Some activists claim that Chappelle’s jokes about anti-Semitism are normalizing a dangerous issue.
Dave Chappelle’s latest Saturday Night Live monologue is expected to generate controversy, but not for the reasons many expected. The comedian managed to stay away from gender and sexuality-related issues that often get him in trouble, but his jokes about America’s recent struggles with anti-Semitism have sparked a backlash that only seems to be growing.
Chappelle devoted a significant portion of his 15-minute monologue to taunting Kanye West and Kyrie Irving for their recent anti-Semitic remarks. He began poking fun at her PR blunders, pointing out that Kanye should have apologized to “buy himself some time,” and joked that the rapper was so anti-Semitic that it got Irving in trouble by association got.
The comedian then explained why he sees anti-Semitism, particularly the idea that Jews collectively rule the world, as a flawed ideology. He cited examples of anti-Black racism in different parts of America as evidence that large numbers of people of a given ethnicity in a given area does not necessarily equate to power.
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“I’ve been to Hollywood and that’s exactly what I saw: it’s a lot of Jews, how many,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean anything. There are a lot of black people in Ferguson, Missouri, but that doesn’t mean we run the place.”
The monologue drew criticism on social media on Sunday, with some Jewish leaders and commentators berating Chappelle for downplaying a serious issue. Some felt that explaining a racist ideology, even in a comedic way to debunk it, helped unnecessarily normalize a toxic mindset.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt took to Twitter to condemn Chappelle’s comments. His organization had previously issued formal statements condemning West and Irving’s comments, and he used his own platform to express regret that Chappelle was telling jokes about anti-Semitism.
“We shouldn’t expect Dave Chappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but it’s disturbing to see that ‘SNL’ not only normalizes antisemitism, but popularizes it.” he wrote. “Why are Jewish sensibilities denied or belittled on almost every corner? Why does our trauma elicit applause?”
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