Dear Mr. Chappelle,
Hello from the campus of Brooklyn College, where I teach in the Department of History. Long time fan, first time writer. I can hear you laughing as you read that, since it makes the reason for my letter so obvious.
I watched your most recent SNL monologue on my DVR last night. I was away over the weekend, and it had taken a few days for Twitter and Facebook to cue me in that something interesting had happened. I was so intrigued I watched it twice (okay, I confess, my wife asking about it played a part in my second viewing).
It confirmed me in two impressions. The first is that you are perhaps one of the greatest artists our nation has ever produced. I knew you were talented. Some of your work on The Chappelle Show made me laugh as hard as any comedy I had ever seen in my life. But that monologue was a quantum leap beyond anything I've seen another comedian do in a public forum.
My second impression was that you don't really understand the perspective of American Jews. Not really. I don't make that kind of assertion lightly about an artist of your obvious genius. No one develops powers of insight and creativity like yours without cultivating a great reservoir of empathy. But somewhere in your friendships and other interactions with members of the Jewish community you have come up against the limits of that resource.
I think I understand what you were saying on Saturday night. "Talking has become too hard." Kanye is a case in point. Like you, he is a great artist. And I know how much you like and admire him personally. His performance of "Jesus Walks" with the Central State University marching band is my favorite part of Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Your SNL monologue is made all the more awe-inspiring because it was so much an act of personal courage and devotion to a friend.
I see the logic in your argument. The price Kanye has paid is huge. One billion dollars for a few stupid remarks from a man unwell enough to ridiculously spout about being too rich to wear gold chains. It is especially unfair against the context of a man who told four Congresswomen of color to "go back where they came from" and yet still has every prospect of being the next Republican nominee for the presidency.
But there's something you seem to be missing. You acknowledged that "the current climate" impacts how we should read Kanye's words. For Jews, that is like saying that the meteor hurtling toward earth should inform whether we decide to carry an umbrella. In a few short years we've watched lunkheads with tiki torches marching around chanting, a horde of fascists swarming like ants over the Capitol, a Nazi with an AR-15 shoot up a synagogue.
The other night a friend asked me "are they going to send us to the ovens?" I'm a historian, but I don't have a crystal ball. If like mine, your daughter were Jewish, would you feel confident that the answer to that question was nothing to worry about?
A man who can sell a billion dollars worth of shoes is a man that reaches A LOT of people. The Nazis who hung signs over highways saying "Kanye was Right" know exactly what that kind of publicity is worth. If things go the wrong way in 2024, that tag line is sure to make a comeback.
You are right, it has become too hard to talk. But some of the reason for that lies with the toxic nature of so much that is being said. At times like this, it becomes as hard to listen as it is to talk. You have a brilliant voice, and I hope it is never silenced. But I hope you will listen too.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
