Going Too Far?

Like most low-brow, semi-intelligent human beings, I enjoy comedy. I particularly like racial comedy, usually of the Dave Chappelle or Chris Rock variety. They often poke fun at racial stereotypes, tearing them down in most cases. They can also use racial humour to a degree even they're not comfortable with, such as Chappelle's Show's infamous "black pixie" sketch that was supposedly behind the comedian's decision to quit his popular series three years ago. In this sketch, a black pixie would appear whenever someone was in a situation that carried racist implications. This involved Chappelle putting on black face and a servant's outfit and acting like a character from a minstrel show.



No doubt it was provocative and pushed the limits of good taste even, but it was hilarious - at least to me. To Chappelle - not so much. Evidently, he didn't quite like the way a white crew member laughed at the sketch. Feeling he was now just reinforcing stereotypes instead of tearing them down, Chappelle quit the show and headed to Africa. The reasons for this are debated to this day (at least by me and my friends).

Now, I don't fault Chappelle for thinking he crossed the line. I think he was trying to be responsible, which is hard for an entertainer to do. An artist doesn't always know how their material will be interpreted, and I think Chappelle worried about the damage his sketch may inflict.

All this brings me to a video I watched a while back. It's a "translation" of a rap freestyle battle sent to me by a buddy of mine. Another Dashing Fellow posted it in our Video of the Day not too long ago, but here it is again.



Now, I laughed when I watched this video. I especially laughed when the fight broke out and the old jazz music started playing. I went to the website of the two guys who dubbed over the freestyle and was shocked to find out they were white. Given my innate displeasure at seeing white people make fun of black people, I started to dislike the video. I thought, who the fuck are these white guys to mock black folk?

I went to their website and found a blog entry written in response to some criticism they received for the clip, which included a lot of the feelings I was having. You can read the whole thing on their website. Here's a snippet:

"The charge made against us is one of racism. Now normally it is compulsory here to contest the label of 'racist' with a brief history of the many instances wherein one proved just the opposite - a comprehensive list of acquaintances of varying ethnic backgrounds, the admission of a past interest in a particular culture or music alien to one's own ethnicity, donations made to various organizations, etc. We won't bore you with any such cliche diatribes for the simple reason that we can't. Both Ben and myself have had nearly no contact with individuals of any race, color or creed other than our own. In fact, the both of us have had very little contact with anyone other than each other. Most of our knowledge is of the 'book' variety, although we frequently peruse a number of periodicals and scholarly journals to keep abreast of the goings-on in contemporary society. The musical style referred to, variously as hip hop, rap, urban and urban-alternative, while creative in its own right, is of no particular interest to us other than sociologically. The music itself is rather a travesty and should be of no interest to anyone over the age of ten."

Although part of me still thinks this video is a funny critique of rap machismo, some of what they're spoofing doesn't sit well. When they talk about coming from a "low income neighbourhood where life is not very comfortable," I cringe. I guess it's funny, but I guess poverty's always funny to those from the outside looking in.

Now I don't think they have any malicious attitudes towards black people, but I think it's naïve for anyone to think that this material won't generate some negative reactions. People who joke about Christianity may have no animosity towards Christians. We often let it slide when we see comedic portrayals of Jesus in popular culture, but it's probably very offensive to a Christian person to see their God lampooned. All this doesn't mean I'm against poking fun at sensitive or taboo subjects, only that I think one should be prepared to face a backlash.

If I had come up with this sketch, I wouldn't dismiss out of hand people's criticisms. After all, if Chappelle was willing to leave his show over how people might react to a sketch, it's not hard to fathom people taking offense to this video. American film, television and radio has a long history of white people mocking black people. It's within this context that I believe people like myself were responding to. Is it knee-jerk of me to feel this way? I think that as long as racism exists, a white person's foray into racial humour will always be tainted no matter how it's manifested.

In a way, I feel like this essay has only played into the "clichéd diatribes" Ben and Ryan so carefully try to avoid in their blog. Sorry guys. I guess race just happens to be an important part of my life as it is Dave Chappelle's. Ironically, I look forward to the day that a white person can joke about black people and it doesn't come off as racist, condescending or plainly ignorant. But until that day comes, I'll still be laughing uncomfortably.