He introduces it by saying, "I've been hearing about these major corporations, Enron, Tyco, ripping everyone off, and they don't get time! ... It's like there's two legal systems! It'd be better if for like three days they put those guys through the legal system that we go through, and put our guys through their legal system."
A squat team ambushes the home of a white character named Charles Jeffries, CEO of "Fonecom," throwing grenades, guns a-blazin'. They shoot his dog and assault his wife.
Chappelle plays Tron Carter, his cocaine dealer character. The police call, apologizing for bothering him about an arrest warrant they received. They pander to him, saying he can show up to the station and turn himself in whenever. Tron says he'll turn himself in...Thursday.
"Is 1:00 good for you?" the cop politely asks.
"Ooh, that's no good for me," Tron says. "I got some trim comin' at 12. How about between 2 and 6?"
"Thank you so very kindly for your help," says the officer. "And again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
In the interrogation room, Charles is harrassed and beaten by the police. Tron shows up around midnight to his meeting with the District Attorney, to a table covered with exquisite wine and cheese.
In Charles Jeffries' court case, the cops lie and frame him, his jury of "peers" is a bunch of thug-looking gangsters, and the judge calls him "an animal, a filthy big-lipped beast," giving him life in prison.
When Tron goes to court, he's asked several questions about his drug dealing and "pleads the FIF" in response to each. After everything, his lawyer tells him he got his sentence reduced to a month.
This classic episode is funny, but a sad reality of the dual nature of our justice system and the American society.
McIntosh says, "I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes. [But] a "white skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us."
As a woman of color, it does bother me when people just won't accept the fact that racism and white privilege still coexist today. A white ex-boyfriend of mine once told me, "No, racism is pretty much over. I mean, the executive and senior vice presidents of Starbucks are black women!
Ummm...yeah no.
It's that ignorance denial that perpetuates the system. And still today, there are people in America who won't vote for Barack Obama for the sole fact that he's black. As if he weren't just as white as well...one-drop rule, anyone? I'll be talking about that in the future as well.
McIntosh argues that the first step is to acknowledge the "colossal unseen dimensions" or racial privilege: "The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tool here. They keep the thinking about equality or equity incomplete...making these taboo subjects." Furthermore, a resistive collective consciousness, lifting up marginalized people, is necessary. But can it be done?
People need to not be afraid of talking about these issues, hashing out their confusion and exposing their inner fears and denials.
Especially since the next leader of our country will probably be a half-black man, the human race must tackle this issue head-on and stop sweeping things under the rug.
No comments:
Post a Comment