Two nights ago, R and I, along with some friends in Portland, went to go see Dave Chappelle on his new comedy tour. It was my first time seeing a comedy show live. I’d followed Dave’s career from The Chappelle Show and was always inspired by the way he kept it real about race and racism. This show, probably reflective Dave’s whole tour and definitely reflective of Portland’s demographic, was sold out with lots of seats taken up by white folks. At some moments, I felt awkward about white folks laughing at Dave’s racialized experiences (especially went he went IN on Hartford, Connecticut). Then, I felt relieved that Dave was talking about whiteness to white people. I started to relax with the thought that perhaps, Dave way of talking about race, could be subversive. What does it mean for white folks to consume Black culture and Black lives? What does it mean for me, as a Filipino American woman, to be in the same audience? What does it mean to Dave?

He’d probably retort, “I just want a pool, man.”

I’m cool with that.

Pedagogy corner:

As I wrap up my lessons on symbolic interaction and Goffman’s dramaturgical model with my 101 students, I appreciated seeing/laughing with Dave at the front stage/back stage dynamics for all the world to see. For my lesson on social interaction I use The Chappelle Show skit on Vernon Franklin to talk about front and back stage, but also to make clear that those dynamics are mitigated by race, class, gender, sexuality and citizenship.