences that highlight race relations issues. Walsh even goes through an actually DEI training course and is certified as a DEI expert.
To be very clear, this is not a mocumentary. This is a legitimate documentary with Matt asking real questions actually related to the views of the interviewees. If you are unaware of what the progressive take on race relations is or what DEI actually means, you will learn it here in this documentary. The comedic aspect of the documentary comes from the perceived ridiculousness of much of the ideology being examined. The film consists of interviews about race theory and DEI ideas with experts and “common people”, hidden camera style observations of meetings centered around DEI, and demonstrations of the ideas presented. One interesting thing to note is the inclusion of how much the speakers in the documentary charge for their speeches and the meetings that they run.
Matt Walsh utilizes deadpan humor and satire to great effect. Very few jokes are actually made; instead, he relies on his guests and people he observes to say comedic things when answering his questions or giving their thoughts. Almost all of the people interviewed and observed are unaware of the context in which the film is being made and therefore are giving their legitimate thoughts on the issues.
I will not lie to you and say that everyone who watches this movie will enjoy it. Although the interviewees are legitimate progressive thought leaders, if you follow their ideological beliefs you would probably say that the film is in bad taste due to the Daily Wire’s own beliefs and the context in which it was made. This movie was made for people who are ideologically centered or conservative. Centered people will probably find the ideas presented either interesting or strange, and conservatives will probably laugh at how ridiculous they find progressive ideas.
The Oxford dictionary defines racism as “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.” The basic idea of the ideology presented in the film is that all white people are racist and will always be racist no matter what they do or believe, and people who are not white cannot be racist no matter what they do or believe because of perceived systemic imbalances. Whether you agree with progressive ideology or not, I think that it is important for people to fully know what they believe. I would also say that it is standard for people of an ideology to be offended by a documentary that explores that ideology, and therefore is not important if the beliefs are accurately represented.
I give Am I Racist? A rating of Above Average on the Mike’s After Action Reviews five-tiered scale (Excellent, Above Average, Average, Below Average, Bad). While I understand it is not for everyone, I think that the audience it was made for will love it. I do not think that a movie must be made for everyone, but I will say that although progressives may not like it, because of the reasons highlighted above, they should check it out to hear the ideas of their own thought leaders and how the other side sees them.