I don’t think Dave Chapelle needs to do the reading… comedians do not make policy, they don’t provide academic analysis, they say funny things. Whether or not you find those things funny or not is a matter of subjectivity. If his words have the structure of jokes and play around with narrative and understanding then they are jokes. You could rightly call Chappelle out if he were making policy, but as a comedian words only have the power they are granted. At the moment it seems people are rushing to watch him speak so they can register their offence and call for his cancellation. The question is why?

The bigger question is if we can do away with any ‘artistic output’ by claiming offence, does it become a numbers game? I am offended that you are a vegan because I eat meat. I don’t think you’ve done the required reading on B12 - what’s more I think you’ve been deliberately offensive. I don’t have to demonstrate this in too much detail- I just have to convince enough carnivores to call you out.

When a society calls for the cancellation of jesters, the world should worry. The point of jesters and comedians is that they speak truth to power. I think Chappelle joins a growing list of comedians who are saying controversial things not because they particularly care, but because they’re holding a mirror up to the ridiculousness of controversy itself.

I’d say he’s one step ahead of almost everyone, most good comedians are - and he’s done all the required reading. He hasn’t read the same books as you, but that is perhaps the point he’s making.