In the past week, I’ve been asked by no less than ten people what I thought of Chappelle’s “special”. Here’s what I think. Do with it what you will. It’s my opinion ONLY.
He has a right to say what he wants. That is freedom of speech.
Netflix has a right to put whatever it wants to on its airwaves, regardless of whether I or anyone else thinks it smacks of ignorance and intolerance.
You have a right to watch whatever you want. If you think he’s a genius, so be it.
As for me, I didn’t much care for his comedy before, so I’d be lying if I used his vehement disgust of trans women (no mention of how he feels about trans men, I guess) as the focal point of my opinion of him.
Based on the clips I’ve seen of his recent program, his definition of a woman is whether or not she can bear children. He leaves out any mention of women who for medical reasons cannot conceive or bear children. Are they not women either? Just asking.
He goes into a protracted discussion of Trans women’s “Pussies” and how they gross him out. I presume that he’s seen many of them and would ask, what is his fascination with Trans women and what is between their legs? Does his definition of womanhood ignore all the beauty, intelligence, talent, and nurturing that makes a woman a woman get ignored or does he just admire them for the beauty of their genitalia and whether or not they are worthy to bear his children?
He needs to know that the violence perpetuated against Trans women is disproportionately aimed at women of color and his alignment with “Team TERF” supports the hatred of a marginalized group of people who want only to live an authentic life in peace and happiness, with the same rights as everyone else. EVERYONE else.
So let Dave be Dave. Let him say what he wants. That’s what America is, after all. There will always be those who buy into what he says. But all I ask is that you watch and listen. If you find what he says disturbing, don’t support him. You have the power to click that remote. It doesn’t require a lot of strength. Cancelling people is not the way. If we keep cancelling ideas and trying to eliminate people like him from the culture, we are committing the worst kind of cancelling--- free thought. I don’t want to live in a world like that. Do YOU?
