Dave Chappelle Satire

Dave Chappelles drollery has made numerous aspects of American race relations and racial stereotypes subject to ridicule in a behavior that has both united and divided. On one hand, his name became synonymous with buffoonery for the younger generations on the other, his values caused him to question his own comedy, leading him to effectively give the sack his career. In the Wake of The Nigger Pixie Dave Chappelle and the Politics of Crossover Comedy by Bambi Haggins demonstrates that Chappelles comedic style is the result of numerous elements of comedy in the African American fraternity coming together and that it came about as a result of his experiences. It gives and expands upon the reasons that Chappelle left Chappelles Show and presents them in an optimal setting.Chappelles roots are established as guide him through his comedic career, his desire to share his comedy with the masses without accommodating the tastes of the networks or what they would think would be palat sub ject to their audiences. Haggins analysis of Chappelles comedic style for the duration of Chappelles Show explains how Chappelle was able to blend older styles of African American comedy into his unique comedic style by using his sketches to support her claims.Haggins knows how to blend this mixture artfully into an essay piquing the sake of others on the topic of Chappelles career and comedic style. Haggins begins the chapter with a quick explanation of why Chappelle eventually left the utter. Chappelle explains that the loud and prospicient laughter (233), emanating from one of the white man members was the beginning of the end (233) for him. This depicts the time in his disembodied spirit when he started to think that rather then diluting them, his skits sometimes reinforce these stereotypes.Some issue he never intended to do. The biggest thing that separated Chappelles show from the rest is his seamless ability to achieve the de facto crossover consistently in his show. His g ift at portraying stereotypes and cordial conflicts plot appealing to a wider audience is what led him to the top of sketch comedy. But this soon becomes problematic for him as he struggled with himself to decide what was crossing the line. As his victory gave him the ability the push the line even farther, it also reminded him how important it was to not cross the line.Another big factor that provided Chappelle with the chance he needed to really show everyone what he could do is by taking a risk with Comedy central. The Chappelles Show co-creator Neal Brennan explains, We went to a place, Comedy Central, that sort of needs us and gave us a lot of freedom. We didnt get much money, but that was the trade-off-you get control (236). This gave Chappelle the ability to reach a wide audience duration still having the control of the material that goes into each show, thus promoting his real comedic self and rocketing him to success and fame.While staying at the top Chappelle constantl y was balancing on a comminuted line, Chappelles show walked the razor edge of provocative comedic sociopolitical discourse (237). Haggins in depth analysis of both his argument and Chappelles descent into racial stereotyping is prevalent through his ad hoc examples of the comedians sketches and then providing commentary about the concept as a whole. In his term, the causality uses Chappelles racial Draft, Black Bush, and Nigger Pixie as clear cases where racial satire went too far. The author begins with Chappelles background and his emergence into the boob tube world.This is an effective rhetoric strategy because it allows the audience to see Dave Chappelle before the Chappelles Show. However, if one reads closely, they can clearly tell that Chappelle had never changed throughout his years of comedy and kept the openness and fluidity(236) in his comic persona. Haggins also points out the element that the comedian always had an ability to attract viewers from all areas and bl ab for and to Gen X and Gen Y subcultures in both black and white communities (234). This was especially evident in Chappelles Show and added greatly to its popularity.Finally, the method in which the author used examples by including specific skits in the Lost Episode where Dave Chappelle went beyond boundaries to point out the racial stereotypes that are present in everyday life is very effective. Through his fluid diction and terrific explanation of each skit, Haggins is able to paint a picture in words for the reader. When reading the article and each sketch that Chappelle acted out, the audience can clearly see that the comedians racial satire was humorous, yet lie awfully close to the payoff of racial stereotyping.This is the reason the Nigger Pixie sketch example is so significant. By playing a black-faced minstrel, Chappelle only emphasized the idea of harsh racialism and the stereotypical black want for fried chicken. The author analyzes how numerous comedic styles from th e African American community coalesced on Chappelles Show by using specific sketches as supporting evidence. One example, Haggins analysis of the Reparations sketch (Haggins 240-241), demonstrates that numerous styles blended quite clearly.Her use of the sketch, which describes the ludicrous amount of economic prosperity that would occur if reparations for slavery were given to the descendents of formerly enslaved African Americans (Haggins 240), outlines how the white media (Haggins 240) would report such an occurrence, and that while the sketch offers a cringe-worthy embodiment of stereotypes, it (somewhat) congenially calls the audience out while also playacting as a reminder of the issue of reparations for the legacy of slavery that still informs aspects of the African American experience (Haggins 241).Her demonstration of the older styles of African American comedy coming together one one television program was effective. After all of this occurred and Comedy Central aired th e shows despite the wished of Chappelle, he found it out(predicate) to continue his relationship with Comedy Central and he left the show.The argument made throughout the chapter is further solidified in the end when Haggins states, As long as the assumptions implied by the race-baiting little demons (the Nigger Pixie and his brethren) resonate in the hidden recesses of popular consciousness-not as critique but as confirmation-the road for social satire, regardless of media outlet-will be arduous (248). To revisit what was discussed earlier, as long as racism exists, doing racial satire will be problematic (248).