Imagine you are sitting in an audience at a comedy show with a predominately white audience. The white comic comes to the stage and after his introductions and “thank yous,” he looks through the audience and notices you, an African American. The next thing out of his mouth is, “I see there’s some black people in the room…don’t worry Negros, I don’t have any ropes up here!” The audience breaks into huge laughter. He continues through the laughter, “You better hide your purses, cause Negros are always trying to steal something!” In the middle of more laughter, he says, “And have you ever noticed that most of them can’t swim? They ought to be used to water seeing that they all came through it to get here!” At this point, everyone in the audience is staring at you, one of a few black people in the room, and laughing hysterically. He continues, “Negros are the only people that are proud of being broke too…” The banter continues for another twenty minutes in his comedy act that only last an hour. How would you feel? Is all fair in the name of humor?

Chris Baker, a comedian and talk show host, from News Radio 740 in Houston brought up a good point on his daily radio show. He said when he traveled with black comics on tour, specifically Tommy Davidson, those comics had a tendency to devote a large portion of their shows to ridiculing white people. He said the jokes were funny to him, but he wondered if blacks would be as receptive to the same level of racial humor coming from white comedians. I’ve pondered the same thing for years. I’ve watched black comedians from Cedric the Entertainer to Cat Williams spend lots of time and jokes in their acts ridiculing and making humor out of other races, primarily white people. Why is it considered discrimination on one side and funny on the other?

“I went to Zimbabwe…I know how white people feel in America now, relaxed! Cause when I heard the police car I knew they weren’t coming after me!” –Richard Pryor

Chris Baker said if he used the same level of jokes on the other side, he would be in every newspaper painted as a racist. Is he right? What gives black comedians a free pass to have no limits on their jokes while, in the name of political correctness, white comics must to seem racially sensitive in the eyes of public opinion? Are any jokes over the top for black comedians? Dave Chappelle, one of America’s most well known comics, built a show around racial humor. Some of his funniest skits were designed to push racial buttons. Chappelle says that he uses the medium to address social issues. Richard Pryor was known for, in a time when it was more risque, utilizing racial slang in his acts to bring out differences between black and white. He purposefully pushed the envelope. He was considered ground breaking and a genius when he did it? What is the motivation of today’s comics?

“Yeah, I love being famous. It’s almost like being white, y’know? People are nice to ya, they give you the benefit o’ the doubt… You drive a flash car down the freeway and the cops’ll pull y’over and before they even look they like ‘What the f**k are you doing?’ and then they see it’s you and they like ‘Awww man, it’s Chris Rock, it’s okay, man we thought you was a nigga’.”
-Chris Rock

When I watch white comedians, I am often sitting there waiting for them to spew out a “Nigga” joke to see the reaction from the audience. Would it be considered out of line? Chris Rock refers to whites as “Crackers,” a derogatory term from the 60s, in his acts. He is one of America’s most well known comics. I’ve never heard Adam Sandler, another one of Americas most famous comics, say “nigga” in any of his acts though. Why? Jimmy Kimmel and Bill Maher are probably two white comedians that have come closest to pushing the envelope. Bill Maher is considered groundbreaking on several levels because of his ability to mix comedy and politics. Kimmel associates with all races and feels free to criticize because of his closeness to them all. Why are most white comedians fearful of saying “those jokes” though? Do they fear they will be “painted as a racist?”

“If Al Sharpton was elected president, he would probably try and put 22 inch rims on Air Force One!” -Jimmy Kimmel

When Affirmative Action programs seem to exclude deserving white candidates, it is called reverse discrimination. What would happen if more white comedians engaged in reverse humor and began pushing the envelope on racial jokes concerning blacks? Is all fair in humor? Do black comics cross the line? I laugh at jokes from all comedians, but I wonder if all jokes from all comedians would be accepted on both sides of the racial spectrum. Where is the color line in funny?

“I still think people do have racial hang-ups, but I think one of the reasons I can joke about it is people are shedding those racial hatreds.”
-Dave Chappelle