Immigration, Language & Stand-Up Comedy (Amber's Post #2)

In our course reading, "Performing Mixed Race in Dave Chappelle's 'The Racial Draft'" by Michele Elam, it was argued that comedy can be used as a political statement, in this case challenging rigid categories of race. In this skit, Dave Chappelle creates a racial draft to determine which mixed celebrities will be inducted and claimed by which races. Elam argues that this points out that, "race is, in fact, very much a national game, pastime, hobby, and public spectacle" (Elam, 4). Yet how can we tell if a comedy skit is in fact challenging ideas of race (or other politically charged topics) rather than perpetuating stereotypes and racist ideals? And even if we can determine the comedian's intentions for the show, will the audience interpret what they see and hear in the same way?

Comedy is rich with areas for analysis because it is the perfect reflection of culture. Whether it's countering common norms and assumptions, or playing into them, the fact that they are funny demonstrates a common understanding, knowledge, and cultural experience that the audience shares.

Below I analyze two different comedy skits by noting what major themes their jokes utilize, defend, or argue against, and consider questions such as:

• What themes do the jokes touch on? 
• Is this comedian challenging racial norms or reinforcing them? 
• What kind of political statement is the comedian making? 
• How will the audience interpret this skit? 
• In what ways might these jokes be offensive?
• How might these skits, and the language that's used, change or maintain our society's perceptions and attitudes towards immigration and specifically undocumented immigrants?

Comedian: Danny Rolando

Themes that his jokes engage:

• Immigrants are Latinos/Latinas from Mexico 
• Immigrants are criminals
• Undocumented Immigrants doing jobs citizens don't want to do

Danny Rolando is creating poetical tension and making statements that challenge our traditional views of undocumented immigration. I would argue his intention is to 'side with' undocumented immigrants and point out the injustices in our system. For example he reminds us to check our history because "Immigration wasn't illegal when Columbus got here." This challenges racial hierarchies that assume that whites got here first and that they are the true face of America while immigrants (in this case Rolando is referring to Latinos/Latinas) are breaking the law and invading soil that is meant for Americans. Omi and Winant would argue that this is because we are still living in, and transitioning away from, a racial dictatorship in which one race (white) is considered superior and has control. The consequences of this way of thinking must be considered as we move forward in an attempt to create a racial democracy as they are ingrained into U.S politics, and as Danny Rolando pointed out, even into our holidays such as Columbus Day. Rolando is also challenging illegal immigration narratives by pointing out that Arizona (referring to SB 1070) wants to "card everybody" and the inconsistencies in this line of thinking in light of the Tuscon shooting. He wants the audience to consider that a white citizen killed ten people, yet we haven't heard about undocumented immigrants committing these violent crimes, so is this policy really keeping anyone safe?

Rolando does perpetuate a few stereotypes about immigrants, and whether he meant to or not is irrelevant, as the audience will likely absorb these stereotypes as further proof of their validity. For example, Danny only references Latinos and Mexico in his jokes about immigration. I do think that most audience members would question our nations policies on immigration after considering the fact that immigration it can even be "illegal" is only a recent possibility.

Danny Rolando uses the term "illegal immigrants" which, as you have likely gathered by now, I'm not very fond of. "Illegal immigrant" implies that these individuals themselves are illegal and it questions their very existence as humans. However, Rolando really puts the word "illegal" in question by articulating the history of immigration, as I mentioned above.

Ultimately, this skit probably 'evens out' in terms of creating change. He does call into question our government policies, and hopefully some of his audience members leave questioning things like Arizona SB 1070 and our exploitation of people for cheap labor. But at the same time, he perpetuates stereotypes of undocumented immigrants being from Mexico and uses the term "illegal immigrant" quite a bit. Most likely, people who leave his show are not doing so with a new profound realization of undocumented immigration.

Comedian: Rick D'Elia

Themes that his jokes engage:

• Closing the borders
• Immigrants costing us money 

Rick D'Elia manged to get me fired up in only a minute and a half. There are a few major issues that I have with what his jokes imply. First he starts off saying that we need to do something about closing up the borders. This statement alone is politically charged. It indicates that immigrants (documented or not) are not welcome here. It also focuses on immigration via physically moving oneself (swimming, walking) across the border, rather than via forged documents or legally entering the country on documents that later expire. Therefore this travel can really only be coming from Mexico, Cuba, or Canada. But thanks to the stereotypical naming of these imaginary immigrants D'Elia jokes about it's clear they're from Mexico and Cuba. Of course there are people crossing into the U.S. through these routes, but the offensiveness of that assumption is nothing compared to the larger argument Rick D'Elia is making. His solution to our immigration "problem" is to create a reality TV show, capture the incredible hardships and dangers that individuals face on their journey, and then laugh at their pain. To him, these people are a possible source of entertainment that we, as good citizens, should be able to take pleasure in watching them attempt to gain the prize of citizenship. Rather than stopping to consider why it is that these men, women, and children, would fight so hard and risk their lives to come here, he wants to create a game show. If everyone in the audience isn't totally offended yet (sadly, it seems as though the people who pay to watch his comedy show I enjoying this proposed solution), he throws in the kicker: the money raised on advertising (because every American will be tuned in to watch "Who Wants to be a Citizen") would cover the costs of health care and other benefits that undocumented immigrants "sponge off of our government." It's no wonder that our nation is full of turmoil over immigration issues. People like Rick D'Elia are doing stand-up shows that portray Americans as pure and deserving and immigrants as animals that we can capitalize on, they aren't really people anyway, they're "illegals".

I, and many others I'm sure, am deeply offended watching this stand-up routine. It is clearly not satire, because rather than pointed out the horrible ways we already treat these people, and pointing out that they are, in fact, people, his jokes dehumanize and mock the experience of individuals who make undocumented passage into the United States from Mexico and Cuba. However, the people who watch this stand-up and find it funny (judging by the cheering and the comments below the YouTube video there are quite a few of these individuals as well) are only being validated in their viewpoints and treatment of immigrants as others. As I talked about in my previous post (Papers? Papers? We Don't Serve Your Kind Here), language and actions like those of this comedian are creating an atmosphere where looking down on, and otherizing immigrants (sadly this often includes all Latinos/Latinas by association) is accepted, and in this case cheered for, we are moving backwards and solidifying our nation as a racial hierarchy. Elam would likely agree that this comedy skit is offensive and racist, but perhaps it could still do some good. For the majority of Americans who are apathetic about these topics, seeing this comedy skit (in combination with Rolando's) might motivate them and remind them that there are many people who still view immigrants as inferior and that people need to stand up (as Bonilla Silva would want) and point out these injustices. Changes our langauage, and the way we talk about these issues, is the first step we need to take to move towards equality.