Netflix is Facing a Dilemma

Veteran stand-up comedian Dave Chapelle recently performed a show for a Netflix Special called The Closer.  For decades, Chapelle has been known for his edgy and dark humor, which includes making jokes aimed at certain marginalized groups.  He isn't afraid to make an audience laugh at the expense of those groups.  Chapelle constantly uses the N-word in many contexts ranging from casual conversation to deliberate racism (in other words, he sometimes brings out the "hard R") and is known to say 'bitch' in just about every sentence.  So clearly, he doesn't have much of a filter and in turn, he can say some gutsy jokes.  He also starred in some movies, such as Half Baked and Blue Streak to name a couple.

In The Closer, Chapelle includes stories and punchlines about various groups, such as the LGBTQ community.  Chapelle's main talking point in the special is how LGBTQ rights have advanced far quicker than racial justice.  He constantly compares the struggles of LGBTQ people to those of black people in America.  Most notably, he tells the story of Daphne Dorman, a transgender woman who he befriended and eventually had open for his 2019 show in San Francisco.  Prior, Chapelle had been grilled by the transgender community for making transphobic jokes and "punching down" on their people.  Dorman was harassed by the community as well for supporting Chapelle, and eventually was driven to the point of suicide.  I'm sure the point of Chapelle including this story was to defend himself in saying he wasn't transphobic because he had a transgender friend/supporter, and to also point out the hypocrisy of the transgender community to harass one of their own (this is my speculation, I don't know the true reasoning for including this story).

In the special, Chapelle went on to discuss and defend J.K. Rowling's stance on the transgender community.  Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, stated that gender is a fact, which was taken to be transphobic by the trans community.  The community called her "TERF," short for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.  Chapelle ended up defending Rowling and actually agreeing with her viewpoints.  He stated that he is "team TERF."  This is my biggest issue with Chapelle's show.  Many Netflix employees walked out on their jobs in protest of Netflix allowing the special to be streamed.

Netflix, as well as Chapelle, face a major issue with their public image.  There are both viewers that find the special entertaining and viewers that find the comedian's jokes in poor taste.  The employees walking out are causing enough uproar for Netflix to have to make a decision: do they remove The Closer from their list of stream options, or do they keep it up?  It's a question for which I don't really have an answer.

It's a shame because I don't really think that this is on Netflix.  Of course, they are the ones that are letting the show become available to their subscribers, but they must understand that Dave Chapelle has a large following.  Either way, Netflix's final decision will hurt their reputation if they choose a side rather than to meet in the middle.  There will be some people on both sides of the argument that will eventually be upset with the decision they make.  There are benefits to either decision they make, and I will outline those.

If Netflix chooses to remove the special, there will likely be a crowd of subscribers, whether it be Chapelle fans or anti-trans people, that will be unhappy that the show was removed.  Cancel culture is a big issue today with current American politics.  Many are sick of seeing their favorite celebrities 'cancelled' for poor decisions they have made, whether it have been recent or in the past.  Also, Netflix will more than likely lose money they were expected to gain from the streams of this special.  Money is usually the main driving force for decision making, so it's likely the special stays up.  Additionally, removing this special from the list will set the precedence for removing all sorts of other shows that have controversial language or depictions.  That will cause a lot of chaos and ultimately damage Netflix.

While I do believe that Netflix shouldn't just entirely remove the show from their streamable items, I don't think they should leave the situation alone.  They have a moral obligation to listen to the concerns of their employees and the rest of the LGBTQ community.  Although Chapelle probably intends for these kinds of jokes to be taken lightly, his word choice is dangerous and isn't something that should always be joked about.  In my opinion, he crossed the line when he said that he is team TERF.  He said it in a very serious manner, and I believe that in an age of misinformation, there will be people that go around and reiterate Chapelle's words and viewpoints.  It's possible that the things Chapelle said in the special can be taken seriously by the wrong audiences.  We see this today with social media influencers.  Social media groups such as Barstool and NELK have a huge influence on the world's younger generations, and those two don't have the highest moral upstanding.  Younger generations constantly repeat the things that Dave Portnoy or Stevewilldoit say because they think it's funny.  Often times the things that are said are hurtful to others or political, so the audiences will choose to align with the beliefs of Barstool or NELK (both pretty openly and dangerously anti-liberal).  Younger populations could do the same with Chapelle's beliefs.  Someone like me can point out that Chapelle isn't to be taken completely seriously, but someone else might not be able to see through that.  It's important that Chapelle doesn't say any more damaging things about the LGBTQ community, no matter what kind of justification he uses.

There is a split on what Netflix should do, but I think their best move is to listen to their employees and try to meet in the middle.  Either removing the special or leaving it up without any changes is a dangerous move for Netflix to make because it will definitely harm their public image.  They need to show that they are making an effort to listen to both sides and come up with a solution that makes everyone happy (or less angry, for that matter).