Standing Up for Dave Chappelle

“Comedy is one of the world’s oldest arts because it appeals to our common, imperfect humanity: we all have flaws, and the best thing we can do about such a tragedy is to laugh about it.”

You can call Dave Chappelle “cruel,” “egocentric,” or even accuse of him of having “an unmistakable ring of homophobia,” but at least you can’t call him “late for controversy.” This time the controversy surrounds his latest Netflix special Sticks & Stones, which was released last month.

The “Top Critics” on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, most of whom had enjoyed Chappelle’s earlier work, condemned his latest material, which they accuse of having dangerous, real-life consequences.

What are these consequences of Chappelle’s takes on Michael Jackson’s accusers, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, and “Alphabet People?” In the minds of the Rotten Tomatoes reviewers, these bits play a hand in preserving existing power structures and oppressing those who are habitually victimized, including women and those in the LGBT community. Chappelle, his critics claim, is guilty of empowering rich and influential men through his material. But “material” is the key word here. To his critics, it does not matter what the punchlines of his Leaving Neverland (the HBO documentary that alleges Michael Jackson molested young boys) bits are; rather, the problem is that he used anything to do with these allegations towards a comedic end. Supposedly, this leads to Chappelle, at best, trivializing sexual assault—and, at worst, insulting its victims.

With how edgy comedy has become (particularly when it comes to some aspects of meme culture), it can be easy to lose sight of the line between comedy and insult, or, as they taught us in school, when people are “laughing with us” or “laughing at us.” Although the line that divides the two can sometimes be thin, the difference between their impacts is enormous; laughter lifts people up, while derision drags them down.