Dave Chappelle is one of my favorite comedians of all time. There is nothing I have yet to see him in where he is not funny (with the exception of “A Star is Born”, a drama). So when I heard that a new Netflix stand up special would be dropping, I immediately got excited. I had to the privilege to attend one of Chappelle’s stand up act a couple years ago. So naturally, I immediately saw the new special and thought it was very hilarious. After so many years of being in the comedy business, the man still has it. But soon after the special dropped on Netflix, the backlash came after Chappelle. I normally would not review a stand up special on Netflix, but I feel that this special is getting undeserved backlash and needs to be addressed.
“Dave Chappelle: Sticks and Stones” is the newest Netflix stand up special. In this special, Chappelle address controversial issues such as the Michael Jackson and R. Kelly sexual allegations, Kevin Hart’s past tweets, the LGBTQ community, etc. The entire point of the comedy is to offend and push the comedy to the edge. This is something that is not meant for everyone. I will admit that this is not the best stand up routine from Chappelle, but it is still hilarious. From the opening joke to the final joke, the audience will laugh out loud. But so many critics are pouncing at Chappelle for his offensive jokes. Why? If you were to go to Rotten Tomatoes, this special has a 0% as of today (September 2, 2019). Why is that? I normally don’t comment on a Rotten Tomatoes score but that score is extremely low. I have a feeling that most critics didn’t give it a negative review because of the quality of the content but the “offensive material” in the special.
At one point in the special, Chappelle discusses the Michael Jackson sexual allegation, fueled by the HBO documentary, “Leaving Neverland” ,that aired earlier this year. In my honest opinion, I believe the men coming out against the late pop star. Now I understand that this is an opinion not shared by everyone, including Chappelle. Chappelle makes it abundantly clear that he believes Jackson and not the men. I don’t agree with his decision to not believe the truth in the allegations but that his is decision to make. After watching the special, my opinion or my fandom of Chappelle did not change one bit. No where was I offended or upset that Chappelle was choosing to side with Jackson and make fun of the allegations. The man is a comedian and has to joke about uncomfortable situations.
I’ve seen so many critics say that this special is cheap and lazy. “Chappelle is only doing LGBTQ jokes because they are easy to make fun of.” No, that is far from the truth. Chappelle is not the type of comedian who goes in for the cheap jokes and easy laughs because of that was the case, he would simply rely on toilet humor. Chappelle is a comedian who sees what is relevant in today’s world and applies it to his comedy. I read a Complex article where it indicated Chappelle is only inciting the far right to keep on hating the LGBTQ community. “Chappelle might be speaking his mind, but those who are aligning with his views—or at least his swagger, and regurgitating his words—is what makes this a dangerous time.” This counter argument is far stretched and quite ridiculous. The notion that Chappelle is encourage hate groups to keep on hating is idiotic. A man who hates the LGBTQ community is going to keep on hating that community regardless of Chappelle’s comedy.
The point of “Sticks and Stones” is to push the boundaries of comedy. The purpose of the comedy is in the title itself, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”. Chappelle saw comedy in a world where it is too policed. Comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock stated that they refuse to play at colleges because the students get offended. Chappelle’s own friend, Kevin Hart, lost the Oscars hosting gig because a couple of tweets that were more than ten years year old resurfaced. He saw that and probably said, “enough is enough”. He wants comedy to go back to the days where it did offend, offend not out of malice because it is comedy. And that is what Chappelle does here, offend the offended because it is simply comedy. “Sticks and Stones” may not be Chappelle’s best work but it is thought provoking and states a message without saying it at all.
https://ew.com/article/2015/06/08/jerry-seinfeld-politically-correct-college-campuses/
https://www.vox.com/2019/8/29/20835637/dave-chappelle-netflix-special-hidden-ending-cancel-culture
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