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After watching the Dave Chappelle stand-up comedy special on Netflix, I get the hubbub about it, but then I don’t get it.
Anyone who watched the routine and came away anything but entertained really needs to re-examine how they view life.
Chappelle is easily one of the most brilliant comedians in my lifetime, and I don’t think I’m being hyperbolic in my opinion. However, Chappelle is brilliant not because he’s doing anything that other comics before him haven’t done, but he is brilliant because he is doing what most comics TODAY haven’t the fortitude to do…
Push every racial, ethnic, social, and political hot button.
His jokes about celebrities, the LGBTQ community, blacks, whites, Asians, school shootings, mass shootings, abortion, and the opioid crisis drew sharp criticism from people that in my estimation simply don’t get the point.
Comedians, the great ones anyway, are consummate purveyors of endorphin-producing, memorable humor designed to make us laugh at ourselves and laugh at our pain as a society. The healing power of laughter cannot and should not be underestimated.
Those offended by Chappelle’s routines in Sticks & Stones are truly taking themselves and Chappelle much too seriously.
Critics and supporters of the show correctly point out that Chappelle spoke many truths in this routine, just as he does in all of his stand-up material. However, to quote a famous Star Wars line, many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.
The context of what a person says far outweighs the content of what a person says.
My recommendation to anyone who found Chappelle’s act offensive should seriously ask themselves if they are offended by the context or the content.
No matter which one they choose, it is really their problem and not Dave Chappelle’s. Perhaps they should recite the adage the show was named for…
Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.
How profound…
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 
