Sticks and Stones (Thoughts and Opinions)

Laughing crowd starts to

Turn away with bitter taste

Controversy starts

• So, I recently watched Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special “Stick and Stones” and I thought it was great, but before I go into it I want do a quick recap on Dave Chappelle since he made a resurgence on the comedy scene a few years back with now five specials in the last two years! If you’re weren’t living under a rock for the last fifteen years you’ve most likely seen the Chappelle’s show or have seen the cult classic film he stared in Half Baked. During the late 90’s to mid 2000’s Dave Chappelle was a household name in the Hollywood comedy scene. Anyways, to his comedy special Sticks and Stones. I enjoyed it from the beginning because with most comedians especially Dave Chappelle he hits the ground running and began going off with his blunt humor. No one was safe from the “Alphabet people” the nickname he gave to the LGBTQ community who took offense to his jokes especially transgenders who’ve been one of the targets for his jokes in this and the last special he’s done. In regards to that, not to long ago Kevin Hart had a tweet that came to surface that was tweeted years back where he used the word, F**got in it. The LGBTQ community came for Kevin Hart’s throat and wouldn’t let go until Hart had to explain and apologize for his actions that happened a decade ago. And Chappelle references this as he makes his way into talking about the “Alphabet people”. In addition, Chappelle states during his special that during his time on the Chappelle’s show he had a sketch that used the word F**got in it, and Standards and Practices who govern what can and not be said on television asked him to change it because it would offend the LGBTQ community. This confused him because he used the word Ni**er or Nigga in his sketches regularly. The answer he told her caused the audience to go into an applause. The reason he couldn’t use it on the show was because they told him since he wasn’t gay he couldn’t use that word. He said to that ” Well I’m not a Ni**er either. It’s better to hear him tell the joke than me presenting it here so you can get the full understanding on it. I digress, I’m not going further into what he said in his special because you’re going to have to watch it for yourself, but what I will say is this. Look, people will criticize and be offended when it comes to an art form like comedy, but not everyone will see it the same way you or I do because everything in any art form is subjective. Having said that, if you’ve watched or went to one of his shows and got offended by what he said or has said in the past, simply don’t watch, stop watching if your in the middle of it or don’t see him live, because you know his work and what you were getting yourself into. We truly do live in the age or outrage where we have individuals or organizations policing what comedians say on stage. And if freedom of speech is indeed the first amendment we adhere to, then putting limitations on what one can say or not say will become dangerous in terms of it creating a spiral of controversy. They might even try to sabotage him from being nominated and receive another Grammy award for best comedy album. In conclusion, I look forward to Dave Chappelle’s future work because in my opinion he is one of the greatest comedians of all time, possibly top five, well he’s in my top five for sure and on the Mount Rushmore of legendary comedians. Sound off if you have any comments or like this post. I’m Out. All Peace