Dave Chappelle vs. Jesse Jackson

Aside from a new $50 million contract, what does Dave Chappelle have that Jesse Jackson does not? The answer, Mr. Jackson will regret hearing, is a reason for black youth to value his opinion.

Since "Chappelle's Show" debuted two years ago, the comedian has become a ubiquitous American pop presence. Known for skits that regularly break comedic boundaries, Chappelle, like his thematic predecessor Chris Rock, is celebrated for lampooning any subject, regardless of its position in the sphere of P.C. protection. Whites, blacks, Asians, George Bush, Bill Clinton, even Kunta Kinte -- nothing's considered sacred.

So-called "black leaders" have been mostly mum on Chappelle's rise. Clearly, he has placed them in the awkward bind of having either to celebrate another black success story, or, condemn his affection for using the n-word and otherwise not considering black culture beyond reproach.

"I look at it like the 'nigger' used to be a word of oppression," explains Chappelle. "But that when I say it, it feels more like an act of freedom for me to be able to say that unapologetically on television."

"The Chappelle's Show Season One DVD uses the N-word over 100 times," they told me. "That's more than enough already, but, unfortunately, that's still only part of the problem. His sketches routinely highlight blacks negatively and the punchline is always an insult to blacks."

Chappelle's attitude toward race issues seems to be that while lingering forms of racism exist, they serve more realistically as fodder for comedians than as reasons for social revolution.

He says, "I still think people do have racial hang-ups, but I think one of the reasons I can joke about it is people are shedding those racial hatreds." It's hard to picture him rehashing the Jackson-Sharpton refrain that racist America anchors the potential of black youth.

As a comic, Dave Chappelle is not bound by the fetters that constrain and control other prominent figures. The traditional black empowerment movement, on the other hand, is so fossilized that competing facts or revelations are ignored. As Jesse Jackson and company are the de facto African-America government handout lobbying alliance, their business booms when (and if) conditions worsen. Thus, the movement sadly amounts to a doctrine of victimization.

At some point even the most ardent Jackson acolyte must realize that people cannot build a future based on failure. Under the current malady-for-profit stratagem, the payoff comes from a race to the bottom, profiting off vices, not virtues. This reality is masked by the virulence of many black leaders' rhetoric. To listen to Jesse Jackson, one gathers that black America is fighting for its life, fending off a Caucasian racial offensive.

Just consider what Jackson has said this past year: He's called the Bush administration's distribution of a medicine with uncertain side effects to AIDs-inflicted, pregnant Africans a "crime against humanit;" he's accused Republicans of endeavoring to disenfranchise black voters in Ohio and likewise conspiring with the Supreme Court to do the same in the 2000 election; and he's accused institutions such as Wal-Mart and the NCAA of racism.

Even if Jackson succeeds occasionally in diagnosing a case of actual racism, his prescriptions fail utterly. Reparations, lawsuits, clampdowns on "insensitive" speech, and government handouts rarely solve anything. No matter: Jackson insists that blacks should be rewarded for the suffering of their forefathers; blacks shouldn't have to perform as well to get into college; nor should blacks feel badly or even responsible about being disproportionately represented in prison populations -- because, of course, society is racist, the system is corrupt.

Fortunately, not everyone has the luxury to wait for government to make them rich. Some simply do it themselves. After all, in the wealthiest country in the world, there is every incentive to bump elbows and, to use hip-hop lexicon, chase that coin.

At the end of every episode of "Chappelle's Show" the host is pictured, hands chained together and with large folds of money in each; the voiceover yells, "I'm rich, b---h!" I take this to mean that he's thrown himself into corporate America's game --and its rules, hence the shackles -- but his smug smile and his handfuls of $100 bills suggest he's happy things have worked out. (A true capitalist, he is the only person to do ads for both Coke and Pepsi.) Incidentally, the "rich b---h!" voiceover comes from the segment in which Chappelle, as a white-faced newscaster, describes the scene the day black America is given a trillion dollars in reparations checks.

This skit, like many of his others, uses comedy to bring attention to the blights of black communities.

Upon receiving the checks, there are long lines at liquor stores; Cadillac Escalades, gold and "chicken" are, according to the Wall Street correspondent, posting huge gains. Chappelle is making an unsubtle point that a powerful current in black culture glorifies transient material gains over long-term financial savings and security.

Self-criticism, according to Martin Luther King Jr., is the "highest form of maturity." Yet few of today's prominent black leaders are capable of conceding blacks are doing anything wrong. The victim, according to the doctrine, cannot, by definition, bear responsibility for his indentured status. As such, comedians like Chappelle and Chris Rock, and lonely voices like Bill Cosby's, must pick up the responsibility for being honest brokers, communicating the realities of black communities.

Chappelle's criticisms are balanced through the promotion of positive talents. This is seen primarily in his choice of musical acts. Rather than bow at the altar of pop orthodoxy, he selects hip-hop acts renowned for their innate talents as emcees, lyricists, musicians and live performers. Rather than the gun-toting bubblegum rap of MTV -- Jadakiss, Nelly, Lil Jon -- viewers are treated to more thoughtful and more musical acts, like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Questlove (of The Roots), Common, and Erykah Badu.

When you watch Dave Chappelle, his strong values shine forth. In his recent Showtime special, "For What It's Worth," he relays the positive message he tells students when he speaks at inner-city high school graduations.

The message is: "You have to work hard, study, stay focused ... or learn how to play basketball or rap or some sh-t!"

It is striking that in the year 2005, Chappelle's honest, hard-hitting comedy remains a more reliable window into the pros, cons, ups and downs, possibilities and hindrances of black communities than black leadership in Washington.

Chapelle was the equivalent of Sammy Farhah - he had a big afro and an unlit cigarette (like Sammy)

He played the same character for a skit based on the house swapping TV show in which a white family switched dads with a black funny. It was hillarious.

The takeoff on Sesame Street that aired last night was great as well - Sesame Street in the hood, with half the muppets stoned on crack and the Grouch singing a song about how depressing his life was.

Sometimes, I regret not owning a television set.

Then have I got good news for you! You can download 'em off the Net.

I was shocked a few weeks ago, while watching 'Nutty Professor', that Chapelle plays the obnoxious comedian at the club...the place where Professor Klump gets ripped apart, and where Buddy Love comes back and rips the comedian. I can't believe that was Chappelle.

To answer your question I say he is.

He is not biased in his critiques. He is helping to shed more black stereotypes than anyone...by making fun of them.

First off, he is questioning everyones pre concieved notions, including the black community.

I think he is a genius. He makes fun of hard core racists and hard core 'black' stuff all at the same time.

"I plead the fif!"

Seriously, who in their right mind would go into Congress talking like that? No one! He is encouraging people to be themselves but to also be respectable.

When you get to the point where race and racism become widely acceptable comic fodder, you are only one more generation away from it dying off completely.

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