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DR. BOYCE WATKINS: D.L. Hughley’s 'Def (and Dumb)' Comedy Jam on CNN.
However, I’ve always given CNN a pass. I’ve overlooked the fact that nearly every financial analyst on the network is a white male.
When it came to CNN, I presumed that they are simply victims of the same institutionalized racism which plagues nearly every other corporation, university and media outlet in our country.
I don’t get mad at every racist I see, since I truly, and perhaps naively, believe that most Americans strive to be good people. But the new CNN show, “DL Hughley Breaks the News” was something I simply cannot forgive.
In Hughley’s new show, he attempts to add a comedic spin to the presidential election with “commentary” by characters such as “Freddie Mac”, a pimp who apparently caused the financial crisis. In the interview with Freddie Mac, the pimp makes typical pimp-like comments such as “bitch betta have my money”, and “pimps up, hoes down” in reference to the 2008 Presidential election.
There are also segments which explain that President Obama’s healthcare plan would include “gold grills for everyone”, along with other equally tasteless jokes that have no place on an allegedly “mainstream” news network. Nearly every joke on Hughley’s show came back to some generalized stereotype, reminding us that African Americans are seen as relatively trifling “social critters” and not much of anything else.
I have to say that DL Hughley lost my respect two years ago during the Don Imus debacle. After working hard on the phone with Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton to construct a plan to challenge Imus’ corporate sponsors, I was saddened to watch DL use this situation as an opportunity to say things that no self-respecting Black public figure would say. On the Jay Leno show, I dropped my face to the floor when I heard Hughley say, “Yes, those women really were a pack of nappy headed hoes!”
Just when Obama taught us all to step outside the box, CNN and DL Hughley have reminded us to stay inside the socio-political ghetto. The audience members are not laughing with you DL, they are laugh at you.
I make these comments as a Black man, which I’ve been for quite a while now. I am a loyal fan of Katt Williams, Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, Richard Pryor, Wanda Sykes, Eddie Murphy and other cutting edge and incredibly talented comedians. I don’t wear my “Black Panther Hat” everywhere I go, and I have as many guilty pleasures as anyone when it comes to laughing about things that might be considered offensive.
I also say this as a moderate fan of Def Comedy Jam, most forms of hip hop and nearly everything else that reflects the beauty and diversity of being Black in our great nation. But the truth of the matter is that there must be a point where the line is drawn. This once again underscores the necessity for more black-owned media outlets. Until that time, I’ll be getting most of my news from the Internet.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of "What if George Bush were a Black Man?" For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.
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