[Seymour]

Why is it that so many whites love black comedians like Eddie Murphy and Dave Chapelle, despite the fact that much of their stand-up routines addresse how racist whites are to blacks?

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Name : Seymour, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 21, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Jennifer31037]

Perhaps whites who like Eddie Murphy and Dave Chapelle are not racist, so they don’t take the jokes about racist white people personally.

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Name : Jennifer31037, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 28, City : San Jose, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Nic W.]

…because it’s true.

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Name : Nic W., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 30, City : Shanghai, State : NA, Country : China, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Christina32058]

It’s because if we say anything even slightly racist, we’re automatically a KKK member. You, however, can go on as long as you guys want, and we have to just shrug it off because of what a minority of dead white guys did in the past.

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Name : Christina32058, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Long Beach, State : CA, Country : United States, 

[Mitchell M.]

I am white and like comedians like Eddie Murphy and Dave Chapelle. I consider myself a non-racist, so when I hear a joke about white racists, I am not personally insulted. I also like to make fun of white racists. Many white racists don’t realize they are racist, they are in major reality denial or have isolated themselves so well so as to never have contact with African Americans. Another factor perhaps is that those white racists don’t watch African-American entertainers.

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Name : Mitchell M., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 38, City : Greensboro, State : NC, Country : United States, Occupation : Computer Programmer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Taz27444]

If you tell me a joke and it’s funny, I laugh. If I tell you a joke and it’s funny, you laugh. One of the greatest things in life, is the ability to laugh at yourself and see the genuine humor in things. For example, Chris Rock does a whole bit on the ‘N-word’. Many blacks found the routine funny because it was in fact funny. If a black comedian tells a white redneck joke, and I think it’s funny, why shouldn’t I laugh? Our society has crossed into the era where a lot of people are now feeling offended on behalf of someone else. We need to lighten up people. Going through life upset and angry all the time isn’t healthy. We need to take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and see the humor in life’s little quirks.

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Name : Taz27444, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 32, City : Detroit, State : MI, Country : United States, 

[Carter32386]

Go and watch some of Eddie’s skits on Saturday Night Live (for example, where he goes undercover as a white man, the ‘Images’ poem, etc.) and in addition to Eddie calling out white folks’ prejudices, you’ll see he actually provides some satire on how prejudiced many black people are. If you haven’t caught this, I’d say you should go rent the old SNL’s available on VHS and look a little critically at what he’s pointing at. Like all great comedians, it’s his ability to cut to the marrow of truth that makes his comedy so incredible.

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Name : Carter32386, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, 

[Dayna-B]

I suppose when seen from your viewpoint, it’s easy to wonder why whites would find those comedians funny. The parts of their routines that you view as being about how whites are racist toward blacks, most people just see as being about how racists (who might happen to be white) are. Not all whites are racist, and not all blacks are non-racist. Those of us who aren’t find those who are quite ridiculous. Funny is funny.

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Name : Dayna-B, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 34, City : Alpharetta, State : GA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jessica]

Using comedy to address pain and wounds is often the best way to heal. I am white, but I’m not racist, so I like any comedian who makes fun of racist people – white, black, green or purple – because racism is so asinine and ignorant. The more we make fun of it, the less power racism has, and it will continue to lose strength. The way I see it, these comedians are not so much saying all whites are racist as they are making fun of those who are. It would make me really happy to see a comedian make fun of all racist people, of all ethnicities, but I suppose we haven’t gotten that far yet.

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Name : Jessica, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : Huntsville, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jenny]

First of all, I like to watch them because they are funny. Secondly, even though I am white, I have never and would never act in a racist way toward anyone else. So when they joke about whites being racist, I don’t take it personally.

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Name : Jenny, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Pensacola, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Health Care, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Thomas24781]

It doesn’t take a genius to know the answer to this question. They’re funny.

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[Elsa-Maria]

Did you ever stop to consider that not all white people are racists? Most of us white folks hate racists (of all colors) just as much as you do. I don´t see the jokes of black comedians being targeted against me, because I don´t treat people differently according to skin color.

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Name : Elsa-Maria, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Orthodox Christian, Age : 19, City : Helsinki, State : NA, Country : Finland, Education level : High School Diploma, 

[Fiona21797]

this has bothered me too. i think it’s partly that they genuinely appreciate the talent of the comedians and partly that by showing that they understand how their own race tends to mistreat blacks, they subconciously hope to show that they’re somehow ‘different’ and don’t have those biases. p.s. is it necessary to utilize such a hateful title? (‘dumb and backward white folk’) not all of us are racists, you know.

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Name : Fiona21797, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Buddhist, Age : 16, City : Milford, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Venicia]

I think white people who find black comedians amusing are either:
A. Ignorant to race issues. B. Ignorant to the fact that they are racist. C. Are not racist, and think that racist white people are absurd. Therefore it is a great idea to laugh at the stupid racists.

I also wish to add that not all people are racist. Your own statement, ‘how racist whites are to blacks’ seems to lack the word ‘some’ . This makes your statement untrue, because all of a race of people cannot be said to have a personality trait (for lack of a better word) such as being a racist. Racists come in all shapes, sizes and colors, unfortunately.

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Name : Venicia, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 32, City : Madison, State : WI, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Michele]

Because they’re funny! I don’t look at their humor as racist – just honest. Usually, I find myself relating to some of their stories. It bridges the gap and makes me understand other races more. When Chris Rock or John Leguizamo talk about how weird their mother is and I think to myself, ‘Oh, that’s totally MY mom!’, it shows me that we’re not so different after all. When my black best friend and I watch ‘black’ shows or comedians together, I ask her questions like, ‘Do black people really believe that?’ and we have deep, honest discussions. Just like when she watches shows like The Sopranos and asks me if it portrays Italians correctly. Keep an open mind.

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Name : Michele, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 32, City : New Orleans, State : LA, Country : United States, Occupation : Reservationist, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

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