Yes or No: do you think Dave Chappelle is transphobic?

No, he’s not afraid of trans people.

No, he's not afraid of trans people.

He just thinks it's good comedy to kick a group of people who are just now struggling to get some respect and rights in our society. And that's what's really making people disgusted. Making fun of certain people who already have much higher rates of mental illness and suicide. Where is the decency in that?

Why not make fun of cancer patients too while we're at it? It's dumb.

WinnytheBish wrote:

I'm going with no, but he does seem to fixate on it given The Closer was heavily rooted in that conversation.

I have no idea, but taking what any comedian says during a comedy show to determine what they really think is foolhardy.

I don't even think he's all that funny, so I'm not defending him because I like him. ANYONE and ANYTHING should be fair game when it comes to comedy. Due to what that person or group or thing is, it is fair to not find it funny, but I don't get being offended at all.

Comedians have made fun of tons of categories to which I belong - Uber smart, super good looking, athletic, musically gifted, wealthy - and I've never been offended. People just need to grow a spine.

help me break 16 wrote:

No, he's not afraid of trans people.

He just thinks it's good comedy to kick a group of people who are just now struggling to get some respect and rights in our society. And that's what's really making people disgusted. Making fun of certain people who already have much higher rates of mental illness and suicide. Where is the decency in that?

Why not make fun of cancer patients too while we're at it? It's dumb.

It's called nature. Humans are animals. If people want to be different from the pack and raise children different than the pack, expect to be seen as an inferior. Good luck gaining respect if you aren't going to be a part of keeping the species alive because of your gender situation. Is what it is, people have a right to not like stuff and make fun of it. You really think that Dave has control over the acceptance of a niche group of the population. Take the victim olympics to Canada cause most dont care here.

Chapelle doesn't give a f*ck about trans people. He's making a statement against cancel culture, and social justice warriors trying to police what is socially acceptable and allowed through power and control of societal institutions (the legal system, the media, the education system, etc.). Anyone who has actually heard him speak knows he's not a hateful person, and just wants to bring light to uncomfortable topics through comedy.

Flagpole wrote:

WinnytheBish wrote:

I'm going with no, but he does seem to fixate on it given The Closer was heavily rooted in that conversation.

I have no idea, but taking what any comedian says during a comedy show to determine what they really think is foolhardy.

I don't even think he's all that funny, so I'm not defending him because I like him. ANYONE and ANYTHING should be fair game when it comes to comedy. Due to what that person or group or thing is, it is fair to not find it funny, but I don't get being offended at all.

Comedians have made fun of tons of categories to which I belong - Uber smart, super good looking, athletic, musically gifted, wealthy - and I've never been offended. People just need to grow a spine.

great, if ANYONE is fair game, then let's all make fun of you

It’s not about trying to determine what he thinks about trans people from his material—I’ll agree it’s possible to get that wrong. What we can determine is that he thinks the community is worthy of exploitation in the name of comedy, or making a buck. It seems cheap, not funny, and, as I said, exploitative. He has the right to do it. But that doesn’t mean it’s funny or a smart topic to address.

It should be clear that this was meant as a catharsis to deal with the suicide of his trans friend who used to open shows for him. He clearly blames the "trans community" for the hate his friend received online because of the decision to open for him--and thus places at least some blame on them for her death.

Overall, I didn't find the special particularly funny.

Flagpole wrote:

WinnytheBish wrote:

I'm going with no, but he does seem to fixate on it given The Closer was heavily rooted in that conversation.

I have no idea, but taking what any comedian says during a comedy show to determine what they really think is foolhardy.

I don't even think he's all that funny, so I'm not defending him because I like him. ANYONE and ANYTHING should be fair game when it comes to comedy. Due to what that person or group or thing is, it is fair to not find it funny, but I don't get being offended at all.

Comedians have made fun of tons of categories to which I belong - Uber smart, super good looking, athletic, musically gifted, wealthy - and I've never been offended. People just need to grow a spine.

Right... Don't forget other categories you belong in like, super big wang, 10/10 wife, white privilege.

help me break 16 wrote:

No, he's not afraid of trans people.

He just thinks it's good comedy to kick a group of people who are just now struggling to get some respect and rights in our society. And that's what's really making people disgusted. Making fun of certain people who already have much higher rates of mental illness and suicide. Where is the decency in that?

Why not make fun of cancer patients too while we're at it? It's dumb.

He made fun of opioid addicts last episode and I do not remember any liberal outrage about that.

No I don't think Dave is transphobic. He's just very anti racist. From my perspective the Closer was a lot less about trans people and more about racism. But seems that went over a lot of peoples heads.

WinnytheBish wrote:

I'm going with no, but he does seem to fixate on it given The Closer was heavily rooted in that conversation.

yeah, well, our national conversation has been fixated on it for a few years. He didn't just come up with it on his own.

I didn't like the special, it was not that funny. I prefer comedy that entertains, not one that tries to educate me. But as a comedian, he has the right to make fun of anything.

And I don't think he is a hero or anything like that for standing against cancel culture. You know when I will respect him? If he goes out and make fun of Islam and Mohammad. Then, he will be my hero.

Calling out dudes who want to be women for trying to ruin the lives of anyone who questions them isn't "phobic" of any kind. He is punching up at the dominant cultural narrative of academia and corporate America.

Everyone thinks it’s a phobia if you don’t like people. Guess what, it’s possible to not like a transgender people and not be transphobic. It’s possible to not like gays and not be homophobic. I think it’s understandable if you think transgender people are weird and have a lot of issues. There’s nothing transphobic about that.

sbeefyk2 wrote:

Everyone thinks it’s a phobia if you don’t like people. Guess what, it’s possible to not like a transgender people and not be transphobic. It’s possible to not like gays and not be homophobic. I think it’s understandable if you think transgender people are weird and have a lot of issues. There’s nothing transphobic about that.

Above is a great troll post. That's all I have to say about that.

Chappelle's schtick has always been to talk about uncomfortable topics in a shockingly inappropriate way. Remember when he joked that luxury item and cigarette sells would go through the roof if reparations were paid? And the blind black kkk leader sketch? Is Chappelle racist against blacks?

RunRagged wrote:

Chapelle raised the question women are constantly told it's bigoted and transphobic to ask: why when liberal-minded people today widely recognize that it's offensive and morally wrong for white people to don blackface in order to mimic, demeaningly stereotype, dehumanize and punch down on black people do those same supposedly liberal-minded people say that when men to do the equivalent to women, it's not just acceptable - it's praiseworthy, brave and progressive?

It's an absurd analogy. Blackface is ridicule and the color of your skin is fixed whereas gender roles are social constructions - anyone can wear heels on any given day, they are not 'women's clothes', they are clothes that belong to the wearer.

The concept of 'races' is also social construction and how your skin color relates to race is a social construction but the actual tone of your skin isn't.

I don't know about transphobic, but I think he was racist for pulling his eyes apart when describing Asian people online.