Let's just rip the band aid off: the new Dave Chappelle special isn't funny.
"Ugh. (Insert eye roll) You're the same guy that didn't like the new Beauty and the Beast. Whatever." Hear me out...
If you don't know me well, you should know I can get down with a dark sense of humor. I like to push the limit with humor. Some of the best jokes are irreverent, so don't think I am some kind of prude.
Also, I am HUGE Dave Chappelle fan. Chappelle's Show is one of my favorite shows of all time. I bought all the DVD's. I can still watch any of those episodes (well, season 1 or 2 at least) and laugh my ass off.
I supported him through his "melt down". While everyone was saying he was "crazy" and his career over, I still had his back. I also paid good money to go see Chappelle live in Phoenix 2 year. While I thought his set was a little outdated and lazy, still lots of laughs.
So, I am sure you guess my excitement when I heard that he had a brand new stand up special on Netflix. I have literally been counting down the days. All I could think about yesterday was how excited I was to go home and watch it!
Maybe I was tired last night, maybe it's just a sign of the times and I am a more sensitive to some topics than I used to be. But I don't find making fun of gay people amusing. Nor jokes about transgender people, or jokes about rape.
And while Chappelle came in strong with his funny view on race and sex, some of his jokes just came off plain offensive. A few examples for those that haven't watched the special yet:
- Chappelle says he has an idea for the first gay superhero movie "Same Hero, New Boot". In Chappelle's mind, this hero had to wear high heels because, well, he was gay. And the way to activate his powers were to rape women.
- While he never came out and said "WTF", Chappelle's tone about Caitlyn Jenner transformation was nothing less than disgraceful.
I only watched about half before I fell asleep, but I may have only laughed once or twice while watching. I woke up this morning with a sense of disappointment. If you're truly funny, which Dave Chappelle is, you don't have to pick on those that have spent their whole life being picked on. There's enough of that out there.
Kramer