inblackandwhite.doc

1In Black and White: A Content Analysis of Racial Humor in the Chappelle ShowBy Jasmin AbbatielloABSTRACTThis paper is a content analysis of racial and ethnic stereotypes portrayed through comedy, in particular The Dave Chappelle Show. Using the theory of social construction, I argue that individuals create meaning for categories such as race and ethnicity. Chappelle uses comedic skits to undermine racist stereotypes that exist in American society. Do you ever stop and wonder who gives the world meaning? Who creates how, why, and what we think about the world? Sociologist using a social construction framework argue that individuals create meaning, including categories such as race and ethnicity. The socially constructed nature of race and ethnicity can be analyzed in media products like comedy. In The Chappelle Show, Chappelle presents racial and ethnic stereotypes that exist in society, yet he also critically comments on the very nature of social constructs of race. This paper is a content analysis of racial and ethnic stereotypes portrayed through comedy, in particular The Chappelle Show.LITERATURE REVIEWRacial and ethnic stereotypes have been portrayed in books, television shows, and other forms of the media, in particular comedy. Although it can be a controversial topic, some scholars argue that ethnic humor is used as a form of survival. Boskin and Dorinson (1985) argue that ethnic humor makes those using it feel more comfortable with themselves and with those who are not like them. Horton (1993) argues that by portraying the cultural style of African Americans, people to feel more comfortable with themselves and their thoughts of people who are different then them. Both authors agree that comical stereotypes are used as a form of survival, and that over time people have adapted different racial and ethnic stereotypes. Ethnic humor is used in everyday life. Boskin and Dorinson (1985) argue that ethnic humor can be used by those who are at the top of the social class as well as the bottom to make differences less apparent and to create a sort of comfort zone. However ethnic humor can also be used to degrade those people who are not the same, or who are not in the same social structure. Middleton (1959) found that reactions to this type of humor varied among racial groups. “Negroes did react more favorably than whites to anti-white jokes, but the Negroes apparently found the anti-negro jokes just as funny as the whites” (Middleton 1959:178). Burma (1946) claims that jokes told by minorities about whites are sometimes considered to be “race conscious” jokes created by minorities to put down a group thought to be superior to make the minority group feel better about themselves. Thus, jokes make it easier for minorities to survive. Lowe (1986:442) claims that ethnic humor has a “connection with mythical concepts of aggression, struggle, and our national passion play and ritual, Americanization.” Humans attached a constructed meaning to the physical world, in particular, America. Lowe looks at how stereotypical views are in the radio show Amos and Andy. Although these comedians in white face may have known little or nothing about the cultural style of African Americans, this particular show was based on the perception of blacks through the eyes of whites. African Americans were portrayed in 2comedy using the stereotypes of blacks found in society; a society that was constructed to think that African Americans were ignorant. Horton (1993) also writes about the famous television and radio series Amos and Andy. He claims that white comedians knew nothing about the cultural style of Africa Americans, so they portrayed blacks as ignorant and took comfort in confirming their negative thoughts of the African American culture. This made the white’s feel more comfortable with their perception of their own and other cultures. Such media portrayals constructed an image of black culture that others assumed to be true. Horton (1993) argues that individuals use these comedian portrayals as a coping mechanism or as a form of survival; white people watched Amos and Andy to make themselves feel better about the stereotypes that they held, while black people laughed at how the characters withhold anger. Similarly, Wright (1995) claimed that humor has been used as a coping mechanism describing the social realities in society. Through humor, African Americans find it easier to tell history of their past dealing with their own culture and also white culture, thus relieving some tension there might be dealing with this serious topic. Gordon’s (1998:264) theorizes that by approaching serious racial topics through humor, “White society is forced to artfully confront the reality that the lives of blacks and whites are inextricably but unequally bound together.” This humor reflects a consciousness of multiple audiences, constructed along and divided by racial lines. Gordon uses evidence 。