Phelonious Monk, comedian, creative, Stop It Be Web series, and I'm a Muslim in America.
A large percentage of my fan base, I'm certain, is either aware or they assume that anyway.
Out of the fan interaction I get, it's from Muslim Americans, Muslim Canadians, and Muslims
and the UK.
So I know there are a lot of them that are aware.
On the other hand, I have a very strong middle America white conservative fan base, and I
don't know that they're aware or that they care.
And I say that because some people are actually looking for someone to prove them wrong.
And there's also that group of people who goes, well, he's not like them, where they
hold on to their particular prejudice, but they'll give individuals a break because something
in their behavior is outstanding enough or something in their movement.
There was the joke about Prince and Michael Jackson being accepted by white people at
a time when white people didn't necessarily accept black people.
And they were like, well, Prince and Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy and guys like that,
they're not really black.
And they work.
They're just as black as everyone else.
Their experiences were the same, except for the fact that with money, there's a certain
amount of freedom to move around that maybe the everyday black guy wouldn't have.
And to a certain degree, I do experience that.
I get some leeway because even though I'm Muslim, I'm very public.
And so the probability that I'm out here with some type of device strapped to my body
about to blow a crowd up is slim to none.
So I think they kind of give me a break for that.
On the other hand, like I said, I think there's still that group of people who want you to
prove them wrong.
They don't want to believe that there's any way that a person could do these things.
So I think if they knew for certain, because I've never hidden it, when someone asks me,
the answer is always there.
And even in some of the comments in my interaction back with them, I'll respond that way.
But I would hope not.
And I mean, I'm sure there are a couple who don't know.
You know, and it may change their opinion, but that's in my mind, those are the types
of people that you can't be focused on losing as a fan.
You know, if you hold on to your prejudice so tightly that even in the face of evidence
to the contrary, you'd still rather dismiss that person as opposed to dismissing that
thought than that's a certain amount of arrogance that, you know, you win some, you lose some.
I had some fans that I never thought I would have.
So to lose one that I have is like, you know, what can you do?
