Dave Chappelle-Killin' Them Softly

Killin' Them Softly is a stand up performance at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington D.C. from the year 2000. Dave Chappelle is best known for his widely popular sketch show on Comedy Central, "Chappelle's Show," but before that he was star of the stand up comedy scene. He has also had roles in the movies, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "Con Air," "Undercover Brother," and various others. This standup is Dave's return to his hometown of Washington D.C. In the portion posted in the link above Dave talks about the differences blacks and whites have when it comes to talking about politics. He tells us that it is a cultural thing for white people to not discuss their politics. He then talks about how he would decide who to vote for, and why black people love Bill Clinton but hate George W. Bush. This short clip focuses on these two topics, but later in the stand up he really gets into his whole take on the Monica Lewinsky scandal. This stand up comes from Chappelle's long line of comedy based on race relations and societal behaviors. You can of course see the influence on Chappelle from comedians such as Richard Pryor and Paul Mooney. Dave is simply noticing the difference between two cultures in the way they discuss politics. When he gets to why he dislikes George W. Bush he is making a subtle statement that George Bush Jr. does not like black people, but in a hilarious way. This piece is written for anyone who appreciates the ability to laugh at the cultural differences we have as a society and who realize that it's okay to laugh at because it is funny. I would consider a person who argues that Dave Chappelle's comedy is in bad taste and inappropriate to be more of a racist than the person who sees it as what it is and enjoys it. Dave understands that our cultural differences are funny and we've progressed enough to be able to laugh at it, and Dave's stand up fans know and agree with him.