Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: The Michael Knowles Show

Episode Title: Spot The "White" Criminal: Mug Shot Challenge
Date: July 25, 2026
Host: Michael Knowles
Producer/Contributor: Ben Davies
Platform: The Daily Wire

Overview

In this episode, Michael Knowles dives into the complications and controversies surrounding racial classification in US crime statistics. Using a “mug shot challenge” provided by his producer, Ben Davies, Knowles critically examines how the US prison system classifies inmates—particularly those marked as "white"—and how these labels may not always align with public perception. The segment raises broader questions about race as a social construct and its implications for political and cultural discourse.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mistrust in Racial Labeling and Its Consequences

Opening Rant on Racial Classifications
- Knowles reacts to the statistics on inmate demographics, expressing skepticism over who is classified as “white.” He suggests public understanding of racial groups does not match official records.
  - Quote: "That guy is not white. We've just been lied to so much...This is how people become racist." (00:00)
- He shares crime statistics: 33% black, 31% white, 23% Hispanic, 2% "Indian feather, not dot," 1% Pacific Islander. He accuses official statistics of skewing perceptions by misclassifying non-white inmates as "white."
  - Quote: "They're lumping in people who are not white. They're saying they're white, but that guy is not white." (01:12)
- Knowles remarks on his own identity: "As someone who's racially liminal, I'm a little bit dusky myself." (01:14)

2. The Mug Shot Challenge: Testing Visual Racial Profiling

Live, Unfiltered Reactions
- Ben Davies presents mugshot photos and names from the New Jersey prison system, challenging Knowles to guess inmates' races based on appearance.
- Knowles repeatedly objects to the official “white” label given to clearly Hispanic or racially ambiguous individuals.
  - Notable Exchanges:
    - Richard Acevedo
      - Knowles: "That would be an Hispanic guy... He's white. Hey, you're white." (00:55)
      - Ben Davies: "Smile." (01:11)
      - Knowles: "No one would look at that guy in the street, say that's a white guy." (01:13)
    - Christian Argueta
      - Knowles: "That guy's not white...Are you, kid? Like how on earth. Who could look at that guy, say he's a white guy?" (01:34)
    - Javier Betancourt
      - Knowles: "He's not a white guy. He's Hispanic, but, like, I guess his skin's a little lighter... He's Hispanic." (02:57)
      - Ben Davies (playfully): "Wrong. You're raised." (03:12)
    - Luis Bernabel
      - Knowles: "So not only does he not look white, he doesn't have a white name at all." (01:54)
    - Javier Caban
      - Knowles: "No, he's just Hispanic. He's like a whiter Hispanic for sure...his name is Javier. Javier. Come on. He's Hispanic." (03:14)
      - Ben Davies: "Okay, he's white." (03:32)
    - Joseph A. Caban
      - Knowles: "That guy is Hispanic. Maybe a touch admixture of black. Certainly indigenous, but Hispanic for sure." (03:39)
      - Ben Davies: "White." (03:50)

3. Racial Categories: Social Construct vs. Administrative Convenience

Knowles mocks the arbitrary application of racial categories in the justice system.
- Quote: "White is actually a social construct. Whenever it's convenient for us, say the liberals, whiteness is real. It's objective. We need to abolish it. But when it's convenient for us, like when we're classifying prisoners, then whiteness doesn't exist." (01:36)
He expresses skepticism about the official data source, questioning whether Ben Davies is pranking him or if this reflects government records.
- Quote: "Is this real, or is this like a Mr. Davies fact?" (02:26)

4. Broader Implications and Humor

Knowles extrapolates: If the "white" prison population is predominantly non-white, does that mean “actual” white people barely commit crimes?
- Quote: "When you look and you see, like, all the whites who are in prison are not actually white, you start to say: Do white people commit any crimes at all?" (03:51)
He and Davies joke about stereotypically Hispanic names being marked as "white" and satirizes the absurdity with references to the Klan and the Mayflower Society.
- Notable Quotes:
  - "Juan Diaz Amaro. Well known. Well known white. Hey, how do you do, fellow Klansmen? I'm here for the meeting. The name's Juan. Yeah, yeah. Hola." (05:13)
  - "Hey, what do you think of renowned white Guy Julio Vasquez LaRosa? I think I saw him at the Mayflower Society meeting the other day. Were you there?" (05:39)

5. A Final Absurd Example: Andrew Tate

Ben Davies texts Knowles with a supposed Bureau of Prisons entry listing Andrew Tate as “white,” which Knowles reacts to with disbelief and existential humor.
- Quote: "Andrew Tate is now listed in the Federal Bureau of Prison System...Race: white." (06:54)
- Knowles: "I need to end this segment or I'm gonna find myself in a dark place. A dark, white place. A white, dark place. I'm getting too radicalized. I need to go. I'm Michael Knowles. This is the Michael Knowles Show. See you tomorrow. Dude, that's... Andrew Tate is white." (07:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“That guy is not white. We've just been lied to so much... This is how people become racist.”
– Michael Knowles (00:00)
“White is actually a social construct. Whenever it's convenient for us, say the liberals, whiteness is real... when we're classifying prisoners, then whiteness doesn't exist.”
– Michael Knowles (01:36)
“Juan Diaz Amaro. Well known. Well known white. Hey, how do you do, fellow Klansmen? I'm here for the meeting. The name's Juan. Yeah, yeah. Hola.”
– Michael Knowles (05:13)
“Andrew Tate is now listed in the Federal Bureau of Prison System... Race: white.” - Ben Davies / Michael Knowles (06:54)

Important Timestamps

00:00-00:48: Introduction, initial rant about racial classifications and crime stats.
00:48-03:32: Mug Shot Challenge – Knowles attempts to identify the race of inmates, pushes back on “white” classifications.
03:33-04:35: Musings on consequences of misclassifying inmates, jokes about “white crime.”
05:13-06:50: Heightened humor and sarcasm as obviously Hispanic names are deemed “white.”
06:51-07:15: Andrew Tate as case study; Knowles winds down with existential humor and closes segment.

Summary

This episode is a pointed, satirical, and sometimes controversial critique of how race is categorized in the US prison system. Knowles uses humor, skepticism, and a live “mug shot” game to challenge the government’s racial reporting, arguing that misleading categorization fuels public mistrust and social tensions. Throughout, he maintains the show’s irreverent and provocative tone while raising thought-provoking questions on the meaning (or meaninglessness) of racial labels in public discourse.

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Transcript21 lines

[00:00]
A
That guy is not white. We've just been lied to so much. That guy. No one would look at that guy in the street, say that's a white guy. But that guy's not white. How on earth who could look at that guy, say he's a white guy. This is how people become racist. 33% of the US prison population is black. What they call non Hispanic black. We'll separate the Hispanics. 33% black. 31% is white. 23% is Hispanic. 2% is Indian feather, not dot. 1% is Pacific Islander. This according to the crime statistics. So my producers have asked me to go a little bit deeper and to see if I could identify the race of inmates just based on their appearance. They're asking me to racially profile people.
[00:48]
B
He's black.
[00:50]
A
This is in. Mr. Davies. This is in New Jersey?
[00:53]
B
Yeah, this is the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
[00:56]
A
Okay. All right, let's go. Take it away. Okay, that would be an Hispanic guy. His name is Richard Acevedo. I would say that's pretty clearly an Hispanic guy. He's white. Hey, you're white.
[01:11]
B
Smile.
[01:13]
A
No, look, I should know. Look, I should be on the guard for this. Because what they're doing is they're lumping in people who are not white. They're saying they're white, but that guy is not white. I mean, look, as someone who's racially liminal, I'm a little bit dusky myself. That guy. No one would look at that guy in the streets, say, that's a white guy. Right. I'm a 35 year old white man. Okay, next one. Okay, that guy's not white. That's Christian Argueta. Argueta. Senor Argueta is Hispanic. He's white. He's white. That guy's not white. One's a baby and the other's black. I think at least part black or Hispanic. Christian Argueta is not. Are you kid? Like how on earth. Who could look at that guy, say he's a white guy. Well, man. Because white is actually a social construct. Whenever it's convenient for us, say the liberals, whiteness is real. It's objective. We need to abolish it. But when it's convenient for us, like when we're classifying prisoners, then whiteness doesn't exist. Okay, next one. That guy also definitely not white. Luis Bernabel. So not only does he not look white, he doesn't have a white name at all. So I. It's gonna be white, right? Is the thing you're doing here that they're all white. Is that. Is Hispanic. He's white. Before we go on, is this because Sometimes, you know, Mr. Davies, you send me news stories, and I look into them, and they're not really. Is this real, or is this like a Mr. Davies fact?
[02:50]
B
You're horrible at this. I'll go in and I'm gonna let you try to find a white guy in a second. I got a few more just to get your opinion on these.
[02:57]
A
Hmm. I mean, look, Javier. Javier Betancourt. He's not a white guy. He's Hispanic, but, like, I guess his skin's a little lighter. He's not William F. Buckley, but his skin's a little. But he's not white. He is Hispanic.
[03:13]
B
Wrong. You're raised.
[03:14]
A
I know. No, I know. I mean, I know. I think I figured out your game. Okay, let me see the next one. Javier Caban. Again, like, I get. No, he's just Hispanic. He's like a whiter Hispanic for sure. He's not. He doesn't quite look Quechua or something, but he's definitely. I mean, his name is Javier. Javier. Come on. He's Hispanic. He's white.
[03:33]
B
Okay, he's white. We're gonna keep going as we get to a couple more of the black guys. Just, just, just for content purposes.
[03:40]
A
Joseph A. Caban. A lot of cabans committing crimes. Joseph A. Caban. That guy is Hispanic. Maybe a touch admixture of black. Certainly indigenous, but Hispanic for sure. White.
[03:51]
B
Yeah.
[03:51]
A
Okay. When I see if this is true, I'm still reserving judgment on whether or not this is true. When I have seen some examples like this, it starts to make you wonder. You say, look, okay. White people in prison are vastly underrepresented relative to their percentage of the general population. But then when you look and you see, like, all the whites who are in prison are not actually white, you start to say, do white people commit any crimes at all? They must. I'm sure they must. But when you look at something like that, you say, do white people commit any crimes in America? Next one. Okay. Luis Rosario. He is Hispanic, leaning black. He's like, more black Hispanic. I would say Blanish is white.
[04:36]
B
You don't believe me, do you?
[04:37]
A
This one, to me, I get that this probably does happen, but this one to me seems fake. It's just too much. No one would ever look at that guy and say, he's white. I know I'm a Caucasian because when I wake up in the morning, I just have such a great life. Don't. Do not. Do not. That is not real. That is not. You're gonna tell me that guy's white, but that is not real. That's like. It's not that his skin is, like, fully, you know, Namibia, part of darkness, Congo in terms of its tone. But he's. Every physical marker of blackness is there, and no physical markers of whiteness are there. So there's no way. I need proof that this is not just a Ben Davies fact. I need proof. Is this just, like, some memes you saw on Twitter? Okay, so go to Offender Information. Offender Information. Search, search. Submit. Crazy dude. Alexander Gavilan Cruz. Look at that guy. What? That's not a white guy. Come on, Jack. That's not a white guy. Joseph Suarez. Like, that's a white guy. What are we doing? I'm saying there are some white people. It's not that. There are, like, zero. Juan Diaz Amaro. Well known. Well known white. Hey, how do you do, fellow Klansmen? I'm here for the meeting. The name's Juan. Yeah, yeah. Hola. I mean, this guy. Ramon Rodriguez. Hey, what do you think of renowned white Guy Julio Vasquez LaRosa? I think I saw him at the Mayflower Society meeting the other day. Were you there? Were you there for that one? This is how people become racist. I mean, there are plenty of ways people become racist, but, like, we've just been lied to so much.
[06:50]
B
I've got one more for you.
[06:52]
A
Okay, you got one more. Let me see.
[06:54]
B
Check your phone.
[06:55]
A
Check my phone? Where's my phone? Are you kidding me? No, that's not true. That's not true. Andrew Tate is now listed in the Federal Bureau of Prison System under BOP register number. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Race bite. I need to end this segment or I'm gonna find myself in a dark place. A dark, white place. A white, dark place. I'm getting too radicalized. I need to go. I'm Michael Knowles. This is the Michael Knowles Show. See you tomorrow. Dude, that's. Andrew Tate is white.