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I hadn’t intended to write about Dave Chappelle.
Plenty of others have addressed his latest Netflix special, and I didn’t think I had much to add. Then I decided I did.
And so I will, confident that what I have to say will satisfy no one.
Maybe that’s why it’s worth saying — precisely because it isn’t a simple defense or condemnation of Dave or his latest work. Those are too easy, and we have seen both in abundance.
First, I believe Chappelle to be the greatest comic of all time in terms of pure talent. Nothing about these Netflix sets has me reassessing that belief.
That said, it’s apparent that he’s become oddly fixated on jokes aimed at the LGBTQ community — particularly trans folk — and mightily concerned with proving that no matter how those jokes land, he means no harm.
As the saying goes, if you have to explain the jokes, they weren’t that funny. Or perhaps they are, but they’re not hitting right with lots of people for whatever reason.
In which case, the question becomes, are those jokes worth it?
