Dave Chappelle’s controversial SNL opening monologue about Kanye West’s antisemitic comments is garnering a LOT of backlash.
If you missed it, the comedian appeared as the host of Saturday Night Live over the weekend and used most of his 15-minute monologue to address and perpetuate his rapper friend’s antisemitic comments about wanting to go “death con 3” on Jewish people and more. Now, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, and many others are fed up and speaking out against the insulting television segment.
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During the problematic monologue, Dave made a series of antisemitic jokes while he discussed Jewish people in Hollywood, referred to Shabbat as “Sha na na,” and claimed Ye had broken “show business rules” by discussing things “you should never speak about it,” among other things. To get a sense of why many people are rightfully upset, watch the distasteful speech (below).
On Sunday, Jonathan took to Twitter to criticize the comic’s decision to make light of Kanye’s violent ideologies, but he also put NBC on blast for allowing this to occur in the first place. He wrote:
“We shouldn’t expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but disturbing to see @nbcsnl not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism. Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”
So, so true! NBC should have done better to stop these violent and harmful comments from airing. Let’s remember, the Jewish people have historically faced mass execution when these harmful stereotypes become mainstream. That alone should be reason for anyone to denounce it! Referencing the start of The Closer star’s monologue (in which he pulled out a piece of paper and read a two-sentence statement “denouncing antisemitism in all forms,” earning him laughter from the audience who took it as more of a joke than a real statement), The Jerusalem Post also clapped back at the episode, saying:
“American comedian Dave Chappelle said during his SNL monologue that he ‘denounces antisemitism in all its forms’… before promptly engaging in antisemitic tropes.”
Time Out New York theater editor Adam Feldman added:
“That Dave Chappelle SNL monologue probably did more to normalize anti-Semitism than anything Kanye said.”
And it’s not just what Dave said but how he said it that is drawing concern from activists. In another tweet, Adam noted that while West is “nuts,” Chappelle “posits himself as a teller of difficult truths,” which is “worse.” He’s not the only one who fears Dave’s style of speech could be extra damaging either. Jewish-Israeli rights activist Rudy Rochman also wrote:
“Dave Chappelle’s SNL skit was a meticulous & calculated move to desensitize the population from antisemitism, getting society to laugh at Jewish traumas/struggles, and normalizing historic tropes by manipulating the average person’s pain and redirecting their reactions onto Jews.”
He continued:
“This is one of the earlier steps, but once this stage is complete the attacks evolve from verbal to physical, then from individual to institutional, and because most will already be desensitized, the world will watch and do nothing. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.”
You can hear more about his take on the SNL moment (below).
Oof…
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This kind of IRL violence isn’t as far off as some might think either. While Kanye incited in-person displays of antisemitism (specifically in LA), Dave’s decision to lean into the same stereotypes during his monologue has now riled up even more self-proclaimed Nazis online!
A concerning amount of people with antisemitic beliefs have taken to social media following the SNL monologue to cheer on Dave, praising him for normalizing the disturbing rhetoric. They’re even going so far as to question whether Adolf Hitler was right for what he did during the Holocaust…
WTF!!
Did the Jewish Canadian-American creator and executive producer of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, really let something like this air? It’s a far cry from Amy Schumer‘s set last week where she basically called Kanye a “Nazi,” that’s for sure. This is just absolutely WRONG. We need more people in positions of power to denounce this kind of hate speech rather than amplify it!!
Speaking of, why do companies continue to give problematic stars a platform?! Dave has been in the hot seat for months now following transphobic and homophobic comments in the past, which he has refused to apologize for. The fact he even landed the SNL hosting gig was so controversial, some staff reportedly refused to work during the episode. Surely, this should have been a sign NBC had f**ked up, and yet, they didn’t seem to care about the backlash. So, we guess it’s up to viewers to hold them and white supremacists accountable. Thoughts? Let us know (below)!
To learn more about antisemitism and how you can help fight it, check out https://www.adl.org/.
The post Anti-Defamation League & More Condemn Dave Chappelle's <i>SNL</i> Speech As Actual Nazis Applaud It On Twitter appeared first on Perez Hilton.