Sticks and Stones Will Break Your Bones: On Patriarchy, Cancel Culture and Dave Chappelle
by Max S. Gordon
“Whole lot of things you’ve yet to understand. But instead of measuring the distance between your little-boy understanding and big-boy wisdom, you standing there plotting how to get past me. You so scarce in understanding, you think you can get past your own flesh and blood.”
— Toni Cade Bambara, These Bones Are Not My Child
1
What I was looking for was a way to quiet my mind, a reason to laugh in these troubled times. So, I turned on Netflix to watch Dave Chappelle’s Sticks and Stones. While I’ll admit I haven’t seen everything Chappelle has done, I consider myself a fan; I appreciate that he is a master. The great stand-up comics give you the impression that they are up there just talking. And they make their personalities felt; if a comedian does his job right, you talk about “Dave Chappelle” the way you talk about “Seinfeld”, with great affection, as if he were someone you went to high school with, or a friend you are meeting for dinner next week.
And because Dave Chappelle very publicly walked away from the industry at a high point in his career, there is the presumption of a deep personal and professional integrity. We may assume because of his choices — and…
