This show, Key & Peele, airs on Comedy Central. You may know them for their spoofs of President Obama. What I think is interesting in this clip is that both men switch between their real voices and the voices they think the other expects them to have. The latter voice is also what the TV viewers of America expect. This time, Key & Peele are making a spoof off of what America wants to see. Not all African Americans speak that way, but that is definitely something that the majority of America either doesn't know or chooses not to take into account.
When Peele (black vest) walks away, he states that he was about to get mugged- something a white person would stereotypically say. This is obviously racist, so why do we laugh? This is something I've been seeing- and hearing- a lot. African Americans will exploit the racism towards them by using derogatory language in their songs and acting in a stereotypical way on the screen. Why do they do this? My belief is that they do this to devalue the words and actions. By using them themselves, it can't mean a whole lot when other people use them in a negative way towards them.
Honestly, I'm not sure whether or not this is very effective. If my theory is correct, there will soon be a time where derogatory terms will be flying openly all over the place and that could be hazardous. Just because you hear them frequently doesn't mean they are OK to use.
What are your thoughts? Do you think that the devaluing of these derogatory terms and actions will make it OK for anyone to use them at any time, or do you think that it is better to emphasize that these terms and actions are wrong and hurtful?
I think that there's a point where you're either being funny and tasteful or stupid, raunchy, and offensive. "Playing the race card" as some might call it is often an easy form of comedy that's not as cleverly thought through, and is not necessarily appealing to all audiences. Comedy is important, in my opinion, because it can help us to laugh at ourselves, and if we can't do that,then we might as well have nothing left to live for. I believe, to quote one of my Mom's old idioms, that if you don't laugh sometimes, you cry, so when it is done tastefully, non-derogatorily, and inoffensively to an extent, some types of comedy are acceptable in society. The only way to overcome a problem is to face it, accept it, and bring it to the forefront instead of just keeping it bottle up behind closed doors. Things get to be a problem, however, when a comedian crosses that invisible line into territory that can start to offend. If you ask yourself "Would it be ridiculous is someone was offended by this?" and you answer yes with some thought, the joke should probably be ok.
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