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There’s a new Chris Rock Netflix special called—brilliantly—‘Selective Outrage.’ It reminded me of course of Dave Chappelle’s recent Netflix special, ‘The Closer.’
I think it tells us something important that the two most famous black comedians—seemingly on Earth—are anti-Woke and critical of identity politics. If you haven’t seen the Chappelle special, watch it. He covers race, gender, trans, etc. Chappelle makes fun—deservedly—of white people’s obsession with tokenizing black people and, as always, making it about…white people. The trans absurdism has now trampled over even racial identity politics. How do white people always end up ahead? Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.
Rock makes fun of the culture of victimhood, especially when coming from white people. A culture of ‘paper cuts,’ he says. He laughs about white wokies and their incessant need to virtue signal (‘non-racist’ Lululemon yoga pants for example), and mocked Meghan Markle for whining about racism when it was really just run-of-the-mill family in-law obnoxiousness. He makes it clear that big corporations don’t give a crap about racism; they’re looking out for bottom lines.
Both the Chappelle and Rock shows have another thing in common: They lose some comedic ground in favor of narrative storytelling. In other words: They’re less funny overall, in favor of ranting about pop culture war stuff.
Yet it needs to be said.
I can’t help thinking: If the two most famous black comedians are critical of Wokeism, cancel culture, hypersensitivity, antiracism, white saviorism, identity politics: Isn’t this telling us something? Rock’s special was filmed in Baltimore. Much of the audience when it appeared in camera were black. When he mocked white Wokeism: they were mostly nodding vigorously.
"Woke" has long been co-opted from it's original meaning by white mainstream which centres it on themselves and their feelings. So I wouldn't be surprised if he was poking fun at it. But concluding that, as a black man, he is against anti-racism is doubtful... unless it is the mainstream meaning as in " well I can't possibly be racist because I'm not a mean person and I am Progressive and I get it - and I don't see race, or colour, therefore I am an "anti-racist" etc.etc. Which ironically indicates the complete opposite.
kareem just drew attention to that rock show yet other commenters in his thread weren't so thrilled if i can squeeze it around march madness i will and come back with own review thnx
ps marquette is gonna make the final and lose to gonzaga heh