CMN 342 - Podcast Project

Dave Chappelle's return to stand-up comedy coincided with a tumultuous period in US history. While he was initially praised for speaking out against racism and police brutality, his recent comedy specials have been criticized for containing sexist and transphobic material. Some argue that Chappelle's career success has distanced him from the struggles of marginalized communities and that he now reinforces patriarchal ideologies. His jokes often target individuals who challenge traditional masculine ideals. Despite the controversy, Chappelle's comedy specials have still received accolades and recognition. Growing up, I was a huge fan of stand-up comedy. With this in mind, understand I was reasonably excited when Dave Chappelle suddenly announced his return to the medium. I was much too young to have witnessed Dave Chappelle's prime time in the spotlight, but I knew he was an important name in the world of comedy, and a lot of the comedians that I respected lauded his work and his return. Dave Chappelle's return to stand-up comedy also happened to come at a key moment in U.S. history. Chappelle actually hosted SNL the week Donald Trump was elected president, the beginning of an extremely volatile presidential term in American history. Ladies and gentlemen, Dave Chappelle! You know, I didn't know that Donald Trump was going to win the election. I did suspect it. Those four years saw a great deal of social upheaval in a number of ways, from the Me Too movement to Black Lives Matter and the beginning of COVID-19. In that same span of time, during so much change, Chappelle released a number of comedy specials for major distributor and streaming giant Netflix that were laced with sexist and transphobic material, jokes that diminished those outside the gender binary and minimized their experience. Analyzing his work reveals this disturbing change in his style and his worldview, and perhaps gives us a window into the dominant social ideology shaping his perspective. Personally, I think to understand just how disappointing Chappelle's recent tendency to punch down really is, we've got to go back to the ghost of Chappelle's past. Killing Them Softly came out in 2000, but his jokes about police brutality and the black experience in America rang especially true, even now in the 2020s. Black people are very afraid of the police. That is a big part of our culture. It doesn't matter how rich you are, how old you are, we're just afraid of them. We got every reason to be afraid of them. I'm serious, man. You ever be in a red light, the police might pull up next to you. It won't be no big deal for you, but you know what? I'll fucking fall apart. Ow! Hold on a minute. Don't look over there. Of course, public attitudes have changed in a number of ways since 2000, so not every statement aged gracefully, but by and large, Chappelle's a voice for the voiceless in this special. Chappelle speaks out against racism in the police force and the way black people are targeted and profiled, challenging the dominant ideology of racism he was living under. For those new to Chappelle, his late career changing character is perhaps best exemplified by this joke from 2017's The Age of Spin. And then on the 10th, the blue and white 10th. Now I should tell you, the friend that was driving me was black, which really doesn't have anything to do with the story, other than to let you know, there was fear in the car. Not my fear. I'm black, but I'm also Dave Chappelle. So I figured, you know, it'll probably be fine. Now, instead of being on the same side as those fighting for equality, it seems there's a recognition that Chappelle's career successes have afforded him status and power, perhaps exemplary of the ways capitalism has impacted him. I think it's clear, at least to some degree, Chappelle transformed from being a voice for the voiceless to someone who is above their struggles. In this podcast, I want to look at how Chappelle now reinforces and is further influenced by the third dominant ideology, patriarchy. In a piece for Politico, Virginia Heffernan explores the ways men throughout American history have thought about the ideals of masculinity and the numerous times men felt masculine values were under attack. In the piece, Heffernan points out how panic about masculinity has most always been accompanied by a significant social change, saying, Heffernan's piece tells us that masculinity was never truly in crisis, but rather, men in power felt their place in the status quo was in crisis. Is it any coincidence, then, that many of Chappelle's jokes target individuals like trans and non-binary people who challenge the status quo and traditional masculine ideals? Take, for example, this excerpt, also from The Age of Spin, Chappelle's first special back. Don't say anything to us, just walk around the conference table looking mean as shit. And as you walk to the head of the conference table, staring us off, reaching the person, pull her old dick out and throw it on the table. In his following Netflix special, Equanimity, Chappelle addressed the negative feedback he received from the trans community. You know who hates me the most? The gender community. Other than they're born as, and that's kind of funny, you know? In a statement that both sees Chappelle play the victim and belittle the trans experience, he attacks individuals who challenge the patriarchy. I feel Chappelle's lashing out at the trans community reflects the elite men who made a fuss about masculine values during social change, ostracizing those who don't fit a specific mold to maintain the status quo. In this instance, Chappelle kind of highlights a core tenet of masculinity, to simply not be feminine. According to Gendered Lives, a textbook on communication, gender, and culture, Jason Saz, a leading researcher on men and masculinity, is quoted saying, In a lot of ways, the pressure to conform is more acute among men whose power and identity are under threat in the real world from things like racism and growing economic inequality. For Chappelle, a man of color with great wealth during a time of global instability, he might be feeling that very same pressure, and in using his platform this way, he continues the cycle for the next generation. Perhaps most frustrating of all is knowing the success Chappelle has faced since his return despite his offensive remarks on stage. Both The Age of Spin and Equanimity went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.