Dave Chappelle and the Power of Celebrity

Why we pay attention to the rich and famous

Dave Chappelle, in his comedy special, “8:46”, said that no one wanted to hear from celebrities regarding George Floyd’s murder, race relations, or Black Lives Matter. He couldn’t have been more wrong. And he probably was being somewhat facetious. At that point, around June 2020, Americans were looking for leadership. And, in fact, up to that point, we had gotten none. It had gotten so bad that many of us were willing to hear and consider viewpoints from those who — not so long ago — thought race was unimportant and called anyone fighting for Black Lives Matter “liberal snowflakes.”

In this instance, for Chappelle, it was not about being a celebrity, but about being a person.

As a Black man, Mr. Chappelle often shares true, but painful, experiences of discrimination that he has faced as a Black man in America. These are often eye-opening to young people out there.

Not all celebrities are viewed alike, and not all people view celebrities as ‘celebrities’. There are lots of people who identify with them as role models and leaders of industry — individuals whom they admire or want to emulate. People are hungry for leadership. Their disdain for their elected officials is so great that they will literally take a celebrity’s views on life, and advice for what to do, if this is all they can get.

Yes, it’s true the majority of us don’t want to hear from the “lip-service” community. We know who they are. But folks like Trevor Noah, Dave Chappelle, and Oprah Winfrey are the ones we look to when they make social commentary. They are literate, intelligent, and relate their own experiences to the larger historical framework. They provide an analysis on where we’ve been as a society, or as a culture, and where we might be headed in the future. They offer us guidance for creating ways to deal with crises and create opportunities for an alternate viewpoint.

It’s a fact that we pay attention to what some celebrities have to say regardless of their politics.

Is it okay, then, for celebrities to be silent? Yep. Obviously, Madonna made several gaffes in her attempts to speak up, and out, to the public about issues related to racism and COVID-19. The truth is that, for some celebrities, we just look for them to be provocative. So, when they do speak on social issues, to the public, they sound insincere.

Perhaps, we know and understand, that it takes a myriad of voices to speak on issues that matter. And so, we rely on those who have always been sincere in their truth-telling, never wavering in their message. They are the ones whose stories may entertain you, but that’s not necessarily the goal — it’s the by-product. We categorize those celebrities and entertainers we trust to speak the “truth.”