TVSquad

It ran the "gamut." Nothing ran the "gambit." Gol darn it, Finley!

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"While I haven't seen the offending show and couldn't speculate on whether Prisnell is racist or just grossly misguided, I don't think this story is uncommon to younger people who try to venture into satire for the first time. His comparison to Chappelle's Show is spot on, but not for the reason he thinks. When Chappelle gets impolitic, it's to expose a deeper truth. Mockery of other people is not automatically made defensible by slapping a "satire" label on it. It may seem like an easy way to be cutting edge, but this particular form of comedy takes a more skilled hand than people realize. When it's done haphazardly and without forethought, people get angry, and rightfully so."

You say you haven't seen the show and then go on to state that the satire was incompetent and best left to professionals. For all you know the work of these guys might surpass that of Chappelle et al. There are people who get offended by the slightest thing.

Good on these guys for not being scared of making fun of race. We are far too sensitive about such things and I'm sick of it. If you can't take a bit of fun being poked at your race then you aren't very confident in who you are and it's your own problem.

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"There are people who get offended by the slightest thing. If you can't take a bit of fun being poked at your race then you aren't very confident in who you are..."

Mattjh, it's pretty clear that some race jokes are funny and some race jokes are just racist. The line between racism and satire can definitely be pushed (and to hilarious effect by Chappelle, South Park, et cetera) but it matters what the comedians' motives are.

Saying "White Power!" is not equally funny no matter who says it. It depends on whether it's a white supremacist, who harbors an inner desire to move all black people back to Africa, or Dave Chappelle, who is poking fun at racial stereotypes by mocking white supremacists.

There is a reason one laughs when Dave Chappelle makes jokes about white power and when one cringes when it's said by a white supremacist; Chappelle is mocking white supremacists, while white supremacists mean their comment in earnest.

Basically, there's a line between "satire" and "racism." The comment, "All Jews care about is money!" can be funny if it's said by someone who doesn't honestly believe this. "All Jews care about is money!" can be a satirical comment to address the larger issue of "Isn't it ridiculous that someone would think all Jews care about is money?"

But if someone honestly thinks all Jews care about is money, or Mexicans are lazy, or blacks are inferior, et cetera, then jokes to this effect AREN'T funny; they're racist, ignorant and insulting.

So if you play the "Oh, don't be so sensitive" card when an earnestly racist joke is told, remember that a line exists between good satire and bad taste. And if you don't see that line, then I think you're missing the whole point of what comedy really is.

Comedy isn't a mockery of certain people or groups; comedy is pointing out life's absurdities so that we can ultimately rectify those absurdities and change as a society.

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"There are people who get offended by the slightest thing. If you can't take a bit of fun being poked at your race then you aren't very confident in who you are..."

Mattjh, it's pretty clear that some race jokes are funny and some race jokes are just racist. The line between racism and satire can definitely be pushed (and to hilarious effect by Chappelle, South Park, et cetera) but it matters what the comedians' motives are.

Saying "White Power!" is not equally funny no matter who says it. It depends on whether it's a white supremacist, who harbors an inner desire to move all black people back to Africa, or Dave Chappelle, who is poking fun at racial stereotypes by mocking white supremacists.

There is a reason one laughs when Dave Chappelle makes jokes about white power and when one cringes when it's said by a white supremacist; Chappelle is mocking white supremacists, while white supremacists mean their comment in earnest.

Basically, there's a line between "satire" and "racism." The comment, "All Jews care about is money!" can be funny if it's said by someone who doesn't honestly believe this. "All Jews care about is money!" can be a satirical comment to address the larger issue of "Isn't it ridiculous that someone would think all Jews care about is money?"

But if someone honestly thinks all Jews care about is money, or Mexicans are lazy, or blacks are inferior, et cetera, then jokes to this effect AREN'T funny; they're racist, ignorant and insulting.

So if you play the "Oh, don't be so sensitive" card when an earnestly racist joke is told, remember that a line exists between good satire and bad taste. And if you don't see that line, then I think you're missing the whole point of what comedy really is.

Comedy isn't a mockery of certain people or groups; comedy is pointing out life's absurdities so that we can ultimately rectify those absurdities and change as a society.

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The problem is that if someone satires a race, but is not a member of that race, he or she is usually labelled racist without the accuser actually looking into the comedians intention. Chris Rock tells jokes about the black community that a white comedian, with the best of intentions, would be flogged for.

There is also a double standard as well. I mean the Wayans Brothers put out a comedy called White Chicks where they dress as women in whiteface, yet the PC police did not jump on that at all, outside of a relatively small amount of complainers. When Soul Man came out 20 years earlier, a movie mind you that did have a social message, it made the papers editorial pages and was pretty much a controversial picture, not for the message on affirmative action, but that a white actor was playing a black man.

If people are going to complain when comedians make fun of race, they better be prepared to be offended when all do, because non of us know what their true intentions are, yet we know that ALL of them are motivated by the publicity and potential fat paycheck it could bring.

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"There is also a double standard as well. I mean the Wayans Brothers put out a comedy called White Chicks where they dress as women in whiteface"

Exactly.

It's all in good fun. I went to school at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a guy was expelled from the college there for doing something very similar. He made a mock commercial for Nike or something and dressed up like Charles Barkley. There was no malicious intent and was just funny. I guess Universities just need someone to crucify once and a while to prove they are hard on racism.

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How can anyone compare The Dave Chappelle Show and movies to a Campus TV Show.Dave and others do not depend on College Students for their income. I will never think of the State of New York University the same again. Also if these guys want to poke fun at others, do it OFF Campus. Like Dave, Chris Rock and Others.These guys do not depend on Funding and Donations.

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