Chappelle Blackface Pixie Sketch Redux

It’s really a question of audience, in my opinion. Watching it on Dave Chapelle with a group of friends: hilarious. Repeating the gag around the water cooler at work the next day: questionable.

‘Socially irresponsible’ is a pretty relative term, also. Local flavor and makeup determine social mores in our society. Of course there are certain standards that echo nationwide, but as you travel the country, you’ll see that each community has a different idea of what’s acceptable to them. That’s why homeowners’ associations are so popular today - they help to educate new homeowners as to acceptable standards in their neighborhood.

Is it right? Maybe, maybe not, when you consider what we have to shy away from because of the ‘line’ you mention.

Local sensibilities do factor into it, but I’ll assume that the questions are directed to general comedy and Chappelle’s fans.

I don’t think either version is socially irresponsible.  Chappelle has more-or-less built his success on racially sensitive humor, and he does it well.  If this sketch is irresponsible, then you have to designate about 75% of his other sketches as irresponsible, as well (Nigga Family, anyone?).  Comedy as a tool for highlighting social hypocrisy has been around since the very first spoken joke (probably something about Oog, fire and rape).  Chappelle, while pushing the envelope even among an already tolerant audience, has a knack for it. He ain’t no Lenny Bruce (who I find viciously bigoted though historically important), but he deserves some credit for affecting the national fabric of racially controversial thought.

The presence of the second pixie doesn’t change my opinion on it either way.  The bellhop(?) pixie was so over the top, that the emergence of the banjo pixie was, like, “meh.”  Looks to me like they came up with 2 black stereotypes in the writers room, chose one, and taped the other one just in case.  Maybe it was the video quality, but I couldn’t tell if the banjo pixie was a true blackface (white guy), or Chappelle, or Murphy, or whoever. [Insert “they all look the same to me” joke here.]  Even if it was a white guy, doesn’t matter to me.  If Chappelle had full control, he could’ve nixed the character on the spot, so the assumption is that he wasn’t offended at the concept either.  Although, apparently, he was offended by a visibly entertained crew member (callback: the Jul 13 entry “The Sketch that Drove Dave Chappelle Out”)

In terms of the quality of the humor, both were about the same to me:  kinda funny, but nothing to write home about.

Anyway, good catch on the discrepancy.

This is famously, for Dave, the sketch that broke the camels back (the Jul 13 entry “The Sketch that Drove Dave Chappelle Out”).  As a comedian and a filmmaker I can tell you, as Dave performs the sketch, Dave is truely bothered by it.  It is not really that funny because he considers it racist as he performs it.  For god sakes he’s in blackface at the time.  That would make ANY black man or woman feel extremely odd and run through their minds that they have become a minor ‘stepin fetchit’ themselves.  As having betrayed their race.

There is a way to perform this and not feel awkward about it.  But Dave felt like he was instigating and confirming stereotypes.

THAT is the core of blackface ‘comedy’; it is NOT really comedy.  The purpose is to confirm and propagate racial stereotypes (http://www.musicals101.com/minstrel.htm).  To degrate One race for the benefit of superiority for the other.  Just look at some of the old material of blackface minstrelsy, it’s not funny in the least; it’s just disturbing because we Don’t find true racism to be funny. 

Every sketch on Dave’s show that was ‘racially charged’ is making fun of -racists- (and how god damn stupid someone might be to actually believe in discrimination).  This sketch he felt those lines blur and finally became scared by it.  You can see it written all over his face, he can’t make eye contact, his motions are jilted and 50%. 

As a brief note I would like to say this to Dave: god damnit, Not One of Us Actually Thought that Dave!  WE love you still and hope you can regain your bearings about this and innumerate the differences in your head, WE know you have not a damn shred of racism in you, or self-loathing, Because you make fun of us all and do it so Damned well!  Please come back.

Everybody may already be aware of this, but I just saw an Oprah commercial about Chappelle appearing on tomorrow’s show (8/21).  He’ll be talking about why he walked away…I’m hoping this will be the final nail in the coffin.  And I’m sure he’s hoping to see his DVD sales skyrocket for a few days.

My mistake, the air date is Tues 8/22, not Monday 8/21.

Controversy my a**.  thats one of the funniest segments ever!!! the banjo makes it more hillarious. daves humor doesnt mean anything, people gotta stop bein so sensitive!