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Full-Text Articles in American Studies
The Comedy Of Cancel Culture In A Post-Carlin United States: On The Politics Of Cultural Interpretation, Bryant W. Sculos
The Comedy Of Cancel Culture In A Post-Carlin United States: On The Politics Of Cultural Interpretation, Bryant W. Sculos
Class, Race and Corporate Power
Taking the form of a critical review of the HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream, this essay explores the character of George Carlin's political and cultural criticism, its implications for contemporary debates about so-called "cancel culture," and the broader political significance of cultural interpretation.
Something Punny To Precede The Colon: Marking Whiteness And Exploring Blackness In Standup Comedy, Andrew Destaebler
Something Punny To Precede The Colon: Marking Whiteness And Exploring Blackness In Standup Comedy, Andrew Destaebler
Honors Theses
The general goal of this project is to investigate strategies and approaches used by comedians who rely heavily on racial humor in their acts. To do so, I consider the work of Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, and Dave Chappelle, all African American male comedians. The first chapter focuses on a strategy employed by all three of these comedians called “marking whiteness.” Greta Fowler Snyder coined this term in her essay, “‘Marking Whiteness’ For Cross-Racial Solidarity” (2015), and uses it to describe strategies that force the “hyper-visibility” of whiteness. This happens through the portrayal of “average” white behavior, with the understanding …
What Are You Laughing At? The Comedy And Social Commentary Of Dave Chappelle, Andrew J. Fishman 5373761
What Are You Laughing At? The Comedy And Social Commentary Of Dave Chappelle, Andrew J. Fishman 5373761
Senior Theses and Projects
Coming off of the second season of his hit comedy show, Dave Chappelle was being hailed by media sources around the country as “the funniest man on television.”[1] The Chappelle Show had found a way to revolutionize sketch comedy through creative yet taboo racial sketches. The show’s wild success was closely tied to the memorable characters, ridiculous stories and the quotable lines that were produced week after week. The Chappelle Show invented many characters that became fan favorites, such as the crack addict Tyrone Biggums, Clayton Bigsby, the blind black man who was a white supremacist, and his memorable …