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1. Schlepping toward the Ballot Box? at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture on 22 Oct 2008 at 6:08 am

   [...] to get into, but the joke is consistently about herself. On her most infamous joke, I agree with Kate Rigg. The character Silverman portrays doesn’t understand that the word ‘chink’ is [...]

2. Ask Racialicious: Should I Be Offended by this Joke? at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture on 06 Mar 2009 at 9:00 am

   [...] check comedian Kate Rigg’s take on the subject when she talked about the difference between humor involving race and racist jokes (strong language!): Kate, was Sarah Silverman saying “chink” in her one bit about jury duty [...]

3. Chink. « observations from the bottom of the garden on 07 Mar 2009 at 4:03 am

   [...] Racialicious [...]

4. Russell Peters: Still Got It? at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture on 20 Mar 2009 at 11:30 am

   [...] what’s wrong with Red, White and Brown? Last year Latoya posted an excerpt from a Kate Rigg interview, where Rigg explained very eloquently what makes racist comedy racist: I’m offended when I see [...]

Comments

1. Restructure! wrote:

   I too loved Sarah Silverman’s ‘chink’ joke. It was white people confusing racism with racial hatred.

   Posted 12 Sep 2008 at 3:06 pm ¶

2. thesciencegirl wrote:

   I’ve been mentally struggling with the intersection of comedy and racism. Now, I’m no professional comic, but I have always used humor as part of my reaction to prejudice that I’ve experienced (along with activism, anger, etc.). I joke in response to pain. And I have certain friends who will joke with me about these things because we both know we’re pointing out racism, not laughing along with it. But sometimes, when I meet new friends (like having recently become close friends with a wealthy white male), I tell these same jokes and I wonder if he really gets it, or if I should save it for a black girlfriend or something. And I wonder if people always understand my intent. It’s one thing to, you know, joke with my sister because we both know what it’s like to encounter racism, but if I joke with someone who is privileged in every way, since he doesn’t share my pain, can he really share my joke?

   My best friend from college is a white Jewish woman, and in college, whenever someone slighted me in any way or cut me off or if there was a wait at a restaurant or something, she’d turn to me and say, “It’s ’cause you’re black” and we’d snicker. But she understood that sometimes those slights WERE because of my race, because we talked about racism, and she knew what it was like to experience anti-semitism, and we confronted those issues together a lot. But I’m learning that this doesn’t translate to all of my friendships. I’m trying to figure out where to draw the line.

   Posted 12 Sep 2008 at 3:22 pm ¶

3. kahlilg wrote:

   i have never heard of her before this. but i agreed with her %1oo. this is honestly the best thing i’ve read all day, if not all week.

   Posted 12 Sep 2008 at 4:20 pm ¶

4. Dan wrote:

   She’s right. You can’t just start to tell comedians they can’t use certain words.

   Comedy is an art form and context is the most important thing when judging something a comedian says.

   Posted 12 Sep 2008 at 4:54 pm ¶

5. Pheagan wrote:

   “Suddenly, it’s okay to say “kike” and “chink” and “dyke” – but you can’t say “nigger?” Suddenly, you’re starting to quantify racism.”– This is the statement I’d most like to see what other commenters think about. It’s something I agree with, and I also agree with the idea that it’s not the word but the racism that’s the problem, but I would never use the n-bomb. Except in quotes like here. And it has less to do with me thinking it’s the MOST offensive word possible and a lot more to do with the reaction I’d anticipate as a white person using it. I’m not saying I’m dying to use the word, I’m saying in discussions like this, where we’re discussing the why’s and wherefores of the word, I use phrases like “the n-bomb” and “the word” instead of… you know. So, I guess my question is, 1) does the n-bomb as worst racist word ever enter us into Oppression Olympics territory, and 2) is it a no-no for a white person to use the actual word instead of phrases in discussions about the word? And if so, why?

   Posted 12 Sep 2008 at 7:22 pm ¶

6. asian male wrote:

   you know why sarah silverman used the word chink? because she was too much of a coward to use the word nigger, fearing a backlash. Thus lets use the racial slur on the invisible, harmless, quiet minority. what a cop out. and btw who is this old asian lady with a white last name?

   Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 3:21 am ¶

7. deb wrote:

   Rice, Rice Baby!

   Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 9:42 am ¶

8. Dan wrote:

   “you know why sarah silverman used the word chink? because she was too much of a coward to use the word nigger, fearing a backlash. Thus lets use the racial slur on the invisible, harmless, quiet minority.”

   Yes. That’s the entire point of the joke. Congratulations, you have ears.

   And the “old Asian lady with a white last name” (stay classy, Asian male) is a comedian. You know, somebody who actually understands comedy.

   Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 9:54 am ¶

9. lxy wrote:

   The politics of using racist language is not merely about the intent of the comedian but also how it is understood by the audience.

   Comedians may use racist epithets (or racist culture in general) in the belief that they are “deconstructing” them somehow, but if this form of comedic subversion is not well done, then this intention probably will not register with an audience and ultimately reinforce–not challenge–racism.

   The things that Kate Rigg talks about are reminiscient of what Dave Chappelle went through a couple of years ago with his use of blackface in his famous “pixie” skit–and addressed on Racialicious:

   http://www.mixedmediawatch.com/2006/07/19/blogosphere-thoughts-on-dave-chappelles-racial-pixies-sketch/

   Obviously, Chappelle–like Rigg–is not intending to promote racist stereotyping and in fact wishes to question them.

   However, in the case of the pixie skit, Chappelle noted that a White guy in his audience was not laughing with him but rather at him in a way that made him uncomfortable.

   This in turn caused Chappelle to question whether certain elements of his comedy were socially irresponsible and that they “had gone from sending up stereotypes to merely reinforcing them.”

   That’s a very fine line that all comedians (no matter how well-intentioned) have to be aware of when using this type of racial humor.

   Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 11:22 am ¶

10. MeGoPeePeeInYourCoke wrote:

    lame fake engrish in almost every skit? Check.

    traditional Chinese dress as gimmick? Check.

    racial subtext that dumb asses in the audience don’t give a shit about because they’re already programmed to laugh at Asian accents and wacky Chinese mothers?

    um…..yeah, Asian comedians really suck.

    Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 4:40 pm ¶

11. Black Canseco wrote:

    Great. Another comedian/comedianne telling me what they “mean” and what i should be offended by.

    God forbid that anything take a back seat to the cop-out of “it’s a joke”.

    Next time somebody calls me a nigger and qualifies it with “i was just kidding” or “you don’t understand the context i’m going for” then i’ll know to wipe my brow, exhale and say “thank God you’re on my side!”

    Michael Richards said something stunning racist. Sarah Silverman says things that stunning racist as a matter of her act. This person seems willing to defend stunningly racist spews as a matter of interpretation.

    this pseudo intellectual jujistu folks are pulling/trying to pull these days is almost as insulting as the slurs themselves.

    I have a much hire level of respect for the person who calls me a slur/tells a racist joke in my presence and follows up with–”yeah i’m a bigot, deal with it” than i do for these people–be they entertainers or hipsters or whoever–wo pull the “its not what you think” card.

    i’m sorry, but if i’m offended,just maybe it’s because you said something offensive. (Or are people of color not allowed to determine what offends them anymore?)

    And if we need to be “taught” what’s offensive, would it be too much to ask for someone other than low-rent comedians–who are almost never a member of the community they’re claiming to championing—to be heading the class?

    I’m not asking for the ghost of Richard Pryor to return or even a year long series from Oprah, or another Obama post-race driveling speech, but these self- important hack-comic button-pushers are just getting on my last good nerve.

    But hey, no doubt, it’s only because i’m not in the joke.

    Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 5:51 pm ¶

12. MeGoPeePeeInYourCoke wrote:

    [Michael Richards said something stunning racist. Sarah Silverman says things that stunning racist as a matter of her act. ]

    It shocks you! It shocks you!

    Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 6:59 pm ¶

13. sunjata wrote:

    jokes are jokes, but this is not, i assure you.
    http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/08/05/rwanda-france.html

    you can’t have a post-racist world without post-colonialism.

    Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 9:42 pm ¶

14. Big Man wrote:

    Co[-sign Black Canseco. Look, I don’t advocate banning words. But, I’ll be damned if someone is going to tell me how I have to react to what they say.

    So, any comedian can say any word they want. And then they can deal with the backlash of everyone else saying whatever they want. That’s how life works.

    Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 11:31 pm ¶

15. Dan wrote:

    “So, any comedian can say any word they want. And then they can deal with the backlash of everyone else saying whatever they want. That’s how life works.”

    And that’s exactly how it should be. Nobody can tell you what you should or should not be offended by.

    The important thing is to remember that if a comedian or some other type of performer offends us, what we need to do is start a dialogue about it. Counter the offensive speech with your own opinions.

    Censorship is never a viable solution, even with shitbags like Carlos Mencia.

    And lets get it straight here. Kramer’s little outburst was not comedy, it was a hack comedian snapping and saying some vile shit out of frustration.

    Posted 14 Sep 2008 at 11:34 am ¶

16. Joseph wrote:

    I don’t know her act but I think Kate Rigg’s deconstruction of the way that “race” is used in comedy in the above post is fucking brilliant. I don’t really understand the hostility here; She wasn’t telling anyone else how they ought to react–she was responding to questions about comedy based on her experience as a professional comedian and a PoC.

    Who better to ask?

    Posted 14 Sep 2008 at 2:41 pm ¶

17. Black Canseco wrote:

    “And lets get it straight here. Kramer’s little outburst was not comedy, it was a hack comedian snapping and saying some vile shit out of frustration.”

    I wasn’t bothered by Kramer, specifically for this very reason: he was speaking from the heart. I can almost respect hatred and bias when it comes from an honest place. At least I know who/what i’m dealing with.

    When it’s these bogus pseudo-liberal/hipster/wannabe shockster claiming some higher purpose i just lose all respect for ‘em. They don’t care enough to deal with important issues in any other capacity, on any other level than in some way that makes them look “cool” or “edgy.”

    If racism really bothers you, then dialog about it. fight it. try to the root causes of it from as many sides as possible. Don’t make it some weekend warrior BS that you half-step and half-ass at your convenience. Roll up your sleeves, grab a shovel and help. Otherwise, you’re as big a part of the problem as the most hateful, bigoted, hate-crime-promoting, venom- spewer out there.

    Posted 14 Sep 2008 at 3:18 pm ¶

18. William wrote:

    The problem with comedy and any performance that deals with race is that subtle line that connects the intent of the performer and the impact the performance (and hence the performer) has on the audience.

    With the way the power structure in place, it’s hard to imagine that the use of a racial epithet by somebody who identifies as a person of color in performance can be seen as subversive unless by a highly analytical academic or the comic his/her/hirself. I don’t know if many people go see a comedy show and come away thinking “so why did Kate Rigg call her show ‘Chink-o-rama’?”

    I saw her show, perhaps with a very biased initial reaction, and felt ostracized when I asked about Vincent Chin in her post-show Q&A. Ultimately, however, we need to be able to find a way to use performance, comedy, and hip hop to allow people to question the status quo and seek change.

    Posted 14 Sep 2008 at 6:25 pm ¶

19. DivergentDana wrote:

    I just came back from my nephew’s house. Him and his friends use racist/anti-Semitic/sexist epithets like crazy. I confronted him about it, and he claims that it’s done for “shock value” and amusement, as an inside joke among them. Of course, the slurs that they use are always coincidentally in reference to groups (a) whose members aren’t present among them at the time (b) that are relatively rare in our area, or (c) all of the above. They’re pretty young (17-21), and I think they’ve chosen to be directly influenced by this wave of “anti-PC” comedy that’s been hella popular for the past 7 or so years. While the comedians may have some kind of underlying subtext/subversive idea beneath it, everybody in the audience isn’t going to get that (especially if it’s poorly executed), and many folks are going to walk away thinking that they now have a right to give those terms a test drive in the real world, take the jokes at face value (ahahaha, so it’s true that *insert stereotype here* after all, *member of minority group that is a comedian* said so! Ex: Chris Rock’s “Black People vs. Niggas” skit), or believe that it’s completely fine to sound like a bigot, as long as you tack on a j/k afterwards, sometimes only as a face-saving measure if heads aren’t nodding enough.

    Oh, and I’m totally open to recommendations about how I should best handle the nephew situation, and situations like it that undoubtedly will occur in the future.

    Posted 14 Sep 2008 at 10:13 pm ¶

20. Joseph wrote:

    Collapsing the work of a conscious artist of color into the trend of white hipster-doofuses calling each other “Nigger” because they think its funny is just throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Cultural expressions have enormous power to question dominant paradigms. And in the right hands there is no more powerful tool to dismantle authority.
    Dismissing comedy out of hand as trivial to that purpose because someone doesn’t make you laugh is completely wrong-headed.

    Performance is a dialog.

    Posted 15 Sep 2008 at 12:26 pm ¶

21. Slush wrote:

    @Divergent Dana

    In my experience, teenagers from 14-20 or so are the most blatantly and expressively homophobic and racist folks around. I don’t mean they are actually more prejudiced than others, just that they are the most willing to experiment with a lot of nasty epithets.

    It’s pretty distressing, but I also think they are still young and impressionable enough that a good straightforward lecture about how unacceptable it is will be of some use. Not immediately, but several of them over time start to make an effect.

    Posted 16 Sep 2008 at 8:45 am ¶

22. sandra wrote:

    um…black canseco….his name is not “kramer”. It’s michael richards.

    i love kate rigg. She’s a genius.

    Posted 20 Mar 2009 at 3:15 am ¶