There is racism and then there is making fun of racists by satirizing them, but today’s leftist protesters can’t seem to tell the difference and despite the bizarre amounts of stupidity it would take not to see the difference, it’s harmful to try to stop the comedic lambasting.
As the Daily Wire has reported, the show “30 Rock” has pulled some episodes where blackface is featured. The general purpose of these bits was to mock anyone who would do blackface and put forth the idea that doing so was a stupid thing to do. It culminated in an apology from executive producer Tina Fey:
With the PC police swirling, lead actress Fey offered an apology.
“As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation,” Fey wrote in a letter to the platforms that streamed or sold 30 Rock. “I understand now that ‘intent’ is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for pain they have caused. Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness. I thank NBCUniversal for honoring this request.”
No comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness?
Kids should be encouraged to stumble upon things like this so that it highlights to them the absolute ridiculousness of doing racist things. Comedy is the way to teach people the ridiculous side of hate.
When I was growing up, I remember watching Mel Brooks’s western comedy classic “Blazing Saddles.” In it, everything that anybody would find horrific in today’s culture took place in the movie. The “n-word” was dropped constantly and Brooks pretended to be a Native-American chieftain. It was real comedy, and it was a real message attached to it; racism is stupid.
Every racist person in the film was depicted as either being incredibly ignorant or very stupid. By the end of the film, Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little) had cured an entire town of white people of their ignorance, and both black and white people worked together to defeat a gang of bad guys working for a very villainous politician.
It was a great way to reinforce the idea that racism was the habit of the misinformed, idiotic, and evil. At no time is racism given a firm nod. Today, however, it doesn’t seem to matter. Fey, by caving to the PC Police without a fight, just reinforced the idea that any depiction of a racist act is a racist act regardless of its context or what its message is supposed to convey.
If we’re going to teach people about the evils and stupidity of racism the way to do it isn’t to topple statues, set up autonomous zones, or riot. That’s not going to reach people except in a very negative fashion. If you really want people to get your point, winning their hearts comes first. Once you do that, then they’ll listen to you.
I have no compunction to listen to anyone screaming at me, or in the face of police officers, or threatening me with violence if I don’t fall in with their way of thinking. I will naturally give my ear to those who make me laugh.
I like to say I was raised on Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s South Park if that’s any indication of how well satire and messaging go together.
