{"id":51703,"date":"2020-06-12T15:22:24","date_gmt":"2020-06-12T15:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/dave-chappelles-new-special-is-a-harrowing-meditation-on-racism-in-america\/"},"modified":"2020-06-12T15:22:24","modified_gmt":"2020-06-12T15:22:24","slug":"dave-chappelles-new-special-is-a-harrowing-meditation-on-racism-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/news\/dave-chappelles-new-special-is-a-harrowing-meditation-on-racism-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Chappelle\u2019s New Special Is a Harrowing Meditation on Racism in America"},"content":{"rendered":"

Late last night, June 11th, iconoclast comedian Dave Chappelle quietly dropped 8:46<\/em>, a new 30-minute special billed as a \u201ctalk with punchlines.\u201d<\/a> The performance was recorded on June 6th in Dayton, Ohio, and at one point Chappelle tells the audience that the gig might be an entertainment milestone. <\/p>\n

\u201cI got to tell you, this is like the first concert in North American since all this shit happened, so like it or not, it\u2019s history. It\u2019s going to be in the books,\u201d he says, referencing the coronavirus pandemic. But the set will be remembered for other reasons. <\/p>\n

To quote Dave himself, \u201cThis is not funny at all. I got some pussy jokes, too, I can do\u2026\u201d Instead, he uses the platform to first commend protesters across the country (\u201cYou all are excellent drivers; I am comfortable in the back seat…\u201d) before admitting his reluctance to speak out at all, as it might distract from the widespread activism. <\/p>\n

Then, however, he does what Dave does best: embracing stand-up as \u201cthe last stronghold for civil discourse.\u201d The comedian details the killings of George Floyd, John Crawford III, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Philando Castile and other people of color at the hands of law enforcement. <\/p>\n

And interspersed among his recounting of those police-spurred tragedies, he describes fearing for his life during a 30-second earthquake, and compares it to the eight minutes and forty-six seconds that Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd\u2019s neck. It becomes a parable: \u201cWhat are you signifying \u2014 that you can kneel on a man\u2019s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds and feel like you wouldn\u2019t get the wrath of god. That\u2019s what is happening right now. It\u2019s not for a single cop. It\u2019s for all of it. Fucking all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n