So...the Dave Chappelle special is the source of a lot of controversy, and I was gonna flat out ignore it, in part because 1) I dont care about SJW drama and 2) I don't have netflix, but then after an SJW friend was screeching about it and talked about reading the transcripts to see what it said without patronizing it, I decided to read the transcript. And the transcript got me thinking about discussing some deeper subjects I want to touch on regarding freedom of expression, so I decided to do it.
So let's get it out of the way. Yes, it's offensive. And yes, it "punches down", in the sense that it criticizes and makes fun of underprivileged groups. I mean, with the link above, yeah, viewer discretion is advised, because MAN there's a lot of slurs and offensive stuff there.
However, the people screaming about it simply because it's offensive seem to be missing some of the major points it was trying to make, which was really just picking fun at SJW and outrage culture in general. Sure, it was offensive, but it's art and self expression, and even more, the whole thing makes valid political points about our time. That said, I will be quoting a few things I think people are missing with this thing.
Do you see where I am going with this? In our country, you can shoot and kill a (n word) but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings. [laughter] And this is precisely the disparity I wish to discuss. I have a question for the audience and this is a real question, I am not joking around. Is it possible, that a gay person can be racist? [audience] Yes! Yeah!
This seems to be the crux of the entire show and the main point Chappelle is trying to make about this whole show. He especially levels a fairly below the belt attack on gay people shortly before this, making light of the AIDS crisis, and then he basically turns around and says this. Chappelle isn't being offensive for the purpose of attacking gay people. He's trying to point out about how there's all of this systemic violence against black people, but then gay people get offended when you simply MAKE FUN of them. Clearly one kind of behavior is worse than the other, and that's the point Chappelle is trying to point out, that instead of hand wringing over how offended you are over stuff, such as his comedy, you should be more offended by all of the violence against black people.
Now, in a lot of ways, Chappelle does this through the whole show. He's black, and he kind of does his black thing, and everything he says is from an obviously black perspective, and to some extent, as a white dude, I kind of find another level of parody here, which boils down to self parody. You see, all these people aren't on the same side. You got the black community going at it with the gay community and white feminism, and white feminism going at it with trans people and black people, and all of these groups all devolve into their little tribalistic cliques all claiming to be the most oppressed, and getting into suffering olympics with each other.
And as a white dude who is educated on critical theory, here's my perspective, you're all right, but you're all wrong. Like, critical theory is valid. And black people, women, the LGBT+ community all face problems that come from not being part of the most privileged group. But at the same time, these guys all display victimhood complexes that end up coming off as insufferably self righteous to anyone outside of their group. And eventually, these groups clash and start eating each other. I don't think this was an intentional lesson of Chappelle's show, but it was kind of satisfying to watch. Black people having it worse doesn't mean treating gay people poorly is justified, and likewise, Chappelle still has a point about how being made fun of isn't as bad as dying. Either way it just comes off to me as tribalism that basically points to the absurdity of SJWism in general, and this is a huge reason why as a white dude, I try to avoid getting into these spats. I don't think arguing over who has it worse really gets us anywhere. I'd rather argue about how we can all improve our lives. But that's the downfall of SJWism, SJWs DO NOT DO THAT.
To be fair, he might have intended to do this. Because he poked fun at all of these other groups, like feminism, and the LGBT+ community, while at the same time not being opposed to their goals. He just hated how people got in his face all the time with their crap, and he ends up throwing down with them as a result.
Now, to be fair, this wasn't the biggest thing that Chappelle was criticized for, what he was really ripped on was his views on transgenderism, since he's not really accommodating to that stance.
I’m team TERF. I agree. I agree, man. Gender is a fact. You have to look at it from a woman’s perspective. Look at it like this, Caitlyn Jenner whom I have met, wonderful person. Caitlyn Jenner… was voted, woman of the year. Her first year as a woman. Ain’t that something? Beat every (b word) in Detroit. She’s better than all of you. [laughter] Never even had a period, ain’t that something? [laughter] I’d be mad as shit if I was a woman. I’d be mad if I was me. If I was in the BET awards, sitting there and they’re like “And the winner for (n word) of the year… Eminem.” My man. [audience laughs] Gender is a fact, this is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. That is a fact. [laughter] Now… I am not saying that to say, that trans women aren’t women. I’m just sayin, that those pussies that they got… You know what I mean?
I’m not saying it is not pussy, but that’s like Beyond Pussy or Impossible Pussy. You know what I mean? It tastes like pussy but that’s not quite what it is, is it? It’s not blood, that is beet juice. [laughter] Oh buddy, I’m in trouble now.
And all things considered this is probably the worst thing he said.
The real question is...is he even wrong? I'm going to be honest, I actually understand his point and agree with it.
Here's how I look at the transgender issue. We are born male or female. However, sometimes as we grow older wires cross or something where some people see themselves as not the sex they were born as, but the other one. Now, a lot of people, especially on the right, are going to see this as "wrong". But, having evolved to be accepting of people of alternative sexualities and the like, I see nothing wrong with transgenderism. I mean, does transgenderism hurt anyone? No. So, I do believe that if you aren't comfortable with your gender and experience gender dysphoria, you can change it. And it's none of my business what you do. It's your life, make your own decisions.
However, let's keep in mind what it is, transgender, not transsex. Sex is whether you're physically male or female. Gender is more related to identity, masculine or feminine. I do believe that you can be born male, and you can transition to being female and identifying as a woman. But...let's be honest, you're still you, and your body is still one born male. It still has Y chromosomes, it can't necessarily have kids. But, you got some surgeries that turned your outie into an innie, and we really have to say, are you REALLY a woman now? Well, yes and no. You're no longer really male in my opinion, but you're not really the same as a born female. I think Chappelle's "Beyond Pussy" is an appropriate comparison. It's an imitation, but it's not the real thing. You can change your gender, but you can never fully change your sex IMO.
The real question is, does it matter? Most of the time no. I mean, when we say trans women are real women, it's a bit of a white lie so to speak. You see, gender dysphoria is a legitimate mental disorder, and one of the treatments can be changing your gender. And often times it is very comforting to trans people to affirm their identities, and to play along for social interaction's sake to not offend them and make them feel good about themselves. They might wanna be called "she" instead of "he", and you should, generally speaking abide by that if asked. However, let's be honest, this is more a white lie for their own benefit, that sometimes the SJWs take way too far. Because their perspective isn't reality. It's about their own little circlejerk. In their desire for "acceptance", they deny reality and go all in with the "white lie" and start attacking anyone who states the obvious.
Now, how often does stating the obvious have to come up? Not often. And I think the right wingers who get in trans peoples' faces and INSIST that they're their birth gender are kind of jerks. You don't do that. It's not really socially acceptable and you seem like a crass jerk if you do. But at the same time, those people aren't wrong, they're just jerks. it's like running into a church and screaming god isn't real. You don't do that. It doesn't matter whether you're correct or not, sometimes social tact is more important.
But at the same time, the SJWs take the "social' aspects too far. Again, a big axe to grind I have on this subject is being told I'm bad for not wanting to sleep with a trans person. After all, all trans women are real women, right? Well, that's the thing. Are they? Like, push comes to shove, are they REALLY? I'd argue no.
But, obviously the cases in which that subject actually comes up are going to be very rare. Most of the time, liberal social performative circlejerking is probably better. Because honestly, systematically denying a trans person's desire identity can cause severe mental issues and cause them to want to off themselves. And that's bad too.
That said, where do I really stand here? Well, for the most part, my ideas aren't much different than a typical liberal's on this subject. I'm generally speaking "pro trans rights", in the sense that as a libertarian I believe they have a right to pursue their own happiness. But factually? Nah, I kind of do have slightly more conservative beliefs here. I don't generally consider stating such facts to be socially appropriate in most situations, but that's what I believe. In practice, my views are going to functionally be on the left most of the time though.
But to go back to Dave Chappelle here. Chappelle is basically being ripped for this. For stating the obvious. I don't think he was wrong. And I don't think it's necessarily wrong to express this in a standup environment. Even more so, Chappelle seemed to not be all that dissimilar from me. He basically seemed to be trying to protect peoples' identities, not attack them, not make a scene, not out them, in the real world. he told stories about how people went after him for expressing anti trans views, but at the end of the day, he seemed to be more in the whole "whatever dude, your life aint up to me."
You see, the real right aren't the people like me, or Chappelle, who are comparing trans genitalia to "I can't believe it's not butter". The real enemy on the right are the fundie christians and the fascists who want to control peoples' behavior. When I was a kid, gay people my age would be sent to reeducation camps. And I'm sure trans people face the same difficulties. And that's wrong. people shouldnt be afraid to express their preferred gender and live as they want. That doesn't mean everyone is going to affirm it and go along with the "white lie" as I like to call it, but as long as people aren't trying to deny you your rights, in my eyes they're not bad people. because that's what the right tries to do. To be on the right, in terms of transgenderism, it goes a lot further than denying the gospel that "trans women are real women", it goes to the point of saying that trans women shouldn't be allowed to use their preferred bathroom, that they shouldnt be allowed to change their gender, and that they deserve your scorn and hatred. Again, most of the time, you probably should be going along with the white lie. And for me, an autistic person, to have to lecture people about avoiding being blunt to avoid hurting someone's feelings, is just...wow. I mean, if I can do it, at least somewhat, so can you.
And I think Dave Chappelle would agree. A few more quotes worth posting:
And the hardest thing for a person to do is go against their tribe if they disagree with their tribe, but Daphne did that for me. She wrote a tweet that was very beautiful and what she said was and it is almost exactly what she said. She said, “Punching down on someone, requires you to think less of them and I know him, and he doesn’t. He doesn’t punch up, he doesn’t punch down he punches lines, and he is a master at his craft.” That’s what she said.
This was in response to a trans person he was friends with. Yeah, Dave Chappelle has trans friends. And I know having X friends doesn't go far in the SJW world as they're more centered around dogma, but he was basically pointing to the fact that he humanizes and befriends anyone, including the trans.
Empathy is not gay. Empathy is not Black. Empathy is bi-sexual. It must go both ways. It must go both ways.
Yep, this seems to be the point of his entire show.
And this one was a clear jab against cancelling people.
Remember, taking a man’s livelihood is akin to killing him. I’m begging you, please do not abort DaBaby.
Yep.
But yeah. Here's how I feel about this dude's whole show. This dude was ripping the left hard. And while much of his show was offensive, it was so intentionally. It was an example of subversive art. It's a lot like when I was an atheist and I liked those memes on r/atheism that talked about zombie Jesus and drawings of Muhammad and the like. The point of such humor is to break social norms. Not all social norms are good. Many are bad. SJW social norms are a mixed bag. I believe they mean well, but sometimes they go WAY too far with the moral policing. And Chapelle's show seemed to be aimed at opposing that. Of course his show was offensive. That's the point. He wasn't doing it to be mean spirited, he was doing it to take the sanctity out of the SJWs' moral system. By breaking every rule in the book, he disrespects that moral system, and that's what his show was about, disrespecting that system. The dude seems tolerant toward everyone. But he's not necessarily respectful in the face of people who demand undue respect and try to censor him and punish him for not conforming to their rules. SJWs love to exert power over people, to punish them for breaking their rules. And sometimes you need people like Chapelle to stand up to them.
That said, I have to say, I like his show, and agree with it. I kind of believe that this stuff is a bit absurd these days, and yeah sometimes we need a stand up comedian to just rip everyone regardless of how offensive it is. maybe the moral policers and the hand wringers won't like it, but eh, screw them.
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