Dave Chappelle has released a new Netflix special, The Dreamer, which is full of jokes about the trans community and disabled people.
“I love punching down!” he tells the audience, in a one-hour show that landed on the streaming service today (31 December).
It’s his seventh special for Netflix and comes two years after his last one, the highly controversial release The Closer.
That programme was criticised for its relentless jokes about the trans community, and Chappelle revisits the topic in his new show.
He tells jokes about trans women in prison, and about trans people “pretending” to be somebody they are not.
His flavor of comedy is offensive comedy. That’s what made him successful. That’s why I like him. He tells jokes based on what his opinions are. I don’t recall him asking anyone to adopt his thinking.
I’m baffled as to why you would even think we didn’t realize that his jokes were based on his atrocious opinions. His opinions are what is the problem. Let’s say there is a white comedian that tells endless jokes about black people because that’s what his opinion is and his flavor of comedy is offensive comedy. And then in the special, he comes right out and says, “I love being a racist.” Why would that comedian be worthy of Netflix money?
Or is being ableist and transphobic more acceptable than telling jokes that are racist against black people? What if it’s jokes about Jews? Would that be okay? Which marginal group should Netflix draw the line at when it comes to funding comedy specials?
He also tells jokes that are offensive to Jews and black people. Yes, it’s his brand, but it’s a horrible brand. He continues to double down on his shock comedy and he doesn’t care who he hurts. Trans people are being murdered because of who they are, and when a public figure publicly spreads hatred against them it adds gasoline to that fire and makes the world less safe for people who are trans.
I don’t really care if a comedian is offensive, but in this case it’s actually dangerous.
Being offensive doesn’t bother me so much as someone who’s continually offensive and then plays the victim crying out that they’re being cancelled while saying their horrible shit on Xitter, fox news or netflix. Ricky Gervais does the same as Chappele and it’s not funny because he does have a platform and he hasn’t lost money plus as you said trans people are being killed and silenced, disabled people have to fight to have people treated with some dignity.
I agree with the latter, but I also think we should care, depending on the context obviously, if a comedian is being offensive- when they are getting the sort of money and exposure Netflix gives.
I would suggest that most people here, me included, would care if Netflix gave a white Trump-voting racist and misogynist a Netflix special in order to spread their hateful views in the guise of comedy.
What I am saying is that there is offensive comedy and then there is being offensive under the guise of comedy. What Richard Pryor did was offensive comedy. It was offensive without punching down, which is why it’s still so funny. The thing is- that takes a lot more work.
Lol why are you saying “we” like you’re part of some special club
Yes. I’m part of that “special club” of people who realize that topical comedians tell jokes based on their opinions.
But hey, you don’t want to be included in that ‘we,’ don’t let me stop you from being ignorant about that very basic quality of comedians who do topical comedy.
I’m not even disagreeing with you lol, I just hate when people think they can speak for everyone here. Do you think you are some authority figure on lemmy?
I don’t think I can speak for everyone here, but I would suggest that on this particular subject, you would find very few people who disagree that topical comedians base their comedy on their opinions, so I think I can safely speak for most people here when I say WE are not idiots who have never heard a stand-up comedy routine in our lives. If that makes me an authority figure, I guess I am one. I don’t really carry ‘authority on where topical comedians likely get their ideas from’ as a badge of honor. I’d prefer to think of myself as just someone who thinks highly enough of the people who comment on Lemmy that he doesn’t believe them to be drooling imbeciles.
But perhaps you believe that daring to think that people here don’t tend to be drooling imbeciles is just going way too far.
Well you do already have 17k lemmy comments so perhaps you are the ultimate authority figure here haha
I’m waiting for a white comic doing a racist special on black people and saying : “yeah, that’s just how I am, I’m not asking anyone to adapt my thinking”.
You’re not familiar with his work, are you ?
Only enough to know it’s not for me. But doing so much material about trans people and making fun of disabled people screams out personal issues, maybe some condition.
That’s an amazing skill to separate the comedy from the opinion, or do you agree with his opinions, too?
Nobody, practically, asks to “adopt their thinking”. It’s implicit by taking a public pulpit like this. One doesn’t get on stage unless they want to be heard. He isn’t a victim of his own success. Humor is a completely viable path to social and political commentary.
You don’t have to ask because people by and large don’t choose their beliefs. They are mostly indoctrinated into them via rationalization of inherent biases and other environmental factors. How many Muslims are born into FLDS households in Utah?
Overt bigotry and marginalization gives cover to viewers’ rationalization that it’s okay to have thoughts of discrimination against outgroups.
If you don’t recognize that Dave Chappelle is funny then idk
I thought 8:46 was brilliant but it’s not what we are talking about in this post.
No one is really arguing whether he’s funny or not. I think most are trying to point out that even if a person is ‘just joking’, telling racist, bigoted, etc jokes, it can encourage that sort of attitude and normalize bigotry in general, especially if you already have a massive platform, and to deny that is just ridiculous.
Classic Schrodinger’s asshole. Say whatever you want and if anyone questions you about it, you were joking!
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