If Dave Chappelle is a genius, why does his comedy punch down on trans people?
A friend recently invited me to a Dave Chappelle performance in Yellow Springs, about an hour north of Cincinnati. I passed. I didn't know what his routine would be, but I knew what I didn't want to hear.
Chappelle is a masterful storyteller and one of the most talented comedians of our time. But his comedy increasingly leaves me uneasy − not because it's edgy, but because it too often reinforces the very prejudices it claims to poke fun at.
I first felt this discomfort when Chappelle made a name for himself joking about Black people in ways that gave license to racists. I watched White audience members laugh a little too hard at sketches that, while brilliantly crafted, seemed to permit them to enjoy stereotypes they weren't supposed to say out loud.
Chappelle himself later acknowledged this dynamic, and even walked away from a $50 million deal and his hit show on Comedy Central, "Chappelle's Show," when he saw people laughing with the characters instead of at the racism.
But in his recent stand-up, Chappelle has shifted his focus toward the LGBTQ+ community, especially transgender people, and I feel that same uneasiness again. Once more, I see people who likely hold deep biases laughing with a sense of vindication. "If Dave Chappelle can say it," they think, "so can I."
Opinion: Don't take Dave Chappelle down. Lift transgender voices up.
When the joke punches down, the harm hits hard
This isn't about being offended. It's about what comedy does. The best comedy punches up − it challenges power, exposes hypocrisy and speaks truth. But when it punches down, it can legitimize cruelty and reinforce systems of exclusion.
Opinion: Pride reminded me capitalism can't save us from Trump. Only we can do that.
Chappelle insists he's just telling the truth. But truth without compassion can sound a lot like contempt. When that contempt is aimed at groups already struggling to be seen and heard, it becomes more than a joke. It becomes part of the problem.
So no, I won't attend the show. I admire Chappelle's genius. But I can't pretend not to see the cost of his notoriety, especially when it's borne by the people who are already fighting to be treated with dignity.
We should all ask ourselves: When we laugh, who's hurting?
Dennis Doyle lives in Anderson Township and is a member of the Board of Contributors at the Cincinnati Enquirer, where this column originally appeared.
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