Dave Chappelle Hits the Re-Start Button and We Are Pleased

Mark the date, November 11, 2016.  This was the day that Dave Chappelle reintroduced himself back to the world with 6.2 million people watching. As the host of Saturday Night Live, he reminded the viewing public what pure comedy was all about. It has been eleven years since Dave left the airwaves. He alluded to the fact that his return was a “comeback” but I don't see it that way. I see it more as a pause in play. I do not know if you could call what we witness that night as television history because what we saw was a reflection of something we hadn't seen in years and it's as if Dave has emerged from a chrysalis and morphed into this worldly comedian that speaks the truth. The public hadn't seen this type of comic that could hit on social issues since the heady days of Richard Pryor and George Carlin. In his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, you watched as he slowly unfolded the controversy of the Donald Trump victory and addressed the conflict with the protesters to the Trump win.

He laid out his take that made you laugh but made you think about how foolish it was for the actions of the protesters given that this was a free election and right or wrong, Trump won. It wasn't angry humor or beating you up humor or Amy Schumer humor, is was more than that. Chappelle made those who were watching to hold a mirror up and look at what we have become. Sure, the historically disenfranchised still have a long way to go but as Dave said, he would give Donald Trump the chance to govern. Time will only tell if he has become the voice of the unrepresented but he did give a voice to what has been missing for eleven years.

We've had other comics who've entered the picture since he left but their humor left me humorless. I've sat through countless hours of comedy shows and my laugh meter ran low of many of these alleged celebrity comedians. You can't attack your own audience and force them to leave just because you don't agree with their politics. You can't shame an audience member when you bring him on stage and chastise him for his political choice. Your job is to entertain with humor and when you stray from that obligation, you've lost your audience and your appeal.

Dave Chappelle chose to walk away from a lucrative contract because the powers that be had an agenda to conduct. Dave would not be a party and contribute to those who would take his humor and manipulate it for their own means to an end.

On that glorious night, Dave became this old/new social media comedian. He didn't have the tools at his disposal eleven years ago but now the tools are literally at his fingertips. Seeing him perform all of those old characters became relevant again. We still have a crack/heroin problem. We still have racism that's more blatant than ever. We still have sexism. We still are violent and extreme with it. We still are at war with an enemy bent on destroying our way of life. We still are at war with each other. Maybe, just maybe Dave Chappelle can bring a spotlight to one of these issues and through his brand of humor, we can bring about a change? Richard Pryor and George Carlin are looking down and saying, “Well how about that, we've got our voice back.”