771 words
Even the most oppressive tyrannies have their jesters. Comedians, particularly Black ones, are about the only people free to draw attention to what the rest of us are obliged to ignore. A White man would barely be allowed by law to explain the difference between Black people and “niggas” in public, yet Chris Rock can do it on HBO. Dave Chappelle was making tens of millions of dollars with his hilarious, provocative, and insightful take on race relations before buckling under the weight of his own conscience. For better or worse, Black comedians in our society can honestly explore politically incorrect topics with minimal self-censorship or threat of harassment. (more…)