The Psychogenesis of Stereotype
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:15 am
The other thread brought up some issues that I would like to explore in a general sense, as I have been considering them for a while. Perhaps it would be best to introduce a fresh case study to consider, and I have one ready to draw on from popular culture.
Probably most if not all of you have heard of Dave Chappelle, and are somewhat familiar with his show and the events that led to its downfall. For those that are not, what follows is a brief summary of what occurred. Chappelle is a well known comedian who has always mined the vein of racial issues, racism, and racial stereotypes. In fact one of his earliest and most famous sketches involves a hilarious and satirical exploration of racism in America, and by this I am of course referring to "Blind Supremacy," the story of a blind black man who is raised to believe he is white and subsequently becomes a prominent spokesman for the white power movement.
Chappelle continued his hugely popular show for two seasons, and had begun producing a third when he walked away, ultimately leaving a $50 Million dollar contract behind. Later on Chappelle said that he had left for a variety of reasons, but most prominently among them was the fear that he was exploiting and reinforcing stereotypes rather than satirizing and exploding them, i.e., that his show was becoming a vehicle for legitimized "cooning." His epiphany occurred during the taping of a particular sketch that focused on the unwelcome appearance of "Pixies" that both embody and caricature a person's fear of being racially stereotyped. In this particular segment Chappelle was dressed in full "minstrelsy" style: wearing blackface and acting out the part of a happy-go-lucky, tap-dancing, occasionally vicious buffoon. Chappelle said that as he was acting out this character, a white member of the crew began laughing in a way that he perceived as racially derisive, and focused on the cooning aspect rather than Chappelle's satirical intent. He began to worry that racially charged satire, improperly understood, served as little more than a fig leaf for cooning, and may therefore be socially irresponsible. This called his integrity as an artist into question, which ultimately made it impossible for him to continue the show.
Here is the Pixie sketch. Many people including myself find the sketch to be quite funny, why do you think that is? And why do you think Chappelle feels the way he does about it? I have some theories. Let's delineate the sketch first.
In the First Class cabin of an airplane, Chappelle is offered a choice of inflight meals: fish or chicken. Apparently invoked by the word “chicken,” a tiny figure in blackface (the Pixie) appears on the seatback, cooning in wanton delight at the prospect of having chicken to eat. Th Pixie intersperses his celebration with the hurling of vicious epithets and abuse at Chappelle. Chappelle, chagrinned by the Pixie’s arrival, quickly selects the fish in hopes of banishing the Pixie.
The Pixie, foiled by Chappelle’s choice to forgo the chicken, bitterly harangues him for sacrificing his own preferences. When the flight attendant brings news that only chicken is available, a rejuvenated Pixie entreats Chappelle to accept it. In a tone that is carefully reserved yet twinkling with interest, Chappelle asks the flight attendant just how the chicken is prepared. Upon learning that the answer is “fried,” the Pixie bursts into a jig and fills the air with raucous shouts of “hallelujah!” Still the Pixie continues hurling vicious abuse at Chappelle: “you big lipped bitch.” With a great effort, Chappelle masks his ambivalence and accepts the chicken with a show of reluctance. Enraptured at this fortuitous turn of events, the Pixie summons another blackface Pixie with a banjo. The Pixies hurl headlong into a tap-dance and banjo routine in honor of the coming meal.
While the celebration unfolds, an agitated Chappelle covers his mouth, pensive at the Pixies’ behavior regarding the meal to come. The meal delivered, Chappelle regards the plate of chicken with deepening vexation as the Pixies continue making obsequious homage to it. A considerate white passenger turns and offers his fish as a replacement, much to the chagrin of the now despondent Pixies. Chappelle accepts the trade with relief, but also with affectation that hints at irony. Recovering quickly from their despondence, one of the Pixies offers the hope that the fish, which is also fried, is catfish. Chappelle tries to argue that the fish is not catfish, but the Pixies are having none of it. They ignore him and resume their enthusiasm, dancing and serenading the name “catfish” over and over as the sketch concludes.
Now a few things should be immediately obvious. In the most superficial sense, the Pixie is a manifestation of both the stereotype as a mentality and Chappelle’s fear of being stereotyped; the Pixie actively works to demean Chappelle both directly (with abuse) and indirectly (by cultivating stereotypical behavior). At this superficial level, Chappelle must thwart the Pixie to preserve his own dignity. Digging a little bit deeper, we begin to see that the Pixie is also a manifestation of Chappelle himself, or at least a part of Chappelle: the shadow, or the constellated inferiority of the personality. The Pixie’s existence is a consequence of Chappelle’s inner doubts about his worth, and his rejection of these inferior feelings in an attempt to create a dignified persona despite these doubts. Ironically enough, these rejected feelings constellate themselves into an autonomous figure that begins enthusiastically unraveling the dignified persona at every opportunity. On a hidden level, Chappelle identifies with the Pixie, and this is where the angst originates. If the Pixie is manifesting at least some of Chappelle’s genuine feelings about himself, Chappelle is left to question to what extent he resembles the Pixie, and furthermore to what extent the Pixie’s stereotypical inferiority is genuine.
I think the genius of Chappelle’s comedy is that these are questions everyone wrestles with in one way or another no matter what their race. We all work to hide our inferiority and project a persona that commands respect; yet on an inner level, this effort is always in part a sham. Everyone has inferior feelings about themselves, and everyone’s dignity is in some ways an illusion. I think the comedy of this sketch is rooted in this identification with the human condition, rather than derision for a particular race.
It is important to recognize that the power of the Pixie to shame us derives from our illusory rejection of inferiority and weakness. When we reintegrate these cast off but authentic elements of personality, we regain the lost life and vital forces they embody. It is no accident that the Pixie is brimming with energy and life, and Chappelle is a granite block of self-consciousness and false dignity. If we are going to live a life that is imbued with force and meaning, at some point we must learn to go ahead and enjoy the chicken, to hell with the stereotype.
Probably most if not all of you have heard of Dave Chappelle, and are somewhat familiar with his show and the events that led to its downfall. For those that are not, what follows is a brief summary of what occurred. Chappelle is a well known comedian who has always mined the vein of racial issues, racism, and racial stereotypes. In fact one of his earliest and most famous sketches involves a hilarious and satirical exploration of racism in America, and by this I am of course referring to "Blind Supremacy," the story of a blind black man who is raised to believe he is white and subsequently becomes a prominent spokesman for the white power movement.
Chappelle continued his hugely popular show for two seasons, and had begun producing a third when he walked away, ultimately leaving a $50 Million dollar contract behind. Later on Chappelle said that he had left for a variety of reasons, but most prominently among them was the fear that he was exploiting and reinforcing stereotypes rather than satirizing and exploding them, i.e., that his show was becoming a vehicle for legitimized "cooning." His epiphany occurred during the taping of a particular sketch that focused on the unwelcome appearance of "Pixies" that both embody and caricature a person's fear of being racially stereotyped. In this particular segment Chappelle was dressed in full "minstrelsy" style: wearing blackface and acting out the part of a happy-go-lucky, tap-dancing, occasionally vicious buffoon. Chappelle said that as he was acting out this character, a white member of the crew began laughing in a way that he perceived as racially derisive, and focused on the cooning aspect rather than Chappelle's satirical intent. He began to worry that racially charged satire, improperly understood, served as little more than a fig leaf for cooning, and may therefore be socially irresponsible. This called his integrity as an artist into question, which ultimately made it impossible for him to continue the show.
Here is the Pixie sketch. Many people including myself find the sketch to be quite funny, why do you think that is? And why do you think Chappelle feels the way he does about it? I have some theories. Let's delineate the sketch first.
In the First Class cabin of an airplane, Chappelle is offered a choice of inflight meals: fish or chicken. Apparently invoked by the word “chicken,” a tiny figure in blackface (the Pixie) appears on the seatback, cooning in wanton delight at the prospect of having chicken to eat. Th Pixie intersperses his celebration with the hurling of vicious epithets and abuse at Chappelle. Chappelle, chagrinned by the Pixie’s arrival, quickly selects the fish in hopes of banishing the Pixie.
The Pixie, foiled by Chappelle’s choice to forgo the chicken, bitterly harangues him for sacrificing his own preferences. When the flight attendant brings news that only chicken is available, a rejuvenated Pixie entreats Chappelle to accept it. In a tone that is carefully reserved yet twinkling with interest, Chappelle asks the flight attendant just how the chicken is prepared. Upon learning that the answer is “fried,” the Pixie bursts into a jig and fills the air with raucous shouts of “hallelujah!” Still the Pixie continues hurling vicious abuse at Chappelle: “you big lipped bitch.” With a great effort, Chappelle masks his ambivalence and accepts the chicken with a show of reluctance. Enraptured at this fortuitous turn of events, the Pixie summons another blackface Pixie with a banjo. The Pixies hurl headlong into a tap-dance and banjo routine in honor of the coming meal.
While the celebration unfolds, an agitated Chappelle covers his mouth, pensive at the Pixies’ behavior regarding the meal to come. The meal delivered, Chappelle regards the plate of chicken with deepening vexation as the Pixies continue making obsequious homage to it. A considerate white passenger turns and offers his fish as a replacement, much to the chagrin of the now despondent Pixies. Chappelle accepts the trade with relief, but also with affectation that hints at irony. Recovering quickly from their despondence, one of the Pixies offers the hope that the fish, which is also fried, is catfish. Chappelle tries to argue that the fish is not catfish, but the Pixies are having none of it. They ignore him and resume their enthusiasm, dancing and serenading the name “catfish” over and over as the sketch concludes.
Now a few things should be immediately obvious. In the most superficial sense, the Pixie is a manifestation of both the stereotype as a mentality and Chappelle’s fear of being stereotyped; the Pixie actively works to demean Chappelle both directly (with abuse) and indirectly (by cultivating stereotypical behavior). At this superficial level, Chappelle must thwart the Pixie to preserve his own dignity. Digging a little bit deeper, we begin to see that the Pixie is also a manifestation of Chappelle himself, or at least a part of Chappelle: the shadow, or the constellated inferiority of the personality. The Pixie’s existence is a consequence of Chappelle’s inner doubts about his worth, and his rejection of these inferior feelings in an attempt to create a dignified persona despite these doubts. Ironically enough, these rejected feelings constellate themselves into an autonomous figure that begins enthusiastically unraveling the dignified persona at every opportunity. On a hidden level, Chappelle identifies with the Pixie, and this is where the angst originates. If the Pixie is manifesting at least some of Chappelle’s genuine feelings about himself, Chappelle is left to question to what extent he resembles the Pixie, and furthermore to what extent the Pixie’s stereotypical inferiority is genuine.
I think the genius of Chappelle’s comedy is that these are questions everyone wrestles with in one way or another no matter what their race. We all work to hide our inferiority and project a persona that commands respect; yet on an inner level, this effort is always in part a sham. Everyone has inferior feelings about themselves, and everyone’s dignity is in some ways an illusion. I think the comedy of this sketch is rooted in this identification with the human condition, rather than derision for a particular race.
It is important to recognize that the power of the Pixie to shame us derives from our illusory rejection of inferiority and weakness. When we reintegrate these cast off but authentic elements of personality, we regain the lost life and vital forces they embody. It is no accident that the Pixie is brimming with energy and life, and Chappelle is a granite block of self-consciousness and false dignity. If we are going to live a life that is imbued with force and meaning, at some point we must learn to go ahead and enjoy the chicken, to hell with the stereotype.
I am somewhat impressed with that guys' story & decision.
When you bite your tongue and don't say something, you can't get any credit. 
