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"Bamboozled" and Dave Chappelle

Sampson

Sampson

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So I just watch Bamzboozled (yeah, I know I'm late) and after watching it, as a black man, I'm not gonna front, it really just provoked so many emotions from me... mostly anger... anger at today's modern day minstrels... how the fuck are we allowing this shit to happen? Especially seeing the look of regret and shame Manray and his co-star had everytime they looked in the mirror and put on the 'black face'. :smh: But my main reason for posting this thread is because of a post I found on another board:

Right after I watched Bamboozled, I happened to catch Chappelle's Show The Lost Episodes. I couldn't help noticing the similarities between Man Ray and Dave Chappelle's mysterious departure. I remember that he left for Africa and the world was puzzled. After watching Bamboozled it makes a lot more sense. I've always been a big fan of Chappelle's show, but after watching Bamboozled it didn't seem as funny. Particularly the skit where the newscaster is redubbed so whenever they said the word "minority", it was replaced with the big N word. In the past I have laughed, sometimes hysterically like in the infamous skit "The N***ers" which portrays a white family with the odd last name. But hearing it over again in this instance it made me ill. And I didn't see the humour in it at all! Do you think Dave Chappelle must have felt the way Man Ray must have felt? I have never understood this before until now. That is the power of Spike Lee's film.

I remember when I first saw Dave Chappelle's show... I hated it. I couldn't laugh because I truly felt he was selling out black people to make a quick buck... but as I've looked back at his sketches... I kinda see what he was trying to do but he had probably felt that he had become trapped by his own satire. I remember in the Oprah interview he said what really made him quit was a white person laughing with 'malice' at one of his racist jokes. He finally realized they were laughing at him and not with him.

To those who have watched Bamboozled... how do you feel?

I feel like Damon's character in the movie because I'm trying to break into script writing but I face the same problems everyday.
 
To me, Bamboozled is a really hard gut punch to the industry itself. It cast everything into the light so that we could see Hollywood's racist undertones and how they use film to try to manipulate us as a people into thinking they can continue to push past that line in the sand, and to see how far they can take it and run with it. A very powerful film, and in my opinion one of Spike Lee's most underrated films ever. As for Dave Chapelle, Yes I really do believe that one day he woke up and realized that he was being used by the White Hollywood slave trade to "Bamboozle" us into thinking the comedic stabs the writers took at us were funny when indeed it was clearly him being used by a racist puppeteer. I didn't quite understand his decision to just walk away either when the show ended, but upon further reading into his story, I know he woke up to a harsh reality that he was just a pawn in a larger game of Chess and he was not the King on the board, an he is the one checkmated.Just my 2 cent
 
voyuer said:
cosign.

but most folks wont see u tho.
Click to expand...

Wait for the CACs and Sambos to 1star this thread.

Agent69 said:
To me, Bamboozled is a really hard gut punch to the industry itself. It cast everything into the light so that we could see Hollywood's racist undertones and how they use film to try to manipulate us as a people into thinking they can continue to push past that line in the sand, and to see how far they can take it and run with it. A very powerful film, and in my opinion one of Spike Lee's most underrated films ever. As for Dave Chapelle, Yes I really do believe that one day he woke up and realized that he was being used by the White Hollywood slave trade to "Bamboozle" us into thinking the comedic stabs the writers took at us were funny when indeed it was clearly him being used by a racist puppeteer. I didn't quite understand his decision to just walk away either when the show ended, but upon further reading into his story, I know he woke up to a harsh reality that he was just a pawn in a larger game of Chess and he was not the King on the board, an he is the one checkmated.Just my 2 cent
Click to expand...

Too true. Remember the picture of him holding money while being chained screaming 'I'm rich bitch'?

633846446934957090-imrich.jpg


This image speaks volumes. I think he was aware to a degree... but as you said, he finally realized he was just a pawn. I honestly hated the Chappelle show when it first came out. I was still in highschool, but something didn't sit right with me... especially with all the white boys constantly renacting his sketches. The amount of glee they had on their faces when they said 'nigga' just really unsettled me. I swear, it felt like Dave Chappelle was a medium for whites to express how they feel about blacks, and they were comfortable doing it while laughing AT Dave Chappelle.

I'm glad Dave finally woke up and saw what was really going down. It makes me apprehensive as a writer because I've got so much shit going against me. The amount of times I'd have producers trying to 'subtly' tell me to 'dumb down' the black characters in my script pisses me off. That's why I prefer working with independent companies.
 
If I remember correctly, his deal was worth $50,000,000, but if he was promised those kind of figures, that tells me that Comedy Central must have been looking to make around per say $500,000,000. 50 Mill is probably more than I'll see in this lifetime, but I suppose it wasn't enough to sell his Soul.
 
The guy was a victim of his own genuis and conscience. His intent was (partly) to debunk and expose racial stereotypes and prejudices by illustrating them through comedic presentations. Showing how hilarious and silly they were while making us all laugh together. I think he felt as though that purpose was overlooked and people just used them to entertain themselves while re-enforcing those stereotypes and prejudices(my opinion). Had to be frustrating as hell for him too. Obviously not the first person of color faced with that reality but probably the first one to walk away at such a great cost.

I remember a great quote from him. It was said out of annoyance during a stand up performance where the crowd kept yelling out quotes from the show during his set. Something very telling that he said to the audience during the height of the so-called "breakdown":

"You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you're not smart enough to get what I'm doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid."
 
Still haven't seen all of it but I like what I have seen. Probably would have benefitted from a higher budget and better acting by some but it's a really deep, smart movie.
 
Amajorfucup said:
The guy was a victim of his own genuis and conscience. His intent was (partly) to debunk and expose racial stereotypes and prejudices by illustrating them through comedic presentations. Showing how hilarious and silly they were while making us all laugh together. I think he felt as though that purpose was overlooked and people just used them to entertain themselves while re-enforcing those stereotypes and prejudices(my opinion). Had to be frustrating as hell for him too. Obviously not the first person of color faced with that reality but probably the first one to walk away at such a great cost.

I remember a great quote from him. It was said out of annoyance during a stand up performance where the crowd kept yelling out quotes from the show during his set. Something very telling that he said to the audience during the height of the so-called "breakdown":

"You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you're not smart enough to get what I'm doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid."
Click to expand...

I've always maintained that the american people (not just blacks) are morons. If more people were smarter, not educated, but were actually smarter this country would be a better place.

Not trying to rewrite history or anything, but I truly believe that Dave was trying to show people the idiocy of various stereotypes through his satire. This is the same thing that I feel that Boondocks has tried to do.

While both shows are made for you to laugh most people don't go past that. Most people can't see the message behind some of the shows (a problem many influential comics throughout our history have had to deal with). And yeah after a while I'm sure Dave felt people were not laughing with him but at him.

Smart shows like dave's don't last. Either people make those shows become caricatures of themselves or people become "outraged" at the themes of the show.

This is all the while when other baser black comedy shows are lauded and accepted (I'm looking at you Tyler Perry).

It's just the way the world is I suppose.
 
sagelike said:
I've always maintained that the american people (not just blacks) are morons. If more people were smarter, not educated, but were actually smarter this country would be a better place.

Not trying to rewrite history or anything, but I truly believe that Dave was trying to show people the idiocy of various stereotypes through his satire. This is the same thing that I feel that Boondocks has tried to do.

While both shows are made for you to laugh most people don't go past that. Most people can't see the message behind some of the shows (a problem many influential comics throughout our history have had to deal with). And yeah after a while I'm sure Dave felt people were not laughing with him but at him.

Smart shows like dave's don't last. Either people make those shows become caricatures of themselves or people become "outraged" at the themes of the show.

This is all the while when other baser black comedy shows are lauded and accepted (I'm looking at you Tyler Perry).

It's just the way the world is I suppose.
Click to expand...

Co-sign 1000%:yes:........thank you for svaing me from typing all of that on this small keyboard
 
Agent69 said:
If I remember correctly, his deal was worth $50,000,000, but if he was promised those kind of figures, that tells me that Comedy Central must have been looking to make around per say $500,000,000. 50 Mill is probably more than I'll see in this lifetime, but I suppose it wasn't enough to sell his Soul.
Click to expand...

I read somewhere that he was doing standup in Toronto, and he said something to this effect:

"So the offer me 50million dollars and this white guy had his dick on the table. I was like hell no." :smh: That shit wouldn't surprise me. I've heard all about the casting couch, about how you have to do some homo shit to get far in Hollywood.

Amajorfucup said:
The guy was a victim of his own genuis and conscience. His intent was (partly) to debunk and expose racial stereotypes and prejudices by illustrating them through comedic presentations. Showing how hilarious and silly they were while making us all laugh together. I think he felt as though that purpose was overlooked and people just used them to entertain themselves while re-enforcing those stereotypes and prejudices(my opinion). Had to be frustrating as hell for him too. Obviously not the first person of color faced with that reality but probably the first one to walk away at such a great cost.

I remember a great quote from him. It was said out of annoyance during a stand up performance where the crowd kept yelling out quotes from the show during his set. Something very telling that he said to the audience during the height of the so-called "breakdown":

"You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you're not smart enough to get what I'm doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid."
Click to expand...

Yeah, I remember that. I think it was because I was young at the time, and me myself being from a different country, I couldn't quite understand why he was doing such jokes. It felt like the minstrel show all over again... but as I stated, looking back at it with a more mature mind, I understand what he was trying to do... but as one person beautifully illustrated, he thought he was the king on the board he ended up becoming the pawn.

And what you said leads well into the next quote.

sagelike said:
I've always maintained that the american people (not just blacks) are morons. If more people were smarter, not educated, but were actually smarter this country would be a better place.

Not trying to rewrite history or anything, but I truly believe that Dave was trying to show people the idiocy of various stereotypes through his satire. This is the same thing that I feel that Boondocks has tried to do.

While both shows are made for you to laugh most people don't go past that. Most people can't see the message behind some of the shows (a problem many influential comics throughout our history have had to deal with). And yeah after a while I'm sure Dave felt people were not laughing with him but at him.

Smart shows like dave's don't last. Either people make those shows become caricatures of themselves or people become "outraged" at the themes of the show.

This is all the while when other baser black comedy shows are lauded and accepted (I'm looking at you Tyler Perry).

It's just the way the world is I suppose.
Click to expand...

That's the problem right there... trying not to blur the lines of satire and reality. His own show basically became a portrayal and scarily prophetic (when he was with Wayne Brady and his show and been cancelled... :hmm: ) . I couldn't imagine him having to put up with idioits constantly shouting at him 'Rick James Bitch'. I think worldwide people substitute education for common sense. There are still idiots in power, but they don't use their damn minds.



I know. :smh: Especially the dress issue.

Upgrade Dave said:
Still haven't seen all of it but I like what I have seen. Probably would have benefitted from a higher budget and better acting by some but it's a really deep, smart movie.
Click to expand...


I think that was the main problem. I was watching it late last night and I was thinking "why is the camera so budget?" I understand he was trying to show the satire but I think the directing could've done better. Plus, the budget was $10mil and it only made just over $2mil... although it did have a limited release. :rolleyes: (I wonder why).

This is one of those films that completely changes your life. Seriously, for those who says movies aren't powerful... watch Bamboozled and I dare you not to feel something.
 
I agree w/ you...totally feel the same way about The Boondocks...I laughed out of ignorance tho...but I think their messages are totally misguided...
 
drbombae said:
Yo write, produce, and put your stuff up on the web. That's the way we are doing it these days,. Hollywood is not your only option anymore.:yes::yes::yes:
Click to expand...

I agree. I'm just worried that sooner or later, they're gonna somehow regulate and tax for usage of the internet and uploading movies. You just know it's gonna happen.
 
Amajorfucup said:
The guy was a victim of his own genuis and conscience. His intent was (partly) to debunk and expose racial stereotypes and prejudices by illustrating them through comedic presentations. Showing how hilarious and silly they were while making us all laugh together. I think he felt as though that purpose was overlooked and people just used them to entertain themselves while re-enforcing those stereotypes and prejudices(my opinion). Had to be frustrating as hell for him too. Obviously not the first person of color faced with that reality but probably the first one to walk away at such a great cost.

I remember a great quote from him. It was said out of annoyance during a stand up performance where the crowd kept yelling out quotes from the show during his set. Something very telling that he said to the audience during the height of the so-called "breakdown":

"You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you're not smart enough to get what I'm doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid."
Click to expand...

I went to a show of his in fresno. it was for the showtime special he did later on in san francisco (the latest one forget the name) the thing is i had front row seats to that show and did not even see the standup until i saw it on showtime when it premiered. the reason? all of the college white boys screaming im rick james bitch and im rich bitch and all of that shit so frequently that he couldnt even get through his set. he begged them to stop and even looked at me and my friends (black guys with front row seats) shaking our heads in disgust at the shit. he said "see you get it" pointing at us and then talking to the crowd saying he came to enlighten and make us laugh but you guys wont even be quiet long enough to let me do my thing. he said he could sit there and smoke a cig and still get paid the same amount so it was up to us to either let us be entertained or waste our money. the white boys kept going thinking it was funny and yelling out nigga and all of that stuff. dave took out a cig started smoking on stage and sat there until his time was up and left. end of the show
i was so angry at the crowd i didnt know what to do. but the mexicans that attended did. being in the front it took us a while to get out which was in the back, so by the time we got out there were about 4 white guys with bloodied heads because mexicans had cracked bottles over them and fought them for disrupting the show.
 
thats what dave said after he stopped doing the show
the thing that fucked dave up was his close friend (white boy) was pressing him to continue the coonish shit prolly at comedy central's request
 
Amajorfucup said:
The guy was a victim of his own genuis and conscience. His intent was (partly) to debunk and expose racial stereotypes and prejudices by illustrating them through comedic presentations. Showing how hilarious and silly they were while making us all laugh together. I think he felt as though that purpose was overlooked and people just used them to entertain themselves while re-enforcing those stereotypes and prejudices(my opinion). Had to be frustrating as hell for him too. Obviously not the first person of color faced with that reality but probably the first one to walk away at such a great cost.

I remember a great quote from him. It was said out of annoyance during a stand up performance where the crowd kept yelling out quotes from the show during his set. Something very telling that he said to the audience during the height of the so-called "breakdown":

"You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you're not smart enough to get what I'm doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid."
Click to expand...

largebillsonlyplease said:
I went to a show of his in fresno. it was for the showtime special he did later on in san francisco (the latest one forget the name) the thing is i had front row seats to that show and did not even see the standup until i saw it on showtime when it premiered. the reason? all of the college white boys screaming im rick james bitch and im rich bitch and all of that shit so frequently that he couldnt even get through his set. he begged them to stop and even looked at me and my friends (black guys with front row seats) shaking our heads in disgust at the shit. he said "see you get it" pointing at us and then talking to the crowd saying he came to enlighten and make us laugh but you guys wont even be quiet long enough to let me do my thing. he said he could sit there and smoke a cig and still get paid the same amount so it was up to us to either let us be entertained or waste our money. the white boys kept going thinking it was funny and yelling out nigga and all of that stuff. dave took out a cig started smoking on stage and sat there until his time was up and left. end of the show
i was so angry at the crowd i didnt know what to do. but the mexicans that attended did. being in the front it took us a while to get out which was in the back, so by the time we got out there were about 4 white guys with bloodied heads because mexicans had cracked bottles over them and fought them for disrupting the show.
Click to expand...


that shit broke dude's heart - you know when all you ever wanted to do was one thing and mufuckas fuck that up for you :smh:
 
largebillsonlyplease said:
I went to a show of his in fresno. it was for the showtime special he did later on in san francisco (the latest one forget the name) the thing is i had front row seats to that show and did not even see the standup until i saw it on showtime when it premiered. the reason? all of the college white boys screaming im rick james bitch and im rich bitch and all of that shit so frequently that he couldnt even get through his set. he begged them to stop and even looked at me and my friends (black guys with front row seats) shaking our heads in disgust at the shit. he said "see you get it" pointing at us and then talking to the crowd saying he came to enlighten and make us laugh but you guys wont even be quiet long enough to let me do my thing. he said he could sit there and smoke a cig and still get paid the same amount so it was up to us to either let us be entertained or waste our money. the white boys kept going thinking it was funny and yelling out nigga and all of that stuff. dave took out a cig started smoking on stage and sat there until his time was up and left. end of the show
i was so angry at the crowd i didnt know what to do. but the mexicans that attended did. being in the front it took us a while to get out which was in the back, so by the time we got out there were about 4 white guys with bloodied heads because mexicans had cracked bottles over them and fought them for disrupting the show.
Click to expand...
:smh:
 
Makkonnen said:
that shit broke dude's heart - you know when all you ever wanted to do was one thing and mufuckas fuck that up for you :smh:
Click to expand...

i had no clue it was going to be like that. the guy before him got on stage and did his set smooth and without any problem. he was funny and i was hyped to see dave. then that shit happened, i mean he really sat there for about 30 mins smoking cigs till he just said goodnight and walked off stage
 
Peace,

Good thread, bruh. At some point, all of the truly brilliant comic minds start questioning whether they've crossed over the line from race-centered comedy to minstrelsy. Pryor did it when he went to Africa, came home and reported to the world that he would discontinue using the "n-word" because he didn't see any "*******" in Africa. The same thing happened to Dave with his show. Unfortunately, many other black comedians will unapologetically sell their people down the river to sit on Jay Leno's sofa (or hold up a little gold statue :hmm:).
 
good topic. Dave Chappelle is a true genius, and i agree that his main goal was being used against him. I, for one, was able to see what he was trying to do with the show from the beginning. He wasn't ready to sell his soul, and I respect him greatly for that; im not even mad that he left. The show is what it is and let it be. Ain't nothing worth your soul; he was man enough to realize and act on that. I had heard him speak on the dress issue before; didn't know it had actually happened to him....what a damn shame...but o so TRUE! SMH
 
Bamboozled is the only movie that can me tear up. That montage at the end did it to me. I mean as a young Black man, I wasn't around for that shit but to actually see it as my family saw it back then and the shit that Black people went through (and still go through) and the fact that a lot of niggas today just don't give a FUCK. Angers the fuck out of me. It was like the movie built up to a crescendo and that montage was the apex. I love that movie probably more than any other Spike Lee joint. Every person in that movie is a caricature of people we run across.

Man I was so hot, I remember I was at school in an African American studies class and we went to see it. We had to drive about 40 miles to go see it. Man I was so hot and that was a LONG ride back to just process shit. I was at a PWI walking around looking for a some white boy to look at me wrong or say the wrong thing.

Makkonnen said:
thats what dave said after he stopped doing the show
the thing that fucked dave up was his close friend (white boy) was pressing him to continue the coonish shit prolly at comedy central's request
Click to expand...

I know some inside shit about that and Neil was a fucking piece of shit.
 
 
LeroyDibiase said:
Bamboozled is the only movie that can me tear up. That montage at the end did it to me. I mean as a young Black man, I wasn't around for that shit but to actually see it as my family saw it back then and the shit that Black people went through (and still go through) and the fact that a lot of niggas today just don't give a FUCK. Angers the fuck out of me. It was like the movie built up to a crescendo and that montage was the apex. I love that movie probably more than any other Spike Lee joint. Every person in that movie is a caricature of people we run across.

Man I was so hot, I remember I was at school in an African American studies class and we went to see it. We had to drive about 40 miles to go see it. Man I was so hot and that was a LONG ride back to just process shit. I was at a PWI walking around looking for a some white boy to look at me wrong or say the wrong thing.



I know some inside shit about that and Neil was a fucking piece of shit.
Click to expand...
I'll bite. Spit that inside shit. You can't mention it without saying it.
 
Nobody said:
I'll bite. Spit that inside shit. You can't mention it without saying it.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying Dave and I had a personal convo or some shit. :lol:

It's basically what you would think it was. Neal, seemingly, was working as an agent for the network basically trying to encourage Dave to keep going and do more and more stuff that was outright buffoonish. Pressuring him hard to keep doing the show when he knew Dave wasn't feeling it. Dave almost walked out during season 2 but Neil calmed him down. Word is that Dave always had doubts about the authenticity of their relationship and that Neil was using him as a vehicle to make money. And that Season 3 fiasco pretty much solidified it in his eyes. 2nd (maybe) hand information, nonetheless it makes perfect sense.

I mean be honest, look at the drastic change between season 1 and 2. First season was all Dave and Neil. Shit that they had saved up. It was biting, witty, but not buffoonish. You had Clayton Bigsby, Reparations, Mad Real World, Piss on You, etc. Then Season 2 comes around and it gets mad niggarish. And it goes from social commentary and using humor to exploit stereotypes to coonery and that stuff. :smh:
 
 
sagelike said:
I've always maintained that the american people (not just blacks) are morons. If more people were smarter, not educated, but were actually smarter this country would be a better place.

Not trying to rewrite history or anything, but I truly believe that Dave was trying to show people the idiocy of various stereotypes through his satire. This is the same thing that I feel that Boondocks has tried to do.

While both shows are made for you to laugh most people don't go past that. Most people can't see the message behind some of the shows (a problem many influential comics throughout our history have had to deal with). And yeah after a while I'm sure Dave felt people were not laughing with him but at him.

Smart shows like dave's don't last. Either people make those shows become caricatures of themselves or people become "outraged" at the themes of the show.

This is all the while when other baser black comedy shows are lauded and accepted (I'm looking at you Tyler Perry).

It's just the way the world is I suppose.
Click to expand...

Common sense is greatly needed in this country indeed.
 
largebillsonlyplease said:
i had no clue it was going to be like that. the guy before him got on stage and did his set smooth and without any problem. he was funny and i was hyped to see dave. then that shit happened, i mean he really sat there for about 30 mins smoking cigs till he just said goodnight and walked off stage
Click to expand...
yeah man that's rough - i woulda shouted something like stay strong and bounced
im glad them mexicans aired out those ofays though

LeroyDibiase said:
I'm not saying Dave and I had a personal convo or some shit. :lol:

It's basically what you would think it was. Neal, seemingly, was working as an agent for the network basically trying to encourage Dave to keep going and do more and more stuff that was outright buffoonish. Pressuring him hard to keep doing the show when he knew Dave wasn't feeling it. Dave almost walked out during season 2 but Neil calmed him down. Word is that Dave always had doubts about the authenticity of their relationship and that Neil was using him as a vehicle to make money. And that Season 3 fiasco pretty much solidified it in his eyes. 2nd (maybe) hand information, nonetheless it makes perfect sense.

I mean be honest, look at the drastic change between season 1 and 2. First season was all Dave and Neil. Shit that they had saved up. It was biting, witty, but not buffoonish. You had Clayton Bigsby, Reparations, Mad Real World, Piss on You, etc. Then Season 2 comes around and it gets mad niggarish. And it goes from social commentary and using humor to exploit stereotypes to coonery and that stuff. :smh:
Click to expand...

yeah man i dont think dave could believe that neil did that shit
then the story neil tried to put out questioning d's sanity :smh: that's hard man - ultimate betrayal
i wouldnt even want my boy to go through that kind of stress let alone keepin him fucked up to try to make more money
neil is the typical hollywood opportunist - thats how they are born- i bet he's workin as a producer or exec somewhere
 

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