Comedian Kevin Hart is one of the most celebrated comedians of this era, with a massive following across the globe; however, the funny man gave fans something to frown about when he referred to people in the hood as not being “smart enough” to open bank accounts, in a now-viral video.
The clip, pulled from Hart’s 2021 panel at the 10X Growth Conference hosted
by Grant Cardone, began making the rounds on social media on September 26 and caused a firestorm of responses about the tone-deaf nature of the comedian’s comments.“If you look in the hood, there’s liquor stores and check cashing places. You know why? Because they know the people in the hood aren’t smart enough to open up bank accounts. They’re gonna get a check, they gon’ cash it, and it’s a liquor store right next to it,” Hart said while attempting to address socioeconomic inequality.
“Let’s just put that around them. Let’s also put a bunch of s–t that’s easy and cash available. We don’t want you to gain credit. We want you to be cash-driven. That’s how we keep the poor poor. It’s not until you understand that you get out.”
Hart’s words hit a sour chord with listeners who believed the comedian was unfairly aiming at people who have been historically disenfranchised and systemically oppressed.
“As Black people, instead of insulting each other when we make it, we need to work harder for [there] to be financial literacy taught in schools & talk money in our homes,” writer Kathia Woods said.
Woods’ feelings were
echoed by many who expressed similar sentiments about the power of educating one another rather than pointing fingers. At the same time, there were others who felt Hart’s comments were much more pointed.Hart has not responded to the video’s resurfacing.
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