Hasaan is a black man who’s fortunate to live in Portland, Oregon. Or perhaps not so fortunate, because he can’t get away from all the woke people populating that town. Here is a short, eight-part series that varies in quality, but does show you, in exaggerated form, some of the “issues” in Portland. The episodes are short—about 4 minutes each.
From Willamette Week:
In the second episode of Hasaan Hates Portland, a fiendishly satirical web series written and directed by Mischa Webley that premieres on Oct. 3, the titular character (played by first-time actor Hasaan Thomas) steps into a coffee shop, looking for a latte. The baristas, both white and both carrying lobotomized expressions, refuse payment, explaining that it is “reparations happy hour.”
“It’s about acknowledging our privilege,” the female barista explains with increasing intensity. “Our white privilege.”
Incredibly ridiculous, yes, but it’s all based on a real event that happened in 2018 when activist Cameron Whitten solicited donations from white Portlanders that were then doled out to Black residents.
“Obviously we’re taking creative liberties,” Webley says, “but I couldn’t make that up. I’m not a good enough writer to think of that. A lot of this project came from me, Hasaan and other Black and Brown friends sharing our experiences in this crazy place we live in.”
From those conversations, Webley built Hasaan Hates Portland’s short, punchy episodes (each one is an easily digestible three-to-five-minutes long), exploring with acidic wit and bemusement the frustrations and a weirdness of being Black in a majority-white city.
Of the three installments I was able to watch, the first features a situation that will be very familiar to all Portlanders: trying to walk down the block while dodging signature collectors, nonprofit street teams and panhandlers. The third, though, centers on a searing monologue from Old Gold (William Earl Ray), pointing out the hypocrisy of gentrification pushing minorities out of desirable neighborhoods even as they place historical markers about the Black community on the street. “As if we’re part of history already,” Old Gold says. When that character undercuts his authority in a wickedly funny scene that follows (which I won’t spoil here), the effect is as bracing as being hit with a water balloon after giving a commencement address.
Hasaan Hates Portland has been a long-gestating project for Webley. The Portland native has made more than a half-dozen short subjects and a feature (2012′s The Kill Hole, starring a young Chadwick Boseman)—all dramas. This new series, spanning eight episodes, is the filmmaker’s first foray into comedy.
“It really took a lifetime of experience,” Webley says, “and I’ve been trying for a while to make fun of it and satirize it and make it funny. It just seemed like it’s not a perspective that’s out there, especially about Portland. That was the big driving force of making it.”. . .
Have a look at the trailer to see if you want to watch it. But you can watch the whole season 1 (8 episodes) in a bit over half an hour):
Trailer:
Episode 1:
Episode 2:
Episode 3:
Episode 4:
Episode 5:
Episode 6:
Episode 7:
Episode 8:
“… carrying lobotomized expressions ..”
🤣
Thanks for these.
I’m three episodes in, and I’m hooked. Thanks for the recommendation!
Those were very funny, thanks! I blew right threw them.
Jerry if you like “Hassan…” you will love “Portlandia”
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1780441/
Hilarious. Shades of Portlandia.
I once lived in Portland for a couple of years. It’s been awhile, and though I know the city has its challenges (every place has some sort of issues), I thought it was a wonderful town. I’m sorry to see that these days it is routinely mocked and pilloried. Not that it doesn’t deserve some of that, but there’s a lot of good that seems to get overlooked.
Still, the city has cultivated a reputation for quirkiness, which doesn’t help at all when, as in the last few years, events go beyond quirk. The “Hassan” story feeds into this and the town begins to look a bit loony. A pity, as there are a lot of good and sensible people there.
Creepy sh*t. Love how the folks in the coffee shop are “helping” the black man against his will—almost by force. They can’t help themselves. (These are parodies, but I know people who are almost like this.)
Brilliant. I lived in that part of Portland for 20 years and if anything these comedic bits understate the fanaticism and hypocrisy (trust fund Maoists and all that). I’m retired now but was a social worker and therapist here for almost 30 years and the love for Maoist tactics and eagerness for violence is very real for some of these people.
I’d been in the Peace Corps prior to moving here and while in grad school many fellow students and even faculty accused me of being CIA undercover!
These are brilliant! Good to see that some people still have sense of humor and are not afraid to use it.
I tried to share this post on facebook and it was removed. I filled the appeal form — we shall see.