Posted on 02/17/2005 3:52:47 PM PST by TwoDragons
Chappelle's shtick
Tom Elliott
Aside from a new $50 million contract, what does Dave Chappelle have that Jesse Jackson does not? The answer, Mr. Jackson will regret hearing, is a reason for black youth to value his opinion.
Since "Chappelle's Show" debuted two years ago, the comedian has become a ubiquitous American pop presence. Known for skits that regularly break comedic boundaries, Chappelle, like his thematic predecessor Chris Rock, is celebrated for lampooning any subject, regardless of its position in the sphere of P.C. protection. Whites, blacks, Asians, George Bush, Bill Clinton, even Kunta Kinte -- nothing's considered sacred.
So-called "black leaders" have been mostly mum on Chappelle's rise. Clearly, he has placed them in the awkward bind of having either to celebrate another black success story, or, condemn his affection for using the n-word and otherwise not considering black culture beyond reproach.
"I look at it like the 'nigger' used to be a word of oppression," explains Chappelle. "But that when I say it, it feels more like an act of freedom for me to be able to say that unapologetically on television."
Ban the N-Word, a black activist group, is, predictably, unimpressed.
"The Chappelle's Show Season One DVD uses the N-word over 100 times," they told me. "That's more than enough already, but, unfortunately, that's still only part of the problem. His sketches routinely highlight blacks negatively and the punchline is always an insult to blacks."
Chappelle's attitude toward race issues seems to be that while lingering forms of racism exist, they serve more realistically as fodder for comedians than as reasons for social revolution.
He says, "I still think people do have racial hang-ups, but I think one of the reasons I can joke about it is people are shedding those racial hatreds." It's hard to picture him rehashing the Jackson-Sharpton refrain that racist America anchors the potential of black youth.
As a comic, Dave Chappelle is not bound by the fetters that constrain and control other prominent figures. The traditional black empowerment movement, on the other hand, is so fossilized that competing facts or revelations are ignored. As Jesse Jackson and company are the de facto African-America government handout lobbying alliance, their business booms when (and if) conditions worsen. Thus, the movement sadly amounts to a doctrine of victimization.
At some point even the most ardent Jackson acolyte must realize that people cannot build a future based on failure. Under the current malady-for-profit stratagem, the payoff comes from a race to the bottom, profiting off vices, not virtues. This reality is masked by the virulence of many black leaders' rhetoric. To listen to Jesse Jackson, one gathers that black America is fighting for its life, fending off a Caucasian racial offensive.
Just consider what Jackson has said this past year: He's called the Bush administration's distribution of a medicine with uncertain side effects to AIDs-inflicted, pregnant Africans a "crime against humanit;" he's accused Republicans of endeavoring to disenfranchise black voters in Ohio and likewise conspiring with the Supreme Court to do the same in the 2000 election; and he's accused institutions such as Wal-Mart and the NCAA of racism.
Even if Jackson succeeds occasionally in diagnosing a case of actual racism, his prescriptions fail utterly. Reparations, lawsuits, clampdowns on "insensitive" speech, and government handouts rarely solve anything. No matter: Jackson insists that blacks should be rewarded for the suffering of their forefathers; blacks shouldn't have to perform as well to get into college; nor should blacks feel badly or even responsible about being disproportionately represented in prison populations -- because, of course, society is racist, the system is corrupt.
Fortunately, not everyone has the luxury to wait for government to make them rich. Some simply do it themselves. After all, in the wealthiest country in the world, there is every incentive to bump elbows and, to use hip-hop lexicon, chase that coin.
At the end of every episode of "Chappelle's Show" the host is pictured, hands chained together and with large folds of money in each; the voiceover yells, "I'm rich, b---h!" I take this to mean that he's thrown himself into corporate America's game --and its rules, hence the shackles -- but his smug smile and his handfuls of $100 bills suggest he's happy things have worked out. (A true capitalist, he is the only person to do ads for both Coke and Pepsi.) Incidentally, the "rich b---h!" voiceover comes from the segment in which Chappelle, as a white-faced newscaster, describes the scene the day black America is given a trillion dollars in reparations checks.
This skit, like many of his others, uses comedy to bring attention to the blights of black communities.
Upon receiving the checks, there are long lines at liquor stores; Cadillac Escalades, gold and "chicken" are, according to the Wall Street correspondent, posting huge gains. Chappelle is making an unsubtle point that a powerful current in black culture glorifies transient material gains over long-term financial savings and security.
Self-criticism, according to Martin Luther King Jr., is the "highest form of maturity." Yet few of today's prominent black leaders are capable of conceding blacks are doing anything wrong. The victim, according to the doctrine, cannot, by definition, bear responsibility for his indentured status. As such, comedians like Chappelle and Chris Rock, and lonely voices like Bill Cosby's, must pick up the responsibility for being honest brokers, communicating the realities of black communities.
Chappelle's criticisms are balanced through the promotion of positive talents. This is seen primarily in his choice of musical acts. Rather than bow at the altar of pop orthodoxy, he selects hip-hop acts renowned for their innate talents as emcees, lyricists, musicians and live performers. Rather than the gun-toting bubblegum rap of MTV -- Jadakiss, Nelly, Lil Jon -- viewers are treated to more thoughtful and more musical acts, like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Questlove (of The Roots), Common, and Erykah Badu.
When you watch Dave Chappelle, his strong values shine forth. In his recent Showtime special, "For What It's Worth," he relays the positive message he tells students when he speaks at inner-city high school graduations.
The message is: "You have to work hard, study, stay focused ... or learn how to play basketball or rap or some sh-t!"
It is striking that in the year 2005, Chappelle's honest, hard-hitting comedy remains a more reliable window into the pros, cons, ups and downs, possibilities and hindrances of black communities than black leadership in Washington.
Tom Elliott is an editor for the The New York Sun editorial page.
The skits featuring Prince playing basketball, different ethnicities responding reflexively to different types of music, and the Wayne Brady one were especially funny.
I agree! We shouldn't stoop to the level of those damn brotha hatin' cra**ers!
(Sarcasm, of course.)
I thought the one about different ethnicities responding to different kinds of music had potential but it was off base.
I know many old black people that would orgasm over John Mayer's blues riffs and many latins that would be turned off by the piano.
Well I don't know if it was accurate, but the concept was good.
He's a guilty pleasure, his show is blatantly racist and portrays blacks in a very negative light, but it's the funniest thing on TV.
The Wayne Brady skit was priceless.
Don't forget HalfBaked... lol
I know when I play my blues riffs for the barbershop, the old folks all feel it.
Not so when I play my Black Sabbath riffs.
Chapelle was the equivalent of Sammy Farhah - he had a big afro and an unlit cigarette (like Sammy).
Actually, Chappelle has been really smart. He's stayed out of specific politics. Sure he makes political sketches, but usually they are harmless and intelligent. What's imporant though, is that he refrains from making political comments outside of his comedy. Therefor he prevents the alienation of some of his viewers. He is a comedic genius.
Specially when he found out he was black, so he divorced his ___Lover wife.
I have only seen the DVD, so not sure if this was on the TV version. He shows a slo mo of himself starring at the chick as the chick comes out of her top during that skit...it was funny as hell. He said he felt guilty cause he willed it to happen.
At least he doesn't feed his people a bunch of phony balogna history like Ron Karenga & kwanzaa!
And let us not forget the "If The Internet Was a Shopping Mall" skit.
I wish I had seen that.
I absolutely hate that commercial. I never in my life wanted to slap somebody as badly as that freakin' woman.
i like his Lil Jon and his Rick James skits best. He is a hell of an impersonator...plus he gets the real guy in the skits, too. That is talent.
Well, it seemed the draft was originally based on different groups claiming mixed race people like Tiger Woods(and me.) But then he took it a step further and had teh different racial representatives selecting people well outside their bloodlines.
It was set up like the NFL Draft, 3 commentators, an audience and representatives of each ethnicity. They took turns choosing "ethnically neutral" famous people.
It was hillarious!
He's one of the funniest comics around, and he's not really a household name yet. That will change in time.
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