I’ve been confused for him less for the mug shots. More for the fact I was born in and raised near Evergreen Park, IL like him, worked in physics for some time, and occasionally I’ve been seen wearing a hoodie. (Though never with sunglasses.)
But it's not even so much about sensitivities. It's about attributing blame. And these Malaysian kids thought they should blame the US for a Singapore comedian who told a joke there. That's what I'm not following.
It's american humor. The lady "was no longer a citizen. The Singapore Straits Times reported she is now a U.S. citizen."
It's arguable she would not have made the joke otherwise. Anyways, every spicy joke will offend a percentage of the crowd, a good comedian will know to keep that percentage on his side.