“I Stand with Dave.” And Therein Lies the Problem

 

by Sylvester Brown, Jr.

Oct. 26, 2021

 


    The phrase, “I Stand with Dave” has been trending on social media after the outrage over comedian Dave Chappelle’s recent Netflix comedy special, “The Closer.” Surely, you’ve read how Chappelle’s jokes about the LGQTB community offended them and their allies. Although I’ve been reading about it, researching it and thinking about it; I’ve been hesitant to write about it.

Why? Because I have friends and followers in the gay community who have supported me for years. I sincerely don’t want to offend them.

And therein lies the problem.

Throughout my 35-year writing career, I have never shied away from controversy or worried about losing fans because of something I’ve written. I’m not comfortable with the idea of self-censorship out of fear. Therefore, I feel obligated to say what this comedy-driven outrage represents in our society.

For me, it’s not the “why” many respond to things they disagree with; it’s the “how.” I see a disturbing similarity between the so-called “woke” crowd and the Trump supporters who stormed the capital in January. Both, convinced of their right-ness feel they have an obligation to ferret out and destroy supposed offenders.  Reason, facts, nuance, ill-intent, malice, or no malice…all be damned. Both groups have stormed the barriers of free speech, free thought, and traditional norms to obliterate anyone they feel fits in the category of their discontent.

And therein lies the conundrum.

Social media is a wonderful, world-changing tool for change. It’s been an effective weapon to beat back tyrants and dictators, killer cops, and corrupt politicians. Because we can share our thoughts, coordinate our actions, and broadcast our intent globally, people who had no voice now have powerful platforms of relevance, meaning and action.

We can change shit! And that’s a good thing.

But as the old saying goes: “With great power comes great responsibility.”  It is within this arena where we need to check ourselves; examine our actions and remember the ramifications of what many considered “right” in the moment.

I see a disturbing similarity between the so-called “woke” crowd and the Trump supporters who stormed the capital in January. 

The folk exercising their right to target those they find offensive should remember the era of McCarthyism when clusters of firm believers accused people in Hollywood of belonging to the Communist Party. Facts had no sway. People, many of whom were not communist, were nevertheless blacklisted, fired, had their reputations destroyed and were publicly crucified out of fear, paranoia, and unchecked political power.

For those intent on ending the careers of comics they deem offensive, I’d suggest they watch, at least, the first season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” The show based in the 1950s and ‘60s revisits a time when comedians like Lenny Bruce were arrested on obscenity charges because of their comedic materiel.

As we root out the evils of comedy, we should be very, very careful and remember that comedians, like Bruce, Carlin and Pryor pushed the envelope and challenged the sacred cows of religion, race, politics, and culture. They endured mainstream hatred but, in the end, opened doors for some of today’s most notable comics.

Many gay rights activists have taken offense at Chappelle’s transphobic humor because now, in our society, trans people are being attacked and killed simply because they are trans people.

It is a reasonable concern if you stubbornly subtract malice and intent.

I remember when Richard Pryor told jokes about cops choking black people to death when cops were choking black people to death. Things haven’t really changed that much but the point is sometimes, comedic gold can be mined in times of great turbulence and social unrest.

In today’s hyper-sensitive environment, I seriously doubt if Jewish actor, comedian, and film producer Mel Brooks could make films like “Blazing Saddles” (with its copious use of the N-word), “History of the World Part I” and “The Producers” (remember “Springtime for Hitler”) which made fodder out of Jewish tragedies.

When I think of the mess Chappelle is in today, I reflect on Brooks who once said, “My job is to make terrible things entertaining.”

Dave Chappelle makes terrible things, uncomfortable things, controversial things…well, entertaining. I sense no malice, no ill intent, no desire to spread hate or deny the gay community their right to be openly and proudly gay.

I think, as a society, we must be very careful in this effort to intimidate or censor comedians. During an episode of Netflix’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” host, Jerry Seinfeld and guest, Eddie Murphy talked about how comedians find humor in everything, even death. Trying to change how comedians think is akin to trying to change the predatory habits of a lion or tiger.

When I think of the mess Chappelle is in today, I reflect on Brooks who once said, “My job is to make terrible things entertaining.”

I stand with Dave because I find him to be a principled, cerebral comedian. I loved the witty brazenness of the “Chappelle Show.” In fact, I became more of a fan when Chappelle walked away from the lucrative, $50 million dollar gig out of principle.

Last year, on “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman,” Chappelle explained how the show challenged his sensibilities and led to his departure. The ill-timed laughter of a crew member made Chappelle wonder if the response stemmed from something unrelated to satire. As he told Letterman, "It just raised an interesting question to me, which I was already wrestling with in the first place."

That response fits with the persona I have attached to Chappelle. He doesn’t seem to be in the laughter game simply for cheap laughs.  Looking at the backlash over his recent comedy special, I’m forced to wonder if viewers noted the deliberation Chappelle provided before going in on the LGQTB crowd.

I noted his thinking process in the 2019 Netflix special, “Sticks & Stones.” In its opening minutes, Chappelle opined about how the gay community accused the black community of being homophobic because they didn’t support gay actor Jesse Smollett’s questionable claim that he’d been a victim of a racist attack in Chicago.

Chappelle then challenged the audience to decipher an imitation. They laughed as he went into a dufus-sounding dissertation: “Uh, duh. Hey! Durr! If you do anything wrong in your life—duh!—and I find out about it, I’m gonna try to take everything away from you!”

“That’s you,” Chappelle said pointing at the audience before adding: “y’all niggas is the worst motherfuckers I’ve ever tried to entertain in my fucking life. Goddamn sick of it. This is the worst time ever to be a celebrity. You’re going to be finished, everybody’s doomed!”

Throughout both comedy specials, Chappelle worked hard to convince the audience that he held no malice for gay people. In fact, near the end of “Sticks & Stones,” he said: "If you’re in a group that I made fun of, then just know that I probably only make fun of you because I see myself in you."

During what appeared to be a recording from a recent live set, Chappelle said he “won’t be summoned” but is open to having a conversation with Netflix’s transgender employees. If and when they have a sit-down, the comedian listed three conditions, one of which is that participants must have watched his special “from beginning to end.” 

I totally understand the caveat. Critics of “The Closer” had to work awfully hard to ignore the gut-wrenching story about his transgender friend and comedian, Daphne Dorman. Chapelle’s anger over the fact that Dorman committed suicide days after defending him on social media was evident when he said:

“I don’t know what the trans community did for her, but I don’t care…because I feel like she wasn’t their tribe. She was mine. She was a comedian in her soul.”

Throughout both comedy specials, Chappelle worked hard to convince the audience that he held no malice, no hatred, no ill intent for gay people. 

Those were not the words of someone who hates gay people. They were the words of a person pushing back against the “movement of the moment” …the self-delegated, crowd who determines “right vs wrong,” “funny vs offensive” and who’s allowed to say what and when.

Chappelle has not buckled under pressure even though the backlash has been real. During the recent live set, Chappelle talked about a new unnamed documentary he’s about to release, noting: “Now, today, not a film company, not a movie studio, not a film festival, nobody will touch this film.”

Not to be deterred, Chappelle will be host screenings of his documentary across 10 cities nationwide so, as he put it, fans can “see what they’re trying to obstruct you from seeing.” 

I admire Chappelle’s moxie. He’s a cerebral thinker, and a damn funny comedian.  I admire him because he has made me think, made me write about something despite fears of losing friends and followers. He’s lived up to the tradition. Chappelle is like the comedians of yesteryear who continued to stoke the nation’s consciousness despite threats of arrest or censorship.

It’s for these reasons and more that…

 “I stand with Dave.”

 

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Sylvester Brown, Jr. an award-winning, St. Louis-based writer and author. His first novel and latest book, “Gateway Gas” was published in Aug. 2021

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