OPEN TRANSCRIPT

00:00
actually our no substantive difference
00:01
in race that is that is a social
00:04
construct that people made for economic
00:06
reasons gender is different like gender
00:09
is not like we are equal this isn't that
00:12
I love you a lot I love for me so to
00:13
push back if I'm wrong or just tell me
00:15
your perspective I believe gender tired
00:19
needs to be change I'm calling a video
00:28
if you believe we can change the
00:30
narrative if you believe we can change
00:32
our communities if you believe we can
00:34
change the outcome then we can change
00:36
the world
00:37
I'm Robert to me welcome to disruption
00:40
now welcome to disruption now I'm your
00:46
host and moderator Rob Richardson
00:47
I'm James Keyes I'm Dale ramana and I'm
00:51
a Misha cross so I am a big Dave
00:54
Chappelle fan so you're probably gonna
00:56
get some idea what we're gonna talk
00:57
about Dave Chappelle sticks and stones
00:59
everybody has an opinion they either
01:01
hate it they may love it they love to
01:03
hate it I don't know but we're gonna
01:04
talk about it and I think how he
01:06
actually begins the comedy special
01:08
really gives a lot of insight on what
01:09
he's trying to do from my perspective
01:11
spoiler alert spoiler alert sorry okay
01:14
look if you have it if you have not seen
01:15
the show you should go see it go see it
01:18
first you can stop and they come back
01:20
and then they come back and then see our
01:21
episode cos you're gonna laugh through
01:23
that even more hopefully so look he
01:26
starts off by actually talking to the
01:27
audience and he goes through two
01:29
different skits I'm not gonna go through
01:30
the first but the second one now and I'm
01:32
not gonna be nearly as funny cuz I'm not
01:33
Dave Chappelle just but he goes on to
01:36
say okay if I do if I do anything wrong
01:38
in my life ever at any time it could be
01:40
15 20 50 years ago and I find out about
01:43
it I'm gonna find out and I'm gonna
01:45
cancel everything you've ever done ever
01:46
he said Who am I talking about
01:48
everyone's like I'm talking about you
01:50
his whole I think he wants to his whole
01:52
concept of why he did this show I don't
01:55
think it's because he believed
01:56
everything he said I'm sure he believed
01:57
some of it but I think his goal was just
02:00
to get us to think it's not going to
02:02
groupthink to not react before even
02:04
having the facts and people that are and
02:06
it's easy for us to say that there are
02:09
people who are progressive and they look
02:10
at people that vote for Trump and like
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how can
02:13
how could those people vote for people
02:14
if somebody like Trump how could they do
02:15
something like that and at the same time
02:17
overreact and not actually have all the
02:20
facts and when they react to something
02:21
see because it's easy to point out bias
02:23
when it's someone else is much hard to
02:25
do when it's yourself I think that's
02:27
what he was trying to challenge us on
02:28
that's what I think that's my general
02:30
impression but I want to just actually
02:32
go around and get you guys just general
02:34
perspectives and I want to just talk
02:35
about some issues that he actually spoke
02:38
about cuz I do think they are really
02:39
important for us to consider
02:40
I'll let anybody have it I have to jump
02:43
in on you man because actually this is
02:46
quite you know that's that's quite a
02:48
projection that you give when you say
02:49
you don't think that he believes the
02:50
things that he says are all the things
02:52
that he says he's may believe him now
02:53
his point may still be what you're
02:55
saying but it's almost like a lot of
02:58
times we see that in society where if
02:59
you like somebody and they say something
03:01
you don't necessarily are or you aren't
03:02
crazy about them we just say oh well
03:04
they don't really believe he may believe
03:07
it I mean I don't think we should get
03:08
into litigate and what he believes and
03:10
when he doesn't we know what he said now
03:12
that being said I think I mean comedy
03:15
and comedians are supposed to point out
03:17
things like this in society like then
03:19
they're supposed to poke it he's poking
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fun at us he's poking fun at all of us
03:22
now he's a celebrity so he may be a bit
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defensive of celebrities you know like
03:28
the the plight of celebrities something
03:31
that a lot of us may not feel because
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we're not celebrities but that's an
03:33
ending you know if you're in any group
03:34
you know you're going to be more
03:36
sensitive to their plight but overall
03:39
you know I thought all of the reaction
03:42
was overblown it was good you know and
03:43
that's really where I was before it was
03:44
funny you know and so it was
03:46
inappropriate
03:47
but Dave Chappelle has been
03:51
inappropriate or or politically correct
03:53
you know and so and if he if he made fun
03:56
of something that you hold dear then you
03:58
know like that's that's comedy that's
03:59
what happens that yeah I know it doesn't
04:02
seem like it came from a bad place maybe
04:03
it did maybe it didn't but at the same
04:05
time that's what you that's what you go
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to comedy for you know like so I I
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thought it was it met with my
04:12
expectations it was funny and it was
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provocative yeah I agree with that I
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know to to James this point I think that
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it has become very easy for the canceled
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culture
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to propagate and it exists beyond just
04:28
those who are a list celebrities we've
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seen it happen with those who have been
04:33
charged who've been charged as criminals
04:35
and whether they were actually guilty or
04:38
not after they've actually entered the
04:40
system people are like okay they're
04:41
canceled from society like this is
04:43
something that happens very easily when
04:45
someone assumes that you have stepped
04:47
over the line or you've done something
04:49
they don't necessarily agree with either
04:50
socially or you know culturally whatever
04:52
that thing happens to be and I think
04:54
that there is a problem because in many
04:55
cases specific particularly that I think
04:58
to today of Chappelle it is that right
05:02
now our country is under siege when it
05:04
comes to free speech it becomes very
05:06
difficult for you to say something or
05:07
express yourself and it not be taken as
05:11
now you're basically your career is over
05:14
right it doesn't matter and there's no
05:17
turning back and we've seen this happen
05:18
with old tweets that are being dug up
05:20
from people when they tweeted something
05:21
when they were in high school yeah you
05:24
know if you around during social medias
05:25
growth in high school or in college you
05:28
probably said something that you might
05:30
not say today 10-15 years later and I do
05:33
think that there's something to be said
05:35
about us giving second chances as
05:37
understanding when people grow but also
05:39
really not moving as quickly to cancel
05:43
people at the end of the day some things
05:44
are just funny and it's not that serious
05:46
right for comedians I think that you're
05:48
always toeing an interesting line
05:50
because what may be funny to one person
05:51
may automatically seem offensive to
05:53
another group and we've seen
05:55
particularly when it comes to LGBT jokes
05:58
we've seen a resonance around them in
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terms of hyperaggression and sensitivity
06:03
that we haven't necessarily seen to
06:05
other groups because I'll give it to
06:06
people like Dave Chappelle Eddie Murphy
06:09
and others there are equal opportunity
06:11
comedians they come after everybody and
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we see a staring squad come from this
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group that we don't necessarily see from
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others ya know and you know if they
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weren't equal opportunity they probably
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wouldn't be funny cuz then they have to
06:23
be censored and they have to think about
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well Who am I gonna offend and is this
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person gonna be offended that doesn't
06:27
sell that's not very it's not very funny
06:29
probably if you have to think about if
06:31
you're gonna offend somebody you're
06:32
probably not a good comedian I don't
06:34
know so you know but you know speaking
06:36
about the reactions though of
06:38
let's actually talk take the reactions
06:39
of a lot of black media particularly I
06:42
know I think I think the route came out
06:44
with a couple of stories and they were
06:46
really they were really harsh I mean
06:47
they were very very harsh and they just
06:49
they basically said the only people that
06:50
like this are people that like the Dave
06:52
Chappelle show who are people that were
06:55
either just horrible white people that
06:56
are just racist you know the ultra ultra
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racist white people or black people or
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others who were who are not for trans
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rights or who are who are not friends of
07:05
the LGBT community I actually think
07:07
that's that's ridiculous I think it's a
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I think that's a easy way to just
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narrowly describe his performance
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without actually giving it any context
07:16
because I think he was equal opportunity
07:19
and I don't think that was a fair
07:20
assessment but there are a lot of people
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that were really really really hard on
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him so much so that they actually proved
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his point they went on to Rotten
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Tomatoes and everybody went on and
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droves and he got like 0% like no one
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objectively could say he got that you
07:34
could say that that was 0% rating for
07:36
this show it was a funny show and it
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certainly wasn't a 0% but he kind of no
07:41
he didn't kind of it kind of proved his
07:42
point but but everything isn't for
07:45
everybody is that and so and again this
07:47
is comedy if he was out here as a
07:49
politician to saying these things then
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you reject it he's all right this is
07:53
calm this is what this is what it's
07:54
supposed to be provocative its supports
07:57
going to offend Dave Chappelle like his
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shows if you learn in all of his comedy
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routines if you want to take it hyper
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literally you can say that [ __ ] that
08:05
very offensive to black folks yep you
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know and one of the points he made you
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know actually in the comedy special as
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far as how language can be more loose
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when referencing black folks then it can
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be when you're referencing as he called
08:18
it the alphabet people and so and it
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like I just I don't think that if comedy
08:24
is everybody thinks it's funny then I
08:27
don't think that exists you know it
08:28
everything's not for everybody some
08:30
people would prefer maybe you know the
08:31
Ned Flanders style of you know of comedy
08:34
where it's just very inefficient other
08:36
people might find that boring and not
08:37
provocative and not worth your time and
08:39
so but everything's that then have to be
08:41
for everybody in comedy was to be
08:43
another look on what's happening in our
08:45
popular culture it's supposed to test
08:47
religion is supposed to test the
08:48
boundaries that is what comedy was
08:50
designed to do so when you water
08:52
down or when you try to make it
08:53
extremely PC not only is it no longer
08:55
funny there is no longer a point and
08:57
actually having the medium to begin with
08:58
it is that's to you that's to you like
09:00
some people some people may prefer the
09:02
the PC you know like in where we were
09:05
milking laughs you know some people may
09:07
perform that it's not it's not just him
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look at like the redneck comedy that get
09:13
her done people and all of those folks
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at the end of the day they're making fun
09:16
of trailer-trash they're making fun of
09:19
things that are occurring on people in
09:22
Appalachia things that are occurring
09:23
about amongst people who have a great
09:25
time I'm drinking three dozen you know
09:27
the cans of Budweiser every night like
09:30
there's no you gotta get more hip you
09:32
gotta get more hip to the corny comedy
09:34
scene there's corny comedy out there if
09:39
you want to find it yo Jimmy that you
09:42
brought up Ned Flanders I'm still in
09:49
what was interesting about Dave
09:51
Chappelle is that people on the right
09:52
were they were trying to die some people
09:54
were saying oh well he helps save
09:56
America like yeah this is what I mean
09:58
without I don't think he was saying he
10:00
was trying to defend certain positions I
10:03
don't think he was defending
10:04
millionaires now I don't think that's
10:06
what he was trying to do I don't and and
10:08
I think by the fact of the way he
10:09
started the series showed that so do I
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think he meant everything literally no
10:14
of course that is my opinion but I also
10:16
think it's in context you can you can
10:17
kind of tell that people on the right
10:19
may try to take some of what he said and
10:21
say oh my god look he's agreeing with us
10:23
I mean not really I think he's just
10:25
trying to challenge part of it because
10:27
there is some point that listen we have
10:31
and we can talk about the looks like to
10:33
talk about the me to moment he said I
10:35
have a me-too headache that's what he
10:36
said his words not mine
10:37
but he got into the fact that you know
10:40
we are right now we do we have just said
10:44
that we have told some people like
10:45
they've been convicted they have to give
10:47
up their careers before even going
10:49
through due process like we don't even
10:51
the case could be true but what we're
10:53
saying as soon as somebody makes an
10:55
accusation and essentially there's
10:56
another one that person has to give up
10:57
their job that's it their whole career
10:58
is over nothing else matters I mean and
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I think that that has some legitimacy
11:02
for us to say
11:04
lise pause and see are we actually
11:07
looking at this right or a part of this
11:09
a part of our reaction is just actual
11:11
group thing I think that's what he's
11:12
trying to do I don't know I gotta say
11:15
you got the cape on strong man because
11:17
like I think he's all fitting I think
11:19
he's a bit I think he means it but I
11:22
don't think he may not mean it in RNA in
11:23
a mean-spirited way but asking the
11:26
question in a funny way of whether we've
11:28
gone too far on this or gone too far on
11:30
that I don't think those questions are
11:33
making fine men are in a way of making
11:35
fun of society makes him a bad person
11:37
but or conservative I think that there
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are certain conservatives and a lot of
11:42
conservative groups who jumped on this
11:44
and Hilda is oh you know he's for free
11:47
speech he's here for us he's anti LGBT
11:49
he's anti me to me to movement a lot of
11:53
the things that he brought up in in that
11:55
in that comedy special are things that
11:57
people talk about every day on both
11:59
sides of the aisle I don't think that he
12:01
was out here trying to be the
12:02
standard-bearer for conservative
12:03
politics at all it's interesting I think
12:06
that he has not come out and said
12:07
anything against it then again he hasn't
12:09
addressed any of the any of the like
12:11
side eye pieces or any of that related
12:13
to it either but to your point Rob a lot
12:16
of conservative groups college campuses
12:19
conservative groups at the national
12:20
level level conservative state based
12:22
conservative groups have jumped on this
12:24
and are now saying hey we have someone
12:26
who is technically one of us or someone
12:28
who speaks like us and I think that you
12:30
know that may not have been the intent
12:32
of I absolutely don't think that that
12:34
was the intent of the special at all but
12:36
I do think that when something like that
12:38
happens it it gives you a little bit of
12:41
up into me because on the one hand a lot
12:43
of people laughed at it who are not
12:45
conservative by anything lately the
12:47
palest fans probably aren't yeah there's
12:51
a link there if you know there are
12:54
certain things that you don't
12:55
necessarily find extremely detrimental
12:58
because there are people who don't
12:59
believe that you know there are a lot of
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people who believe me too has gone too
13:03
far especially in the case of due
13:05
process not that they don't believe in
13:06
it or don't think that women should get
13:07
their due when they are talking about or
13:09
you know bringing up cases of sexual
13:11
harassment it is again going back to
13:13
that council culture that man that
13:14
somebody says something now without any
13:16
investigation whatsoever we're getting
13:17
rid of
13:17
that person from society I think that
13:19
there's something to be said there and
13:20
that's not a conservative viewpoint that
13:22
is a human young that more that's kind
13:26
of kind of there's a duality that people
13:29
want to frame this in that because he
13:31
questioned in any way shape or form the
13:34
the way that things have been operated
13:37
you know let's say for the me to stand
13:40
for made to me to movement standpoint
13:42
the way it's been operated not the the
13:44
mission but just the way things have
13:46
been going because he questions that at
13:48
all then he's Pro conservative and
13:50
that's he was just questioning I think
13:54
that goes back to though everybody
13:56
listen not everybody but a lot of people
13:58
want to find you know the confirmation
14:00
bias they want to find their topic in
14:03
something so they're gonna pull out and
14:05
you know whatever they hear and
14:07
justified kind of lead it to justify
14:09
their cause because it reminds me that
14:13
the reaction kind of reminds me of some
14:15
of that reaction we saw when Kanye was
14:16
embracing the president and certain
14:18
conservatives were like well see look at
14:20
that it's almost like he's a
14:21
spokesperson but I obviously became a
14:25
sellout all black would like to sell out
14:26
they forgot he said George conscious not
14:33
used to seeing people that look like us
14:35
maybe just just saying something like
14:38
what Dave Chappelle was saying all of a
14:39
sudden they're they run to that and say
14:41
wow look see even he says so and and I
14:44
think that's kind of natural like we
14:45
said it happens on both sides just like
14:47
liberals might do the same thing if they
14:49
see someone who's perceived as
14:50
conservative Joe Walsh yeah maybe
14:52
exactly Joe Walsh or a scary Moochie or
14:55
if a conservative said something you
14:57
know that that liberals agreed with
14:59
about to change or something I'm sure
15:01
they point to that but I think the
15:02
Chappelle question is is different in
15:05
that I don't like first of all I think
15:07
Chappelle is kind of like Jon Stewart in
15:09
the sense that you know the comedy
15:11
itself points to some glaring realities
15:13
which kind of makes it funny it's sad at
15:15
the same time but another thing that I
15:18
thought of as we're talking here is like
15:21
Chappelle has been the same guy for the
15:24
last 20 years and watching I mean that
15:27
his show was so provocative when he had
15:29
the Clayton Bigsby
15:30
Klansmen aw yeah so is it that he's
15:34
changed or is it that we're now at a
15:36
point where yep he we're so
15:38
hypersensitive that now this is the
15:40
moment that everyone's looking at him
15:43
people seem to reject people seem to
15:45
reject people who think for themselves
15:48
like it's like hey if you're on my side
15:50
then you need to agree with me on
15:52
everything that I think right and you
15:54
can so that's really what I see here
15:56
that's change though hasn't that changed
15:57
a little bit the culture hyper-partisan
16:00
that's pretty normal that people people
16:05
really and when Arsenio was doing it
16:08
they weren't calling it partisan when
16:09
Eddie Murphy was doing it back you know
16:11
when I I did some retro you know
16:13
respective look into a lot of these a
16:15
lot of the themes brought out in his
16:16
comedy special which was the exact same
16:18
things that Arsenio was saying and what
16:19
1992 my society's changed though since
16:23
then no correct thinking but
16:26
conservatives have by and large always
16:28
been against certain things and they
16:29
weren't attacking they weren't saying
16:31
okay well this guy's on our side then
16:32
right no no that's a just for the point
16:38
of reference out Joe Walsh in Scare
16:40
Moochie those are two conservatives
16:43
people who have been on the right who
16:45
recently have come out against Donald
16:48
Trump and so the reference there was
16:49
only that that and when they did that
16:51
then a lot of people on the Left were
16:53
jumping up and saying look at these guys
16:54
look at these guys exactly guys are
16:56
rational so that was the point of
16:58
comparison oh that's a good point
16:59
another point he made I want to talk
17:01
about this is and when I say I think he
17:04
just said things I challenge people I'm
17:06
gonna put my cape back on so when he was
17:15
talking about issues I think of gender
17:17
he talked about issues of gender
17:18
particularly with LGBT community and
17:21
then kind of infused race where I think
17:24
he was going and where and where I think
17:26
he wanted to challenge us is that you
17:28
know look there actually are no
17:31
substantive difference in race that is
17:33
that is a social construct that people
17:36
made for economic reasons gender is
17:38
different like gender is not like we are
17:41
equal this is that I love you a lot I
17:43
love
17:44
for me to push back if I'm wrong or just
17:45
tell me your perspective I believe
17:47
gender-equal fire needs to be change I'm
17:50
calling them plenty of gender roles I
17:56
think you're saying like biological
17:58
gender correct yes yes and that men and
18:04
women do have some differences like
18:06
overall there's actually differences
18:07
across the board and that's okay it
18:09
doesn't mean one is better than the
18:10
other the the mistake people have made
18:12
he didn't say this but he's not he's not
18:14
a politician he's not he's not analyzing
18:16
issues he's just gonna make a joke
18:17
make it funny make you think that's it
18:19
where I'm taking it from my Superman
18:21
point of view is that he is challenging
18:23
us to say look gender and race are not
18:26
the same gender is not a social
18:27
construct gender is different you're
18:29
like you playing the W roles though are
18:32
social constructs in a lot of ways not
18:34
always but yes yes yes the example he
18:38
used was the WNBA in the NBA that's
18:40
accurate like you know it that's
18:42
accurate
18:43
I mean thoughts well I actually know the
18:47
one that was more the more of the gut
18:49
punch to me was when he when he
18:53
questioned the limits of self
18:55
determination meaning he used the
18:58
example of a person of if he did told
19:02
people and behaves stereotypical if he
19:04
behaved in a stereotypical way of
19:05
someone of another race and then when
19:07
questioned on it told people that he was
19:09
I that he felt that he was of that race
19:10
and and the comparison or the the what
19:15
he's you know and I'm not using
19:17
mechanize analogy I've excuse me is the
19:20
the self determination that oftentimes
19:22
happen when you when you talk about but
19:34
the the self determination when it comes
19:36
to that and the limit to that and so I
19:38
mean and that to me was was a fair
19:40
question you know now I definitely
19:43
support trying to be sensitive in trying
19:45
to be respectful and accommodating where
19:50
possible in terms of society at large
19:52
and people being able to to do what they
19:54
want to do as long as they're not
19:56
infringing the rights of other people
19:57
but it's a good question a very there is
19:59
when you talk about restrooms that were
20:01
only for a particular color skin that is
20:05
a different question then when you're
20:07
talking biological differences and so
20:09
that's not to say that we need to treat
20:11
people in one a one-size-fits-all
20:14
standpoint but it's just a more
20:16
difficult question and we have to come
20:18
up with some way to accommodate and to
20:21
make to make everybody make it work for
20:22
everybody yes interesting Jimmy because
20:25
we saw that remember that lady I don't
20:27
know maybe three four years ago I never
20:38
thought of the analogy actually but
20:40
you're right
20:41
I guess Society wasn't that welcoming of
20:43
that example versus the gender one but
20:46
that's I guess we've seen it you know
20:48
already and I just had a thought to that
20:52
I think there's a Misha touched on this
20:54
that were like I think you said
20:56
something to me showed at the beginning
20:57
that were kind of transitioning this
20:59
culture and about privacy and how we
21:02
can't expect high school kids grew up
21:04
with the social media stuff to never
21:06
have any incidents going forward and I
21:09
think you're right many incidents of you
21:11
know like you're being embarrassed or
21:12
something because all of our lives are
21:13
going to be on on the web at some point
21:16
but I also feel that it's just an
21:20
interesting look at this Chappell thing
21:22
because at the end it's like our labels
21:25
are changing right like what is a
21:26
conservative and what is a liberal today
21:28
versus thirty years ago and I think that
21:31
part of the issue is for example I know
21:34
people that consider themselves
21:35
progressives there are 100 percent
21:38
they'll say I'm very comfortable with
21:40
the whole gay subject I might not be gay
21:42
but I've got you know total openness to
21:45
that but I just don't understand this
21:47
this just transgender thing because
21:49
because because I've thought the people
21:51
that they believe that someone is born
21:53
gay or they're not born gay but they
21:55
kind of can understand how someone can
21:57
be born one way and in their mind think
21:59
there's something else would still be
22:01
attracted to the same group so what I'm
22:03
saying is it's now
22:08
Robbin Amisha do you guys think that
22:10
this friend of toon days that he's
22:12
talking to is really today now but the
22:33
point is basically that you know I think
22:35
the labels that we you that we grew up
22:37
with let's say over the last few decades
22:39
they're also changing and I think that
22:41
goes back to the point you make about
22:42
where the recent meat is well about 20
22:45
30 40 years ago the conservative
22:48
movement wasn't looking at black
22:49
comedians and pointing out what they're
22:51
saying and saying yes see because also I
22:54
think conservatives didn't feel they
22:55
needed to do that to survive and I think
22:57
in today's world with the changing
22:59
demographics there there's kind of
23:01
they're looking outside to San hey you
23:03
know we got to look around and make this
23:05
10 a little bit bigger
23:06
well how they do that might be up to
23:09
debate but I think that just labels are
23:11
changing in a way that maybe we didn't
23:13
predict just 5 10 years ago no no no let
23:16
me actually completely agree so let's
23:19
just okay I'm gonna get those friend's
23:21
phone numbers he talked about gun
23:31
violence too and he brought it up in a
23:33
way that black people talk about all the
23:35
time every black man in person in
23:37
America I know I set this joke one way
23:39
or another he just said it out loud for
23:41
people to say he said so you know what
23:42
we need to do to end all of this gun
23:44
violence you know we have to do we have
23:46
to make sure every single black person
23:49
is registered to get a firearm right
23:52
that is something he said look he said
23:54
that would end that would end that
23:55
within this whole debate and we'd see
23:58
gun control the next day he set that in
24:00
a way because he was challenging a lot
24:01
of things he was also challenging the
24:03
fact that well are we actually doing
24:04
anything with all these shooter drills
24:05
because if the shooter is just gonna
24:06
know what the drill is and he's figuring
24:08
out how to kill people I mean he made a
24:09
lot of good points in a way and tried to
24:11
challenge how we actually look at this
24:13
and so it actually want to get to what I
24:16
think is the clap back of the week and
24:17
just have a
24:18
conversation about that so Ted Cruz who
24:21
if you don't I'm sure our listeners know
24:22
Ted Cruz is he's a he's the senator from
24:25
Texas he's very crazy from my okay baby
24:28
is the crazy sorry I should say a little
24:30
more objectively he's out there
24:32
eccentric whatever but anyway so you
24:39
know when there was another mass
24:41
shooting this week you know this one was
24:44
in Texas he he went out and just said
24:46
like you know look we know that gun
24:47
control doesn't work and he went to the
24:49
same line that conservatives love to do
24:51
some conservatives because some
24:53
conservatives actually believe in gun
24:54
control but what some like to do who are
24:56
nuts about it say oh we know it doesn't
24:58
work cuz look at Chicago there's a whole
25:00
bunch of you know the code there is a
25:01
bunch of codes like right there are
25:03
black people with a bunch of guns kill
25:04
each other so gun control won't work you
25:06
need guns to protect yourself from them
25:08
how projecting but that's what I think
25:10
he's doing and of course the mayor mayor
25:13
Lightfoot is though is a black woman if
25:15
you don't know she is and she responded
25:17
like that sister like a real sister
25:19
would you could tell she's a sister and
25:21
it's response and I just have to read
25:22
this she said in a tweet she clapped
25:24
back out and say look 60% of illegal
25:26
firearms were covered in Chicago come
25:28
from outside mostly from states
25:29
dominated dominated by like our
25:31
Republicans like you who refused to
25:34
enact common-sense gun legislation so
25:35
keep our names out your mouth boom snap
25:38
crackle pop that's what she said and I
25:43
do think he you know Dave Chappelle by
25:45
bringing this up frame the racial
25:48
tension that's also behind the gun
25:50
debate what are your thoughts it's
25:54
absolutely true it didn't obviously a
25:56
native Chicagoan it's it's hurtful when
25:58
you hear conservative after conservative
26:00
when they talk about the gun control
26:01
debate always through state Shadid
26:03
Chicago Chicago and the state of
26:05
Illinois is one state that is surrounded
26:08
by five they do not have gun control
26:11
legislation so the end of the day yes
26:13
there are trucks loads of trucks that
26:15
come into the state and there are people
26:17
who can literally go across the state
26:18
and by the him by those guns and bring
26:20
them right back into the state right
26:22
into the state of Illinois and into the
26:23
city of Chicago so it's extremely
26:25
damaging when you hear that rhetoric
26:27
over and over again but also it doesn't
26:29
take into consideration
26:30
anything else that makes Chicago a
26:32
hotbed of violence with the high
26:33
unemployment numbers with a high school
26:35
dropout rate with the high level of
26:37
poverty it's just really disparaging
26:39
that that's that's the motive to to the
26:43
new mayor you know more power to her
26:44
personally I'm not a huge fan I don't
26:46
think that she's a great legislator by
26:48
any means very good friend of her
26:51
communications director who actually let
26:58
me jump in because I think we eluded
27:00
this on another discussion we had on a
27:02
different show that and I'll ask the
27:04
audience to take out the Google machine
27:05
that's in their phone and the Google
27:13
machine and and just type in most
27:15
dangerous cities in America and search
27:16
and you'll find that every website
27:18
because I've checked multiple sites
27:20
Chicago is ranked between 20th and 25th
27:23
and the the top most dangerous cities in
27:28
the United States and this is where it
27:30
gets political happened to be in red
27:33
control you know GOP controlled
27:36
districts or cities where the mayor is
27:38
is is GOP so it goes back to politics
27:42
right obviously I don't think that
27:46
conservatives will call out their own
27:48
who are overseeing violent cities and
27:52
then to your point ameesha it's a great
27:54
point you make about the way that
27:56
Illinois is surrounded by all these
27:57
other states and I think this comes back
27:59
to what we talked about a little bit
28:00
earlier about this confirmation bias in
28:02
today's politics and media landscape
28:04
which is and it's what I get tired of
28:07
it's like we could yell all that from
28:08
the mountaintops at the end of the day
28:10
it doesn't matter these people gonna
28:12
believe what they want to believe they
28:13
want to believe that a bunch of black
28:14
people are in the urban jungle just not
28:16
killing each other because we have no
28:19
morals and all that and that's what they
28:20
gonna believe we could see here with all
28:21
the studies about all these other states
28:23
and there's trafficking of guns in and
28:25
out of a state like Chicago and that's
28:27
why at the end of the day you know
28:29
people just got to move forward and try
28:31
and put something on the table that can
28:33
make this whole situation better and not
28:36
try and negotiate this all the time you
28:37
have to push back also though I mean I
28:39
think I was
28:40
waiting for you to drop that you know
28:41
that nugget in because I knew it was
28:43
coming
28:44
as far as Chicago being you know and
28:46
then around 30th this far is the most
28:48
dangerous that he's not even that that's
28:51
two days for to die I definitely was was
28:54
late I went on say it I knew it was
28:55
coming you know so that was good I'm
28:57
glad he got it in but like it's meant to
28:59
invoke it's not meant to be a factual
29:01
thing it's meant to invoke a sir that's
29:03
my point that's it so they believe were
29:07
a bunch of monkeys in the jungle there's
29:08
an emotional aspect to that I was like
29:10
that's the electro bama's from like
29:13
there's just there's a view that's been
29:14
cultivated of Chicago it's no different
29:16
than the way they the welfare queen was
29:19
put up there you know even if you look
29:20
at the numbers and pull out your
29:21
calculator it's like oh well that's kind
29:23
of silly but that invokes it connects
29:26
with an emotion or a feeling that you
29:28
already want confirmation of and so
29:30
that's where Chicago comes in there is
29:31
it represents something where it's been
29:33
set up to represent something amongst
29:36
the people that he's talking to and as
29:38
you point out they're not gonna let you
29:40
know facts get in the way of that they
29:41
they want that feel good it's not my
29:43
problem it's not me that's creating on
29:44
this issue it's these other people and
29:46
so and these other people they're
29:48
distant we forget you know poverty and
29:49
how that can contribute to it and then
29:52
yeah Misha that was an amazing point as
29:54
far as like yes Chicago sitting in the
29:56
middle of all of these places where
29:58
people can go get guns easier than they
29:59
can get you know chewing gum and so you
30:02
know it's like you know wow you know
30:04
that's that's kind of a quite a mixture
30:05
there you know where it's it's it's we
30:07
take that plus all the poverty plus all
30:09
the people you know like sometimes it's
30:11
an urban thing to where you put that
30:12
many people together in one place then
30:14
there's going to be more people that fly
30:17
off the handle faster understand him
30:20
like Chicago is bigger than the majority
30:22
of American cities and in some instances
30:24
the city is almost bigger than some
30:25
states exactly there has to be a
30:29
recognition that to two days point yes
30:32
there's a reason why they rank a whole
30:34
lot lower in terms of that those top
30:36
cities for gun violence because it also
30:38
takes into consideration the the ratio
30:40
of individuals who live in a certain
30:41
block where there's a lot of people that
30:43
are killing any people people aren't
30:46
doing anything
30:47
yeah the vast majority are doing it but
30:50
what's what's so interesting is that the
30:52
Internet and we'll talk about this on
30:53
our on our next episode with a great
30:55
hack but I do want to say the Internet's
30:57
goal maybe wasn't its goal but the the
31:00
platform was to connect us in some ways
31:02
it's just make people more divided
31:04
because people still have made-up images
31:06
like you could just see Chicago and say
31:08
oh that's what's wrong with America you
31:10
just get that over and over and over and
31:12
over again if that's what you want to
31:13
believe
31:14
if you hit like if you like it again and
31:18
you get it again and you know and now
31:19
they're going to and then I want to move
31:21
off the subject you know crazy Ted he
31:24
actually now is now actually focused on
31:26
saying well now we know that God wants
31:28
us to have guns he's now using the Bible
31:30
by the way this just came out today yeah
31:31
this happened just new just just
31:33
happened right you say like this is
31:34
biblically based that you're supposed to
31:36
have guns by the way this actually goes
31:38
back to race too it goes back to people
31:39
say you know praise the Lord pass the
31:41
ammunition and like there's so much
31:44
Christianity man and so little Christ
31:47
like how like Pete so many people with
31:53
inner Christian ignore the teachings of
31:55
Christ in so many ways you know whether
31:56
it's how you treat other people how you
31:58
treat people that you disagree with like
31:59
and now it's guns like where in the
32:01
world like I'm sure it wasn't something
32:03
Christ said that he cited he's citing
32:05
something else the battle is a big book
32:12
you know but if you look if you're a
32:13
follower of Christ there's actually much
32:15
narrower set of teachings which you need
32:19
to do with shellfish Constitution First
32:29
Amendment Congress shall make no law
32:31
respecting an establishment of religion
32:32
religion or prohibiting the free
32:34
exercise thereof okay I think the
32:38
founding fathers got it right and that's
32:39
why they separated church and state
32:41
because once you start leading with the
32:43
religion you get all justified because
32:46
I'm sure we could all sit there and read
32:48
the Bible and find thousands of passages
32:51
that talk about peace and talk about it
32:53
loving thy neighbor and talk about
32:55
helping to downtrodden and he teaches
32:57
not to pick those verses so
33:00
point is actually more narrow than that
33:02
I'm saying that if you look at the words
33:04
and teachings of Christ himself that you
33:07
don't find any of that stuff you don't
33:09
find any of the stuff that these guys
33:10
did he's talking about or anything like
33:12
he has to go other places and that's
33:14
just interesting for somebody who calls
33:15
themself a Christian well as Gandhi said
33:18
I said you know I love you Christ your
33:20
Christian is not so much so that's what
33:22
he's but so no but speaking about whoa
33:27
culture and I kind of want to go back to
33:29
that Jesse small that we got to talk
33:31
about that no we actually talked about
33:38
this on this show and so look we were
33:41
planning we James we discuss we were
33:43
play we were saying are we gonna talk
33:44
about this issue when it further into
33:45
the story first came out and we both
33:47
posit it just feels like this is a
33:59
situation where like he every box was
34:01
checked in like he's look too too
34:04
perfect of a victim I mean it just
34:06
didn't it didn't feel right the story
34:07
didn't mesh he was right like half of us
34:10
cuz he where all of us some people did
34:12
want to believe him especially a lot of
34:14
younger black folks - I'm with you Misha
34:16
I see the face I see that I wasn't there
34:18
at all I was I was suspicious but some
34:19
people cuz I think right I remember
34:21
having this conversation with some of my
34:22
friends I said I don't know I got
34:24
attacked it was like what do you mean do
34:26
you not support her why is it because I
34:44
mean does anybody now believe that he
34:46
wasn't lying
34:48
[Music]
34:49
fine you know I wish I could but I think
34:58
no I mean again I don't know how many of
35:02
y'all well you live in the Midwest rob
35:04
have lived the Midwest equipped in the
35:05
Midwest it's negative 25 degrees on that
35:08
day
35:09
enough out especially walking to subway
35:14
that was what I told my wife I remember
35:16
cuz I don't watch Empire so I had no
35:18
idea who this guy was
35:19
I told her I said hold on you telling me
35:23
it's Chicago in a January which is the
35:26
coldest place in the world you know
35:29
Chicago in January I said you're telling
35:30
me at 2:00 a.m. there was two white guys
35:33
with mega hats in the middle of downtown
35:34
Chicago walking our rope ain't gonna go
35:37
find a guy who's not even like world
35:39
fame like I wouldn't recognize this guy
35:40
if I saw him you know right next to you
35:42
and I just did the whole thing didn't
35:44
sound right then he gets interviewed and
35:45
he's got no rope burns on his neck and
35:47
he said that they put the rope around
35:48
his neck and the best part that's why I
35:51
was laughing when Dave said it that then
35:53
the two guys who were perpetrators are
35:55
as black as they come so yeah Jesse
35:59
Jesse oza
36:00
he definitely owes an apology to young
36:03
white dudes of megawhatts walking around
36:05
cities he make he makes them a mortar in
36:08
that sense you know falsely accused but
36:10
I mean and I say honestly like I when I
36:12
hear that I want to believe him in the
36:14
sense that if something happened to him
36:16
and be like oh man I don't want to be
36:18
the one calling him but yeah that's
36:19
that's where you have to separate this
36:20
is what you have into society more you
36:22
separate what you would like to believe
36:24
what fits your outlook or your view with
36:27
how people are treating other people
36:28
with okay that doesn't sound right like
36:31
we have just this week someone saying
36:34
that the hurricane was going to Alabama
36:36
and then snot nobody says the hurricane
36:39
is going to Alabama and so they alter a
36:41
map to make it look like you want to
36:48
believe something back and say you know
36:51
what that that just doesn't
37:03
the color is the rest of the lines
37:08
beyond the smollett thing though the one
37:11
thing that I thought was sad in the long
37:15
run is that there are gay people that
37:18
suffer you know this guy targeted hate
37:24
crimes are up in the white house is real
37:29
having a real effect and this guy yeah
37:31
it takes advantage that feel because
37:33
it's actually this directly dishonours
37:37
Emmett Till and any other people who
37:40
have actually been attacked and in some
37:43
people lost their lives this dishonours
37:46
them you know it's an affront to them
37:47
make sure is that it was all because the
37:52
guy was complaining that he's only
37:53
making $65,000 a show I mean like that's
37:57
what makes it to me even more like I
38:02
don't know any reason that would be any
38:03
better stand it there's are probably a
38:10
reason that I would think is fair I'm
38:11
just saying that it shows you how much
38:14
in a different stratosphere this guy is
38:16
living from everyone else I mean the
38:18
average salary in the United States
38:19
right now is 51 thousand a year yep this
38:22
guy proof show is making more than the
38:24
average American makes per year so yes
38:30
no and that's what I'm saying like so so
38:33
the fact that he would go through this
38:34
massive orchestration and my thing is
38:36
instead of just go get and acting
38:38
coaching it better at your skills like I
38:40
do all this to try and make more money
38:43
when you could just you obviously got
38:44
your foot in the door and a good show
38:46
just get better Network go go meet
38:49
better people you know rise up the
38:51
ladder like everyone else but that's why
38:53
I think that that's what I mean by
38:55
that's what makes it worse right is that
38:57
he's already in an era of privilege
38:59
where he could have just focused and
39:02
uses talent to get better but I studied
39:04
he wanted to do this now it's all gone
39:06
right
39:07
exactly for all of us in Jesse small
39:29
that is the highlight I think that that
39:33
we can use for the Dave Chappelle show
39:34
it's there's a lesson for woke folks I
39:37
consider myself woke bus but some of
39:39
y'all a little too woke right you know
39:40
you so woke it's is affecting your brain
39:42
you need sleep like think before we
39:45
react to some of this stuff and it's
39:47
it's tempting to do it but at least go
39:49
through a due process challenge have the
39:51
other side of it at least and sometimes
39:53
there isn't sometimes there is another
39:54
side progressives can be wrong too
39:57
progressives are wrong often too just as
39:59
much as conservatives are and I think we
40:01
can't accuse the the others the other
40:04
side sometimes of being intolerant when
40:07
we just react and don't allow ourselves
40:09
to be objective in our thought process
40:12
that's what I think we need to bring
40:13
away from this that's what I take from
40:15
the Chappelle show putting my cape back
40:16
on is James says however you want to say
40:19
it I just think that's what it really
40:21
means to be woke to be woke us to be
40:23
aware is to be self-conscious of your
40:25
own flaws not just others so stay woke
40:28
if you want to stay free eternal
40:30
vigilance is always the price of freedom
40:31
I'm Rob Richardson Tom James keys
40:34
I'm Tunde Romana and I'm a Misha cross
40:36
and we'll see you next time
40:38
[Music]