Dave Chappelle

[snarkyfish]

George Washington first President, human rights advocate, author of the nation's declaration of independence and slave owner: ".......And we hold these truths to be self evident - all men are created equal! ...........Go get me a sandwich, f**ing n*gger or I'll kill you!!.........Liberty and justice for all.."

Quoted from Dave Chappelle's "For What It's Worth"

I suppose Dave was just tired of the simple solution of just "get to dancing, n*gger!!!".

Maybe getting paid isn't all there is?

[rattlerbrat]

Whether DC or his show is racist or not has nothing to do with the fact that the show isn't coming on.

Apparently, that is a factor, since Dave spoke on it and mentioned that it was the white man laughing at him in blackface louder than all the others that made him say, "I need to take a break from this from a while."

And I'm getting damned sick and tired of the "retarded" quips myself.

[topher]

It looks to me that we are all agreeing that Dave is taking another look at his comedy because some people are taking it at face value and not looking it at the deeper meaning of it.

[snarkyfish]

Just as long as we are clear that the retarded idiots quips do not come from Dave himself but his supposed fanboy, farting fratboy misinterpreters then we cool.

I find Dave Chappelle to be highly intelligent, very insightful and observant of humanity as it really is.

Everyone since damn Eddie Murphy started on the scene has been looking to place a crown on the next Richard Pryor. I say that Dave may not be all that Richard Pyor was - Richard was just not deterred by "shame" , he was not afraid to put his own REAL life experiences on the stage and analyse them.

But I think at least from a human observational point of view Dave can see the really dark side of people and further more amazingly convey it in a "light-hearted" way while still making the point and not losing the serious impact of the truth which his joke derives from. Hence the satire and irony which is his style. That is powerful. And that is what really struck me about him. And that is why I like him and am glad he came about.

[monsterzero]

It looks to me that we are all agreeing that Dave is taking another look at his comedy because some people are taking it at face value and not looking it at the deeper meaning of it.

Pretty much, yeah. But we're also letting the bigots set the pace. Okay, some asses don't get what Chappelle is saying or what is point is. So why should we blame Chappelle for that? When someone starts believing certain behavior is okay just because they believe someone on the TV says it is, then you have a problem with those delusional people, not the guy on the TV. Taking blame away from the bigots and putting it onto someone else is very wrong and only reinforces the bubble bigotry lives in. It should also be noted that these people didn't suddenly become bigots if all it took was one TV show, it was probably something that was going to come out and the show was just a convenient excuse.

[kostgard]

Didn't Dave basically address the boneheads who now seem to think it is okay to use these racist terms used in the show?

It seems during one of his stand-up/intro pieces he did, he talked about white guys come up to him and start throwing around the "N" word and he was all, "Whoa. Guys, that actually isn't cool." I thought it was during the intro to the N***** Family sketch.

But I agree that Dave probably knows a good chunk of his success it due to the large number of idiots out there who don't actually get it and that has to be kinda depressing. Instead of enlightening people or at least addressing these issues in a satirical way so he can get the message out there, the idiots have grabbed it and run wild with it.

[rattlerbrat]

kostgard said:

But I agree that Dave probably knows a good chunk of his success it due to the large number of idiots out there who don't actually get it and that has to be kinda depressing.

Exactly! I don't see where it's a bad thing that Dave has taken a step back to look at the monster he created. We've had actors go from foul-mouthed actors to family film actors; rappers who went from gangsta rap to clean/party rap; comedians go from raunchy to calm. It happens! And who's to say that Dave won't be funny if he chooses to ease up on his use of the n-word? I mean, the man got his point across - how many times can he beat a dead horse? Like I said earlier, even Richard fucking Pryor moved on! Was he any less funny? Was Chris Rock less funny when he moved on? I say no - not only was he just as funny, but his comedy became SMARTER for it. ("Never Scared" is a seriously underrated piece of work.) If Dave can't get his point across unless he's in blackface, maybe he's not as funny as he - or we - think. Lots of Dave's funny skits were light or devoid of racial humor - but it's like he has to throw in a n*gga or two or else it's doing to KILL him. Examples:

Samuel Jackson beer: perfectly funny shit, but Dave had to say "you might even fight a n*gga or two!" Why?

PopCopy: his best skit, if you ask me, but the Puerto Rican guy had to say "Yo n*gga, I AM your manager!" Why?

Racial Draft: good example of GOOD racial humor, but Dave HAD to say, "Tough break, n*gga!" Why?

[Deleted]

You know, after reading the rave reviews on the other now-defunct forum (well, yeah, I pay attention to y'all), I tried watching his show but the episode that I watched didn't do anything for me, didn't tickle my funnybone, wasn't must-see TV.

But then I am so old school, I'm still stuck on Richard Pryor's TV show when, essentially, he pioneered Chappelle's kinds of jokes and skits. A lot of y'all here probably don't know/remember anything about that, but I do.

So any comedian nowadays has to really be "original" for me to get all worked up. 'Cause I'm still stuck on Pigmeat Markham, Red Foxx, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Robin Harris. D L Hughley gets me going and Bernie used to, but that's about it.

The way I see it, the difference between then and now is that Chappelle got $50 Million because of a change in times and culture but, because of the times he was in, Richard got cancelled after one season, with no syndication to this day.

Plus, like Jamie Foxx's "Wanda" of In Living Color, Dave's "Reggie" from The Nutty Professor will forever be etched in my mind when I look at him. And the only scene that repeats is the one in which Buddy Love threw him into the piano. ;D

Chappelle gets a "meh" from me. Frankly, I couldn't care less, although I chuckled when he said "I still have all the money they paid me," and I thought, "Minus the dough you spent to raise up and go into South Africa." Heh.

[Deleted]

I agree. I think that being provocative means that some people are going to misinterpret you. And I think that is the risk of having something provocative on television.

Agreed, and it would be a shame to lose his wonderful and provocative humor because of a few neanderthals. I'm mixed black, and many of my white friends and coworkers love and quote Chapelle, too. I personally haven't felt that they were being racist, just enjoying the great humor.

But those are MY friends and coworkers, I know everyone isn't in my same position. I believe it's a small, ignorant minority, ruining it for all of us, as usual.

Come back, Dave! Healthy and happy.

[Deleted]

I just watched Season 2 of Chappelle Show and when Mr. Chappelle is on---he is ON.

But now I understand the escape from Season 3 that Mr. Chappelle pulled off. I, too, was thinking drugs until I saw the last espisode of Season 2 with Wayne Brady. Mr. Chappelle complained of burnout in that episode and he was also contrite about the putdown of Mr. Brady in one of the earlier Negrodamus skits. In Mr. Chappelle's targeting of racial stereotypes with his comedy, he came close to actually committing it himself with Mr. Brady. It is not just the use of the N word.

Good for Mr. Chappelle, who decided to take the time off to work out how to say and do the kind of comedy that he does so well and stay true to his vision "thing"---I'd like to hear the Black Bush on that. I am beginning to think that Mr. Chappelle has Integrity.