When Admiration Turns to Disappointment
I’ve been a Dave Chapelle fan for a couple of decades and have laughed with tears in my eyes until I watched Dave Chapelle The Dreamer.
It left me with literal tears of disappointment. The funniest man in show business stooped to an all new low.
His comedy has been genius, timely, perfect, prophetic, at times tasteless and even offensive, but after about four minutes into The Dreamer, Chappelle’s latest Netflix standup, I found myself appalled, offended, disturbed and so disheartened. Disheartened at the notion that my opinion of my favorite funny man had possibly forever changed.
Could it be that I could be so turned off by Dave Chappelle to get to a point that I would be completely done? Is it that I am so appalled that I find myself here in this moment writing about the tasteless and offensive cracks in The Dreamer, absolutely nightmarish?
I never imagined a day I would not love Dave Chappelle. A legend of epic proportions. But I suppose even the greatest artist’s paint runs dry on the canvas.
When the Well Runs Dry
There is a point where you have spent decades telling so many incredible funny stories that you find yourself all out. And it is in that moment that your ego cannot just walk away.
You cannot just work on your craft and go a few years without another huge Netflix blockbuster, so you dig and you dig so deep that you excavate garbage from the very lows of the low.
And there you are on stage in front of thousands of spectators and millions of viewers at home, making fun of handicapped people, the most defenseless of people.
Punching Down Is Not Comedy
I do not like bullies because bullies pick on the little guys. Bullies pick on people who cannot defend themselves.
Bullies pick on people who have no say in the matter. It is not a fair matchup.
Go ahead. Pick on someone. But please, for the love of God, let him be your size so he can at the very least stand up for himself.
Picking on handicapped people in a manner reminiscent of Trump is no laughing matter, no matter how you slice it. Defending this sort of behavior says everything about you.
It is simply not funny. It evoked not even a chuckle out of me, but rather an absolutely ghastly sense of disturbing abhorrence.
I am sickened, disgusted, disturbed and appalled. Not funny, Dave Chappelle.
Where the Line Is Crossed
We are talking about people who, for a myriad of reasons, are struck by some sort of disability against their will. This is not a choice. It is an unfortunate happenstance, and no one should ever be made fun of for being plagued with a disability.
This is where we cross the line and go from funny to obnoxious.
I am so disappointed. Perhaps it is time to retire, because I assure you these jokes are not timeless. They are offensive, in poor taste, and will generate more backlash than even the greatest of the great will find hard to endure.
Perhaps Chappelle is in for a very rude awakening.
This new all time low seems hard to walk back.
For more from the blog check out this post one the legendary Jim Carey.
