It might be hard for some folks to imagine that the KKK still holds any real power in this day and age but the truth is, unfortunately, that the hated and in some cases feared group still exists and is very much a problem for many people still. It might not be as powerful or as far-reaching as it once was but there are still those that believe in the power of the KKK and what it stands for. That could be why the story that Dave Chappelle tells about his mother and the time she dealt with a band of KKK members is so hilarious.
As Chappelle tells it he was just a child when this happened, though there’s no real reason to doubt him unless someone else came forward and disputed the story. He and his family were visited one night by a band of horse-riding, hood-wearing KKK members who went so far as to place a burning cross on their front lawn. They then shouted for Chappelle’s family to come out as one would expect. Chappelle and his brother were in hiding, peering out, when their mother opened the door for the Klansmen and, to everyone’s surprise, started handing out candy as though it were Halloween.
Take a moment to absorb that and then if you feel the need bust up laughing, I know I did. Just try to picture a black woman, possibly in her robe and slippers, passing out candy to the KKK as though they were a band of rowdy trick or treaters that hadn’t just demanded that her family come outside. There were two possible ways that could have gone down it would seem; the Klan members could have reacted angrily and stormed the house, or they could have slunk away, confused and possibly chastised in a way they couldn’t possibly absorb in that moment.
It seems safe to say that some estimation of the latter is a far safer bet, since Chappelle is here to tell the story and to laugh about it. That’s a woman that had a lot of courage and a lot of nerve to stand there doling out treats to men that might have wished for nothing more than to yank her out of her house and do unspeakable things to her. That’s the kind of mother that knows just how to handle a situation too. Can you imagine just how confused those hood-wearing fools must have been at that moment?
Racism is still a very real thing in America but fortunately one way to go about combating it is one of the simplest things in the world to do. Laugh at it. Embarrass it. Make those who practice racism feel confusion, uncertainty, and leave them feeling as though their world is tipped upside down because in all honesty their attempts to divide others is a bit comical in some ways. Granted, it’s not as easy to laugh at as you might think, but the act of laughing at a racist is sometimes a lot more potent than fighting them tooth and nail as they’re prepared to do.
If you can’t fight them with force, laugh at them and their willful ignorance. Chances are they won’t know what to do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IblVuTOmyQM?t=3m6s
Follow Us
