For Peete’s Sake, Sarah Just Listen and Learn: Bias and Blackface Ain’t Funny

When comedy gets serious — race, privilege — getting called out isn’t cancel culture it’s just life

Photo by Call Me Fred on Unsplash

I love comedy and I hate cancel culture, but this recent Twitter storm involving Sarah Silverman and sweet, Mrs. Holly Robinson Peete (of all people) has stirred up pictures of Sarah in Blackface and some racially insensitive skits.

This has dredged up the topic of white women attacking Black women — unprovoked and when confronted making excuses instead of humbly listening, learning, and apologizing for their mistakes. What’s worse is the number of men who rush to their defense or dismiss, minimize, or attempt to deflect from these real, harmful, flagrant, and far too frequent insults and verbal assaults. I wrote about this in 2019, but it’s time to have another meeting in the ladies’ room of the comedy club.

Bias and Blind Spots Since You MENtioned Power & Privilege In Comedy

I’m not touching male comics because they seem to be untouchable. David Cross casually used the N-word in the first 5 minutes of his Netflix special. And did we forget Spotify’s response to public outcry, boycotts, and artists removing their music over the discovery of Joe Rogan’s 70–100 N-word-riddled podcast episodes (that were removed)? He also compared a theatre full of Black people to The Planet of the Apes. Apparently, an apology is sufficient for anti-Black racism and stereotypes.

Yet, women seem not to have the same grace or steadfast support for their egregious acts (against men) ask Kathy Griffith.

I’m not an expert, but I am a lover of comedy and I’ve studied it since I was a child — from Vaudeville to the slapstick of The 3 Stooges. I Love[d] Lucy, Carol Burnett, and Red Fox. I’ve even…