The great American writer Mark Twain once said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
I can’t think of any comedian who has embodied this more than Dave Chapelle, this year’s winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Chappelle shows courage that Twain would unabashedly applaud. Rather than accept the award sheepishly, Chappelle took the opportunity on stage to defend his genre, and to explain how important stand-up comedy is to America as an art form.
“There’s something so true about this genre, when done correctly, that I will fight anybody that gets in a true practitioner of this art form’s way,” Chappelle said. “Cause I know you’re wrong. This is the truth, and you are obstructing it. I’m not talking about the content; I’m talking about the art form.”
Twain, like many excellent humorists, believed good comedy didn’t just make people laugh, but contained an element of truth. Chappelle claimed American comedy is so diverse, every viewpoint in America is represented in a comedy club somewhere.
Chappelle joked that the First Amendment was there to protect Americans in a myriad of ways but that the Second Amendment was there “just in case the First one doesn’t work out.”
Chappelle joked that he was smoking on stage, indoors, not because he asked permission but because he can do what he wants when accepting such an award, and he uses this freedom as “leverage.” This kind of gentle, yet brave, and, of course, always funny defiance exemplifies his career, especially in the last 10 years.
In his Netflix special “Sticks & Stones,” for which Chappelle received scathing criticism from professional critics but thunderous applause from the average viewer, Chappelle takes aim at the progressive, politically correct. No topic is off limits.
In his acceptance speech, Chappelle acknowledged his long career path, as he thanked various people who’ve influenced him. It’s clear, Chappelle didn’t just arrive: He paid his dues. He started working in night clubs at the age of 14, chaperoned by none other than his mother, who would watch him perform after spending an entire day at work. (His parents split when he was younger.)
Chapelle told the audience his mother was integral to his success. “You have no idea what I put this woman through,” he says. Chappelle’s mother encouraged him to learn about black history, remember it, and pass on the stories of previous generations.
“I was a soft kid. I was sensitive, I cried easily, and I would be scared to fist fight,” he said. Still, his mother would say, “Son, sometimes you have to be a lion so you can be the lamb you really are.”
“I talk ... like a lion ... just so I can chill and be me. And that’s why I love my art form.”
Dave Chappelle may be controversial, but he’s an important part of the very American genre of stand-up comedy: He tells it like it is, without hesitation, and that courage has helped show Americans just what’s good—and bad—about trends and ideas in this country.
Chappelle is a worthy winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and his acceptance speech is an insightful look into why comedy is important—and courage is, too.
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