Comedy Central should be renamed "Minstrelsy Central"


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Colin Quinn Forums / Talk Colin Quinn / Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn / Comedy Central should be renamed "Minstrelsy Central"

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Posted: 10 Jun 2006 23:58 Last Edited By: turmeric
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 4 Join Date: Mar 2006
Why did Dave Chapelle leave comedy central? I got a glimpse of it when I went to work in a rural and remote state. In this lily white wilderness around the camp fire, amidst stories of the peace corps and nature adventures, good white liberal children were exclaiming "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" to throes of giggles. Then my brother, the whitest of white, who does bookeeping and is preparing to be an accountant, and who spends a large part of his day playing Dungeons and Dragons, also started to exclaim "Im Rick James, Bitch". Then of course there are the good white folks at work whose grandparents were in the KKK who would gleefully quote and laugh at the sketches on Chapelle's show, such as "The Niggers". From what I can tell, Chapelle realized this about Comedy Central: It's main schtick is to make it alright for white people to laugh at the racist jokes they have had to tell in private ever since the civil rights movement. How does Comedy Central accomplish this? It has minorities tell these racist jokes instead, and thus 50 million DVD sales are born. Now this is only wild speculation based on one example, but allow me to add others. First of all, there were comments made by Comedy Central executives about Tough Crowd. There is a rumor that Tough Crowd got a message from the network to not talk about race, because Chapelle's show was doing the 'racial' humor. Think about this. A show that has guests of basically all nations and races, Tough Crowd, with black guests making fun of the whites for being racist, and vice versa, where Arabs and Jews had a show and made fun of each other, where all people had an equal place at the table, was pressured to stop talking about race. In the eyes of Comedy Central, Tough Crowd provided too much equality. Secondly, look at the new shows that came out after Tough Crowd and Chapelle's Show ended. Carlos Mencia is basically one big racist joke against Mexicans, Blacks, Asians, and Rednecks (i.e. poor white people). Apparently it's OK for whites to laugh at racist jokes if Carlos is telling them. Compare this with the 'flag ship' shows of Comedy Central. South Park continues to be the 'liberal white kid who makes fun of racism' kind of anti-racism; witty critiques of the hypocrisy of society (the 'guy being lynched on a flag' episode, the 'token' character) while completely avoiding controversial aspects of the topic. The Daily Show is a better example. Not only does it take South Parks' limousine liberal attitude, it's employees and guests would violate any normal company standards about integration and affirmative action. There hasn't been a woman correspondent for many years except for Samantha Bee. There has rarely, if ever been a correspondent who wasn't white. It is a 'serious' comedy show where 'serious' white men bring attention to 'serious' issues 'through humor'. So the show with actual diversity, Tough Crowd, is cancelled. Meanwhile the supposedly 'liberal' view of what constitutes 'diversity' prevails: a minority ghetto (Chapelle season 3, Mencia) full of racist jokes, and an upper crust white section (Daily Show) where the good liberal college educated white kids can go and laugh at 'proper' humor. What happens with race on Comdey Central also happens with politics. The Daily Show is obviously liberal, but the good liberal children can go and get their right-wing 'fix' off of Carlos Mencia, as long as they realize that they are temporarily being 'dirty' and rebelling from their parents; like going to Tijuana on spring break or listening to gangster rap. Meanwhile Tough Crowd had Bush Bashers and Bush Lovers on every week tagging each other with funny shit that you knew was true. It was a welcome relief from Daily Show or, basically, every other show on the air, where one side gets the audience and the 'moderator' hammers us with a specific view point as if we are stupid and need to be educated on 'the facts, man'. Or the doubule-team crossfire show, where representatives of political parties regurgitate precalculated 'talking points' that are designed by computer to have an impact on swing voters. God forbid the complex and conflicting realities of human emotion make their way to Comedy Central airwaves. Awash in self congratulatory 'offensiveness', and profitability, they do not seem to care about this laughable hypocrisy... How can you be 'offensive' if your show exists only because another 'more offensive' show was cancelled? And what 'more offense' did Tough Crowd bring, besides unfiltered emotion? (some facts in this story were modified to hide identity. yes im a coward)

Posted: 12 Jun 2006 15:43
Registered User	Posts: 35 Join Date: Mar 2006
Weird, I never thought Chappelle's show was funny at all and I was especially perplexed by the popularity of the "I'm Rick James, Bitch" sketch and practically every other sketch. I still don't get what's so damn funny about it. I also felt a lot of racism from the show, but strangely, I never felt it was racist against the blacks it portrayed, it seemed to me to be racist against the white people who were portrayed as scared, lame, ineffectual and impotent wannabes. I particularly felt the barely disguised hostility towards white men in the "Real World" sketch where the fat, nerdy sole white kid was habitually humiliated, threatened, laughed at and abused and where the strong, cool and infinitely more street smart black men would not only take his woman from him but OF COURSE she would be enthusiastically willing to trade her emasculated white boy for an exciting pair of black thugs. I completely missed how the stereotypes of blacks as criminals was the worst offense of the skit.

Posted: 26 Aug 2006 23:50 Last Edited By: JacobGreen
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 3 Join Date: Aug 2006
The Daily Show was created by two women. Daily Show Women : Stacey Grenrock-Woods Miriam Tolan Beth Littleford Laura Kightlinger Rachael Harris Mary Birdsong Nancy Walls Samantha Bee South Park is for "limousine liberals?" Maybe you should watch that show before you comment on it, fella. They have repeatedly made fun of Al Gore , Bill Clinton, etc. while never taking a swipe at George W. Bush. They have aired shows making fun of environmentalists because they are..."smug." They have attacked every religion besides Protestants. They tell people not to vote... If I had a choice I would rather have Tough Crowd over South Park, too. But you have to get your facts straight. Liberals hate Carlos Mencia. People with brains hate Carlos Mencia. People that realize he stole his act from George Lopez hate Carlos Mencia. Only idiots like Carlos Mencia. If I had a choice, Tough Crowd would be on instead of Mind of Mencia. But you have to get your facts straight.

Posted: 27 Aug 2006 00:09
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 3 Join Date: Aug 2006
"Meanwhile Tough Crowd had Bush Bashers and Bush Lovers on every week tagging each other with funny shit that you knew was true. It was a welcome relief from Daily Show or, basically, every other show on the air, where one side gets the audience and the 'moderator' hammers us with a specific view point as if we are stupid and need to be educated on 'the facts, man'. Or the doubule-team crossfire show, where representatives of political parties regurgitate precalculated 'talking points' that are designed by computer to have an impact on swing voters. God forbid the complex and conflicting realities of human emotion make their way to Comedy Central airwaves. Awash in self congratulatory 'offensiveness', and profitability, they do not seem to care about this laughable hypocrisy... How can you be 'offensive' if your show exists only because another 'more offensive' show was cancelled? And what 'more offense' did Tough Crowd bring, besides unfiltered emotion?" First off, it's "just the facts, ma'am." What is the "specific viewpoint" on The Daily Show again? That he attacks people in power? Wow, that is really, really corporate of him, man. Or are you saying that because he doesnt support Bush he is automatically pushing a Democratic viewpoint?? I don't exactly see Jon Stewart hoisting up any Dems...in fact he belittles them for how weak they are and how they can't get their message across. Which show exists because Tough Crowd was canceled, by the way? I think your chronology is a bit off there. I liked Tough Crowd. I wish it could be on after The Colbert Report. However, you give it way too much credit with your hyperbole as if it was some vanguard of societal outspokenness. "God forbid the complex and conflicting realities of human emotion make their way to Comedy Central airwaves." Really? Tough Crowd was "complex?" It displayed the conflicting realities of human emotion? Jesus Christ, man; it was a show with a bunch of comics shooting the shit. Ahh yes, the complexities of Jim Norton's dick jokes... It was funny how misinformed they were (both the supposed "liberals" and "conservatives," ) and how they didnt care. The only one who had information to back up his opinions was Greg Giraldo,but a show of comics debating politics was boring. It was much funnier when people were ripping on each other. Maybe the problem with the show was some people took themselves too seriously. I dont know, I wish the show was still on. As I have said, I would much rather watch Tough Crowd than Mind of Mensteala, South Park, Drawn Together,etc. but you are letting your emotional attachmnet to the show get in the way of your sense of reality. You don't have to knock other successful and innovative shows just because yours got canceled. Thank you

Posted: 27 Aug 2006 00:18
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 3 Join Date: Aug 2006
"Weird, I never thought Chappelle's show was funny at all and I was especially perplexed by the popularity of the "I'm Rick James, Bitch" sketch and practically every other sketch. I still don't get what's so damn funny about it. I also felt a lot of racism from the show, but strangely, I never felt it was racist against the blacks it portrayed, it seemed to me to be racist against the white people who were portrayed as scared, lame, ineffectual and impotent wannabes." Wow, Tater Salad... I'm really sorry you were offended by the "racism" in a sketch comedy show. It must suck. Hopefully future generations of offended white males, such as yourself, won't suffer the ramifications of this damn series' vicious attacks. No, you're right... Fuck slavery, segregation, lynchings, etc. The Chappelle Show, created by a black and white guy, is real "racism." It hurts so much. Let's go soothe ourselves with another round of Larry the Cable Guy!!! Or Dan Whitney....whatever his real name is!!! Yayhoo!!! Git-R-Done... he has a guitar with the Confederate Flag on it!!! Fuck yeah!!! I mean he is from Nebraska, so what emotions is he trying to get out of southerners??? Who Cares!!! Git-R-Done!!! That racism doesnt hurt one bit!!!!

Posted: 30 Aug 2006 14:34
Registered User	Posts: 35 Join Date: Mar 2006
I hate Larry the Cable guy, he is the white version of Step N Fetchit, catering to outdated and negative stereotypes of white southern Americans... gee, almost the same way black people think Dave Chappelle was catering to negative black stereotypes! Gosh, do you think there is a similarity in thinking there? Do you think maybe racism could be something that other races besides whites can be accused of? Wow, maybe some elitist, smug asswipe who thinks they are better than Southerners is just as bad as some elitist smug asswipe who thinks they are better than racial minorities! Gosh, do you think that same mindset that puts whole segments of people down with vast generalizations is the true essence of racism??? Golly, isn't being sarcastic an effective tool online??

Posted: 02 Sep 2006 15:21
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 12 Join Date: Sep 2006
Chappelle sucked... Mencia sucks... Colin had a good show, it was just misunderstood. Like me without emoticons...

Posted: 02 Sep 2006 17:38
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 32 Join Date: Nov 2005
But you like it that way, don't you,Sparky?

Posted: 03 Sep 2006 00:06
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 12 Join Date: Sep 2006
Only because of the comic effect.

Posted: 04 Sep 2006 18:51
Registered User	Posts: 35 Join Date: Mar 2006
Are you trying to be funny? Because I can't tell without emoticons from you.

Posted: 04 Sep 2006 23:17
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 12 Join Date: Sep 2006
See... I knew it!

Posted: 05 Sep 2006 02:42
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 32 Join Date: Nov 2005
Sparky is a year behind catching up on message boards, too, it would seem.

Posted: 05 Sep 2006 03:24
Registered User Currently Offline	Posts: 12 Join Date: Sep 2006
13 months. But that's okay.

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