Is This Anything?

The extent to which I have experienced any racism directed to me is when people look at my hair and say, “You have black people’s hair.” For some reason, it annoys me that people feel the need to quantify anything that way. As if we are only what people can see, not that we are simply other souls just trying to enjoy our lives. My hair is two parts frizz and one part curl, however, it’s very textured and therefore it would be safe to assume that I may have a relation to someone in my ancestry that is black. I want to make it very clear, it doesn’t bother me that people might think I have some ancestry that is black. I am disappointed that people feel the need to point that out to me, and then touch my hair without asking. Or try and put pencils or pens in it without me noticing, or the million other reactions and comments I get just because my hair is a very defining characteristic. Instead, keep your hands to yourself and maybe mind your business. This is the only extent to which I can claim any type of understanding of racism and how it affects people. Enter, Chappelle’s Show.

Dave Chappelle is this man that walked onto the comedy scene with much to say. His legacy will be one of creativity and comedy. He was the type of person that didn’t get upset, instead, he made sure to make his point. His show was the pinnacle of comedy and pointing out racism in society. Yet, the way he would point it out was fascinating. He would create skits and bits that just made you think. He is to comedy and racism, what “Black Mirror” is to the rise of AI and electronics in the world are. (At this point if you haven’t watched either of these shows, I really strongly recommend doing so, that way that metaphor will sticks.)

Dave Chappelle opened the doors for so many creators and other creatives. His show wasn’t just really expressive humor but it consisted of concerts from other Black artists. Artists I may not ever have heard of. I’m ashamed to say I was always so guarded against a whole other world I knew nothing about. I wasn’t guarded on purpose I just never went out of my way to understand. Chappelle’s Show opened my mind to the racism that I hadn’t thought was still happening in the world that day, or even beyond. However, it’s hard to ignore and it’s really up to us as a whole to be educated against these injustices. I think the genius of Dave Chappelle is that he never pointed at anyone, he instead brought to light specific items that can be addressed and made better. His comedy was next level. In fact, sometimes his comedy would go over my head and I would think about it days later and laugh to myself. True story, I started laughing drinking a latte, and it came out my nose at work.

By bringing to light specific issues in a way that wasn’t confrontational Dave Chappelle opened the door to conversations that need to be had. Dave Chappelle had this way of reminding us he was one of us. That he had flaws and he was really good at making fun of himself. Dave Chappelle was great at highlighting differences but reminding us that at our center we really aren’t all that different. I almost feel like I need to call him professor Chappelle for the lessons I feel I learned from him. Dave Chappelle was a man that had a vision and followed that. He lived for laughs, in fact, his favorite thing was his stand-up routines. I think the best part about his way of doing comedy was that when he realized he had done something to upset someone he wasn’t afraid to make it right, he didn’t just laugh it off. Dave Chappelle was given to television to help us start the conversations that need to be had. He is a visionary. I only hope over time we can right the wrongs and those wrongs will only be jokes not based on real-life anymore.