Some of you may not have known, but Dave Chappelle released a special about George Floyd's death called "8:46". Dave looks so different nowadays. He isn't as playful as he has gotten older. This special has nothing to do with comedy. He doesn't mock racism the way he has in the past. He doesn't mince words. I hope that old playful Dave returns before he gets too old. But I guess when you are raising young men who are at least part "Black", it can be kind of stressful to see law enforcement routinely disregarding the value of the lives of "Black" citizens. Well anyway, to the review;
This special seems to be just Dave on stage musing about the latest news, the protests, and police brutality.
He has some predefined goals however. It unfolds in this way.
1. The absolute cruelty and callousness of George Floyd's murder by a police officer.
2. Praise for the protests all around the world. The young folks are leaders of this movement.
3. He called out Don Lemon over a statement made about how Hollywood needs to be more vocal. But this isn't really something he is decisive about. He talks about how Hollywood should not be so vocal since it has failed so completely in speaking out on these types of issues. He may or may not be an exception. Since he has talked about racism forever. It is a central theme in his comedy. It is interesting to see him working this out on stage.
4. He simply dismisses all criticism of George Floyd. The point being, he did not deserve to be tortured and killed. Which is the point constantly being missed. As Dave says. . ."We did not choose George Floyd to be a hero. A racist cop chose George Floyd. He just happened to be the particular "Black" man killed on camera for everyone to see. "
5. Then he moves onto the most controversial part of the special. He talked about "Black" men on the police force and in the military who took the law into their own hands and started killing police officers. He talked about Chris Doner. He also mentioned the nine officers killed in Dallas.
Chris Doner's manifesto is here;
https://documents.latimes.com/christopher-dorner-manifesto/
It is here, where I sat up. Because he misses the point. Racists want a race war. He mentions Dylan Roof, but only to cite Roof's cruelty and the kindness the officers showed him afterwards. He does not understand what Roof's goal was. ROOF WENT TO A "BLACK" CHURCH PURPOSEFULLY. HE WANTED TO TARGET A GROUP OF "BLACK" PEOPLE TO MURDER THAT WOULD INCITE THE MOST RAGE IN THE "BLACK" COMMUNITY.
What Dave does not understand is that racists are counting on "Black" people to become violent. Our resident virulent racists stand ready to call out every instance of "Black" violence in response to police violence or to racial violence. They want to find that one incident of violence that will unite "White" people in the race war they have wanted since the Civil War. And I get angry too. I want to fight back too. I hate racists. I hate racism. I even told this to rioters in my neighborhood. We have to recognize when we are most effective at fighting against it. You have to analyze when racists are at their angriest.
A. Racists hate that we are multicultural. They figure the best way to destroy multiculturalism is to get us to hate "White" people as much as racists hate us. Even as racism has devastating effects on other communities, racists target "Black" people almost exclusively in any multicultural setting. Then they go back to rants on immigration, Asians killing americans with the virus, "muslims" committing terrorist attacks, etc.
B. Racists hate "Black" successes. So let us work with our community and with other communities and raise the level of "Black" achievement.
What Dave doesn't get is that racists just want chaos and disarray. We are all trying to talk about understanding one another and becoming one nation. Racists simply want to throw a wrench into that process and destroy it. And they will do anything to ensure this nation fails at its stated goal. They do not want isolation from "Black" people or multiculturalism. They want domination, even if that means they will be dominated too. Because they feel "good" about the supposed race that is in charge. Dave needs to understand the racial argument. Race is why Laura Ingraham can criticize Lebron James. Lebron James is arguably the greatest basketball player in history. He will be remembered centuries after he has passed away. And he has used his platform to change the lives of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people in a positive way. Laura Ingraham will be forgotten almost as soon as her show leaves television. Yet, because she feels she is "White", she can critique him. Race gives average people the ability to feel special even if on a personal basis they have achieved little.
I thought the special was excellent. In that Dave is raw. It isn't something that is prepared. He is going through his routine and it is extremely unpolished. But I wish this was more like an interview format with some scholar or professor who can break down to Dave about MLK and the effectiveness of the Civil Rights movement. Or someone who can help him analyze race, racism, and culture.
We can't change the hearts of racists. We can only ensure their behavior does not imperil lives, opportunities, and livelihood. Compassion is not something you can convince them of. They have adopted a belief system that is based upon basically becoming sociopaths.
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