race and comedy, a perfect match?

I really enjoyed reading Acham's article because it was an easy read, and it was related to aspects of media that I am familiar with. Specifically, I can remember Chris Rock's rise in popularity. At the time I was too young to realize the importance of his representation and talk about African Americans. But now that I look back, I realize that he seemed to pave the way for many other black comedians to take on issues of race.

With that being said, Chris Rock definitely took a more blatantly political/ideological stance on race issues. He still used comedy, but he was also like an activist of sorts. Although I am not entirely caught up on comedy these days, it seems as though most comedians still take a strictly comedic stance on race issues. However, the presence of racism against other African Americans is definitely still prominent.

A black comedian that I am familiar with is Katt Williams. If my memory serves me correctly, he often pokes fun at other African Americans. But while I was searching for videos of him on YouTube I came up with a video from Guy Torrey. I must admit I've never heard of him or seen his comedy, but the video I found does seem to provide an example of what I'm talking about.



Interestingly, Torrey makes fun of African Americans by comparing them to white people. He basically says that black people spend their money on things to look good, i.e. a nice car and nice clothes, but in reality they are still poor and living in their grandmom's basement. He also makes fun of white people for the opposite offense: white people are rich and have nice houses but they don't give a crap about what they look like. Although he is making fun of both races, it seems to me that the assessment of black people is more harsh. Maybe I just feel that way because I'm white - I don't know. It just seems more insulting to say that black people are not only bad with money but they also pretend to be more wealthy than they are. And isn't it reinforcing the stereotype of black people being poor and lazy? I would think so. And I feel like many white people, whether subconciously or not, use this type of comedy to support their preconceived assumptions about black people.

I wonder what Chris Rock would think about this type of comedy. I mean, it seems as though he's the first person to admit that there are black people who fit into certain stereotypes. But what about the issue of black comedians sort of reinforcing that? Is Rock guilty of that as well? To be honest, hearing some of the things Chris Rock says and stands for does reinforce some of my own preconceived notions. And to be completely honest, while reading Acham's article I caught myself thinking, "wow, Chris Rock is thinking like a white person." I hate that I thought that - even if for a split second. It really is such a touchy subject. Like, white people making fun of each other isn't even questionable, it's fine. And black people making fun of white people is okay too. It's usually hilarious. But when it comes to black people making fun of each other - well, is our society ready for that yet? Obviously they have every right to do so, but is it in turn making white people think it's okay to hold those views of black people as well now?