The headline at Newsmax ran this way:
Celebs Make PSA to Support Netflix Employee Walkout Over Chappelle Special
The dustup centered around comedian Dave Chappelle’s comedy special The Closer, in which he had the audacity to say there were two genders. Newsmax reported it this way:
“Several celebrities have filmed a public service announcement in support of trans employees of Netflix who are planning to walk off the job Wednesday to protest the network’s reaction to Dave Chappelle’s most recent stand-up comedy special on the video streaming service.
Variety reported Monday that celebrities Angelica Ross, Jonathan Van Ness, Jameela Jamil, Eureka O’Hara and Colton Haynes filmed a PSA that is part of a ”Stand Up in Solidarity” rally planned for Wednesday in which Netflix employees will reportedly walk off the job to protest
Chappelle’s controversial special ”The Closer,” which is airing on the network.
The PSA, according to the report, will be given to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and include ”firm asks” from trans employees and their supporters ”to underscore the importance of responsible content offerings that prioritize the safety and dignity of all marginalized communities,” according to the announcement of the event by organizer and activist Ashlee Marie Preston.”
In other words? In other words all these celebs are determined to silence Dave Chappelle because they cannot abide his free speech.
At first Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos refused to buckle. Said Sarandos:
“Chappelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long-standing deal with him. His last special ‘Sticks & Stones,’ also controversial, is our most-watched, stickiest and most award-winning stand-up special to date. As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom — even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful.”
Cue the outrage. And then, as frequently happens in battle with the woke crowd, while Chappelle’s show will stay, Sarandos semi-caved to the woke mob, saying this as headlined at the Huff Post:
Top Netflix Boss Says He ‘Screwed Up’ With Blanket Defense Of Chappelle Special
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said he should have addressed employees with “more humanity,” but didn’t regret the decision to air the special.
Said Sarandos:
“Obviously, I screwed up that internal communication. First and foremost, I should have led with a lot more humanity. Meaning, I had a group of employees who were definitely feeling pain and hurt from a decision we made. And I think that needs to be acknowledged up front before you get into the nuts and bolts of anything.”
As noted in The Wall Street Journal in an interview with Sarandos:
“‘The Closer’ is currently among the top 10 most popular Netflix shows in the U.S., and it was as high as No. 3 earlier this week. Mr. Chappelle has made several specials for Netflix, and all have been among its most popular offerings.”
Let’s get real here. What this is really all about is invoking cancel culture to silence comedian Chappelle because he says the politically incorrect. And God forbid that anyone in America actually use their right to free speech to speak their minds.
This assault on free speech, with comedian Chappelle has become a real issue for comedians. Chris Rock, himself a Class-A comedian, recently said this about the cancel culture mentality and comedians:
“It’s weird when you’re a comedian because like when you’re comedian, when the audience doesn’t laugh, we get the message. You don’t really have to cancel us because we get the message. They’re not laughing. Our feelings hurt. When we do something and people aren’t laughing we — like we get it.
I don’t understand why people feel the need to go beyond that, you know what I mean? Honestly, to me, it’s disrespect. It’s people disrespecting the audience like oh, you think you know more than the audience. The audience knows more than everybody ok. You know but hey, some things don’t need to be said. Some people need to be looked out for, I definitely understand that but not letting comedians work is, you know — what happens is everybody gets safe and when everybody gets safe and nobody tries anything things get boring.
…But now you know you got a place where people are scared to talk. That’s not, you know, especially in America you’re scared to talk….”
Comedian Billy Crystal recently said this to The New York Post:
“‘It’s becoming a minefield and I get it,’ the comedian told The Post. ‘I don’t like it, I understand it … I just keep doing what I’m doing and that’s all you can do right now.
‘It’s a totally different world [now] and it doesn’t mean you have to like it,’ he added, with a laugh.”
Comedian, rapper and actor Donald Glover put the problem this way:
“We’re getting boring stuff and not even experimental mistakes(?) because people are afraid of getting canceled.”
Comedian and former Saturday Night Live star Jon Lovitz said this to The New York Post’s Page Six, comparing cancel culture to the “Red Scare” and McCarthyism of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s which resulted in the blacklisting of various Hollywood movie stars.
“ ‘I’ll just say it, it’s no different than McCarthyism,’ the 63-year-old told Page Six on Monday.
The “SNL” alum, best known for his “Yeah, that’s the ticket!” catchphrase, said it’s his ‘job to satirize what’s going on in society and point out the hypocrisies’ and that ‘cancel culture’ gets in the way of that.
‘As soon as you say to a comedian like me, ‘You can’t say that,’ the first thing in my head is, ‘Oh, and now I have to,’ he continued, adding that there is ‘a difference between making jokes and being outright mean.’
‘If you don’t have the ability to laugh at yourself, don’t go to a comedy club. I’m not changing my act. If you’re watching TV and you don’t like the show, change the channel. It’s very simple.’”
Another SNL alum, comedian David Spade, put it this way:
“It’s very dicey. It’s very tricky. You used to have to say anything to go as far as you could, to push the envelope, to get attention, and people would be like, ‘I like this guy. He’s pushing it.’ And in comedy clubs, audiences really appreciate that.
Now you say the one wrong move and you’re canceled. It’s a very tough world out there.”
The bottom line here is all of cancel culture is an assault on free speech, which is exactly what those protesting Netflix’s Dave Chappelle are all about: trying to intimidate Chappelle into silence. Shutting him up.
And that, for certain, is no joke.
