Netflix has recently published Dave Chappelle’s sixth and final special called The Closer. As someone who has been a long time Chappelle fan, from his early work on Chappelle’s Show all the way to his brief appearance as Noodles in the blockbuster hit A Star Is Born, I have always found his comedy style to be on par to what I would describe as insanely genius. I always admired his subversive style and acerbic delivery. He is a comedian that delivers an uppercut when it comes to a punch line. That being said, some of his punches in his latest special did not land as well as I thought I would. For much of his special he fixated on trans issues which I found to be quite odd. A huge chunk of the special was dedicated to what has been labeled a transphobic diatribe. Because of this transphobia, I felt that I would be remiss as a sex educator and fellow funny person if I didn’t address this.

Despite the live audience uproariously laughing at his jokes, some of them did not sit well with me. My gut reaction when he told some of those missed jokes was to resort to outrage and “cancellation” which I have described as absolute nonsense. After years of therapy, I can say that I have the ability to come to these emotions, not with a sense of forthright reaction, but rather with a cautious curiosity and careful interrogation. This kind of attitude has helped me leave my echo chamber and constantly unlearn my unconscious confirmation bias. I just can’t deal with complicity anymore. I have this deep craving for asking questions, not to stir the pot, but to seek information that aims to make me think outside of what I’m used to. I mean, for fuck’s sake, one of my best friends is an escort whose political stance is diametrically opposite to mine; I’m left-leaning, he’s right-leaning. Even though we disagree on a few certain topics, we manage to find the time to put our differences aside and fuck each other’s brains out from sundown to sunrise. Yes, we’re friends with benefits. But I digress.

I wanted to know why I felt the things I felt after watching his special. Needless to say that I went down a spiral of questions which have yet to be answered. I aim to write this blog post, not to be a devil’s advocate or pick sides, but to initiate thoughtful and critical conversation from all possible sides as my curious nature is wont to do. I have tried my best to organize my thoughts in a way that I feel makes sense to me, so as you read this it may jump all over the place. Probably because I’m high as a kite writing this. Before we dissect the dark recesses of my psyche, let’s look at some of the highlights (and some lowlights) of the special. I took these pictures with my phone so forgive me for the poor quality.

On the subject of “Can gay people be racist?” where Chappelle talks about how a white gay called 911 on him because of he raised his voice.

I agree with this statement. As a gay Asian man, I have received my fair share of racism from white gays. The thing with white gays is that they’re able to hide their gayness and use it only when it’s to their advantage (read: sex), but they are born in a world of privilege simply because of the color (or lack thereof) of their skin which they will not hesitate to exploit should a situation call for it.

On the Me Too movement and it's effectiveness.

I can’t criticize a movement that doesn’t personally affect me as I am not the gatekeeper of that group’s struggle. I’m not exactly sure why he talked about this. But what I will agree with is how I also believe the movement prioritizes rich white women and questioning just how helpful is a pussy hat in advancing the equal treatment of women.

On trans and Black issues.

This really didn’t sit well with me for a few reasons. I believe we can talk about trans issues without blatant misgendering. Why is it easier for Caitlyn Jenner to change her gender… I believe you can talk about trans and Black issues together without it being a game of Oppression Olympics. These are two issues that should be tackled but never pitted against each other. That said, he does make a valid point. According to USA Today Cassius Clay, better known as famous boxer Muhammad Ali, never legally changed his name until 1964 because a name change required a court decree. The official website of the U.S. Department of State — Bureau of Consular Affairs states that there is no need to show medical certification to change your gender marker.

Honestly just cancel him for these statements. You can’t call yourself a feminist and declare yourself Team TERF. Also fuck Caitlyn Jenner. She’s absolutely not a wonderful person, and I bet her personality is as fake as her cheap wig.

On empathy.

Just when he really lost me, he brings me back again with this poignant thought. He’s absolutely right. Empathy needs to go both ways. This is funny coming from the guy who literally made a huge portion of his special a transphobic rant. What I’m getting from this is that he’s no longer going to make jokes at the queer community’s expense unless both parties, him and queer folks, are on the same side. Which is a fair thing to say. Everybody needs to be in on the joke in order for it to be funny.

Closing remarks.

This was where he lost me again. How do you have the gall to play the victim card when queer people asked you the same thing?

After that long dissection, let’s go in my brain. To reiterate, I’m not here to take sides. I want to remove myself from an echo chamber yet stand by what I believe in. I am asking genuine questions that I want answered from different perspectives. I want thoughtful and intelligent criticism of art because the damage that this special has inflicted has already been done, and this is the only way I know how to move forward and recover.

Comedy

Comedy is an art form, and I believe the purpose of art is to stimulate thought and conversation. I believe that art has meaning when the consumer is able to take away something meaningful, be it negative or positive, after engaging in said art. I understand the importance of comedy in today’s zeitgeist. It can be a tool to heal or it can be a tool to harm depending on how it’s used. I also believe that if we try to police comedy, this gets us nowhere and is not the activism we think it is. I use comedy to stomp down on things that make me insecure because I believe that laughing at something takes its power away from it so that we can have control again. I modeled my own comedy style after him where I believe in being an equal opportunity offender. I can and will make fun of you because I think the things you say and the things you do are fucking stupid. Comedy is subjective and is always up for interpretation. I acknowledge the risk that I take if I’m going to make a joke. My jokes can — and will — offend some people. I believe that my style of comedy is similar to Chappelle, but never at the expense of someone’s personhood. I’m not one to make fun of a person’s race or gender or anything fundamental about a human being. What I will make fun of is how you walked in to traffic trying to take a selfie like a goddamn idiot.

After watching the special above, I’m at a crossroads. Chappelle did say some very egregious statements which does not bear repeating, but he also made some good points about gay racists and empathy. Even though he did say some awful shit, does that negate good things he has done? Does his transphobia invalidate his points about gay racism? I watched this special at least three times, each with a different mindset. Each time, I found myself enjoying it. So are we allowed to enjoy things even if they are problematic? And if we do, what does that say about us?

I also found myself questioning Chappelle the person and Chappelle the performer. He made statements on empathy and, in the same breath, remarked on the authenticity of a trans person’s genitals. I’m not exactly sure if this is Chappelle or Chappelle. Are we allowed to separate the human behind the mic from the on-stage persona under the spotlight? Do we continue to support the artist and their art even after the damage hoping that one day the damage could be forgotten?

Queer Outrage

I believe that we queer people have a special quality about us. We are able to walk through this world with a sense of pride due to the adversity we have, and continue to, overcome. Our identities are molded in resiliency. I believe it is because of this resiliency that makes us want the best for our queer siblings. So when we see trans folks react so strongly to this special, we stand by them because of this deep need to want the best for our tribe. When other people dismiss their concerns with “Get a sense of humour. You can’t take a joke,” it does raise a question: are we really fighting for something that matters? Are we too sensitive? I look back at our queer elders who literally put their lives on the line to fight for equality. Some are losing their battles today due to illness or violence. I’m not saying that we should be dying to make a point about our freedom. What I’m asking is, because we no longer have to put our lives on the line in 21st century Western society, have we become soft? Are we now overly sensitive to things that shouldn’t really matter? Is the misgendering of a person as big of a deal as we make it out to be? Are we prioritizing a person’s feelings rather than the person themselves?

I have read the forums and the Twitter threads from different people. The consensus is that this special is indeed transphobic. As a cis-man I am in no place to call when something is and isn’t transphobic, so I believe that I don’t really have a say in whether or not the special perpetuates transphobia. I have seen some social media accounts from other trans people who disagree with its transphobia. I believe that people are not a monolith which is why it’s interesting to see people within the trans community disagree. In the special, Chappelle talks about his trans friend, Daphne Dorman. Dorman was a comedian who laughed along with Chappelle’s jokes about trans people. She went on Twitter to defend Chappelle as his mentor. As is the caring nature of the internet, Dorman was met with extreme vitriol and indignation from her fellow trans people. In 2019, Chappelle released his Sticks and Stones special. It was in that special he gave a shoutout to Daphne. Sadly it was at that same year where Daphne passed away by suicide. Personally I found Chappelle’s retelling of this story to be quite tasteless especially after a transphobic rant because I found this to be akin to a racist white person saying they have a Black friend. Regardless, I hope that Daphne is in a better place.

When the target of a joke is a group of people, there is a small amount of people that are in on the joke and will simply brush it off as a joke. The larger percentage of those people will take offense to that, and a disagreement happens. So who gets to say how our outrage should be directed? Should the voice of the few be drowned out by the voice of the many? How then should perceived offense and harm be handled when not everyone agrees?

Moving Forward

I stand by my belief in the nonexistence of cancel culture. You cannot cancel a person simply by skipping their content. I would go so far as to say that “cancellation” has now become an effective marketing tool because bad press is still press which spreads like wildfire. Cancellation of something will probably do the exact opposite of what it aims to do. So knowing that the inevitable dissemination of this horrible content is going to happen, how then do we move forward with this wildfire? If we’re seeking justice in the form of punishment, what does that punishment look like? How long do we punish the offender until all is well? If we’re seeking justice in the form of retribution, what would that look like? Is it an Instagram apology meant to stay on their feed forever? And is that the new framework for how we should be holding public figures accountable? How long would the accountability process take until we the public can let it slide and all is forgiven?

Final Thoughts and Stray Observations

I know that Chappelle repeatedly, with a facetious tone, says that he’s transphobic in the special. Whether or not he really means it is up to interpretation, mostly due to his delivery of those lines. I know he’s not going to outright be violent to a trans person because I don’t think he’s consciously malicious. But given the platform that he has and the good things he’s done in the world of comedy, is he allowed to say hurtful things on stage but do the exact opposite when off stage? Can your stage persona be racist while your human persona donates to a local BLM organization? Does one negate the other?

Comedy and our sense of humor evolve over time. People grow and people change. Art is reflective of society, and society is reflective of its art. I think that’s why we’re more able to think critically and consume our art ethically which is why I believe we’re able to have more open conversation about issues like the Chappelle special. Because we have this ability to grow and mature and think critically, it’s so disappointing to see Chappelle retreat to such cheap jokes at trans people because it’s like hearing your dad born in the 50s make a joke about how women should stay in the kitchen. It’s old, it’s tacky, it’s just not cute. I feel that Chappelle is stuck in the humor of his time where the t-slur and the r-slur were widespread in media. He’s not responsible for his upbringing, but I do believe he’s responsible for taking some form of accountability for the harm this has caused, whatever that accountability looks like. And I do believe that he’s responsible for his own learning rather than loving the notion of him being cancelled.

I believe the responsibility is on all of us to challenge the way we think and the way we see the world and to listen to views that we don’t necessarily agree with. I will refer you back to me, an agnostic socialist, sleeping with my friend, a Christian conservative escort. It is our responsibility to ourselves and the people around us to interrogate and examine the current ways we think and why we’re so nervous and fearful of change. We cannot just resort to insults and cheap jokes because we’re comfortable in what we believe to be true because complicity is not the way we move forward as a society. I know Chappelle wants to leave this world a better place than when he entered it. That’s apparent in his statement on empathy. But in order for us to leave this world better for generations to come, we have to change and challenge the structures set before us. We have to think critically, consume ethically, ask inquisitively, and learn fearlessly.

Also it wouldn’t hurt to have an orgy once in a while. Peace and love for all, right?