Research Paper

I examined how Dave Chappelle and Richard Pryor have changed comedy and society with their racially charged humor. Through careful examination of a documentary on Pryor and an episode of Inside the Actors Studio I was able to understand where each comedian stood on the topic, and why they did so. In the Richard Pryor documentary, many black comedians give their input about the topic of the use of the N word and of bringing race into comedy in such a blatant way. Both Pryor and Chappelle traveled to Africa, and both came back changed. Both decided to stop using this word, but the damage has already been done. Although Pryor said to stop using it, it was becoming engrained in the black community as a way of self identifying, and in the case of Chappelle the word had started to become too common for his liking. Both comedians employed a white voice, which Pryor was again the first to do. In the episode of Inside the Actors Studio Dave is asked about this voice and he responds saying that all black people are bi-lingual. When I heard this I thought I had hit pay dirt, the interview already had provided me with some information that could be useful but this hit so close to what we have discussed in class that I felt there was no way I could not incorporate it into the paper. In the closing bit of the interview Chappelle is asked about crossing the line, and he gives a somewhat profound response that is rooted in the fact that people don't realize some of the privelege that they have and feels that it is so institutionalized that people often forget about the problem. It has been a very interesting thing to research and examine because these two men were very much alike and act as the same vehicle to different generations.