Dave Chappelle told some new jokes, and humorless scolds are not happy about it.
Chappelle’s new Netflix comedy special called “Sticks & Stones” has angered more than a few critics. “You can definitely skip Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special ‘Sticks & Stones,'” opined Vice magazine, complaining, “The comedian doubles down on misogyny and transphobia in both the special and the hidden bonus scene that follows.”
“Dave Chappelle has a new Netflix stand-up special and it’s no good,” claimed Paste Magazine, adding that it was “boring, hypocritical and out-of-touch.”
The show is not boring or hypocritical, and it is most definitely not out-of-touch. It is offensive, deliberately so. But above all else, it’s really funny, even if Chappelle occasionally pulls his punches. If you are sensitive to vulgarity, indecency, and in-your-face offensive humor, regardless of your politics, this probably isn’t the stand-up special for you.
Chappelle opens by complaining about audiences that are beholden to the social justice warrior agenda and keeps it going to the end. He defends Michael Jackson on charges of child molestation, makes light of fellow comedian Louis C.K.’s disgusting habit of masturbating in front of female colleagues, and mocks singer R. Kelly for completely botching his lines in an underage sex tape that is now a key piece of evidence against him in federal court.
National Review‘s Kyle Smith also disliked the special, saying it was not truthful. He specifically cited a portion of the show in which Chappelle blames the #MeToo movement’s excesses for state laws restricting the killing of unborn children. It was a stupid and clumsy claim, but it was part of a set-up for what turned out to be a subversive pro-life joke.
The clip that follows is full of bad words and, well, jokes about abortion:
“If you have a dick, you need to STFU on this one. Seriously.” – Dave Chappelle, 2019 pic.twitter.com/s1l7lSxWz6
— Netflix Is A Joke (@NetflixIsAJoke) August 27, 2019
I don’t care what your religious beliefs are or anything. If you have a d-ck, you need to shut the f-ck up on this one. Seriously! This is theirs; the right to choose is their unequivocal right. Not only do I believe they have the right to choose, I believe that they shouldn’t have to consult anybody, except for a physician, about how they exercise that right.
Gentlemen, that is fair. And ladies, to be fair to us, I also believe that if you decide to have the baby, a man should not have to pay. That’s fair. If you can kill this motherf-cker, I can at least abandon him. It’s my money, my choice. And if I’m wrong, then perhaps we’re wrong. So figure that sh-t out for yourselves.
It’s an obvious point, but one still worth making. Sex between men and women is ordered toward the procreation of children. When children are conceived, both parties have duties and obligations toward all involved. If decisions about whether to end the life of the child are left to one party, it is not difficult to predict that the other party might make a unilateral decision about abandonment. And the entirety of the conversation is impoverished and harmful to all parties. For many men, the flip side of “My Body, My Choice,” — a longtime mantra of pro-abortion women — is “Your Baby, Your Problem.” In one simple joke, Chappelle made clear the disastrous effects of a culture which degrades sex and relationships to the point where babies are viewed as afterthoughts to be dispensed with rather than precious lives to be cherished.
Chappelle’s show is going over like a lead balloon with the far left because they and their war on humor and free expression are the target of many of his jokes. Similarly, for those who value the sanctity of human life, it’s not fun to hear someone speak so lightly about the killing of unborn children. Despite the left’s best efforts to shut it down, good comedy challenges assumptions and provokes deeper thinking.
Were many of Chappelle’s jokes vulgar and indecent and offensive? Absolutely. But many of them were also really funny.
