Marginalized Folks, Butts and Jokes: When Pop Culture Is Made to Laugh at Us, Not With Us

Bree Davies November 18, 2014 11:05AM

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Back in August, I went to see Dave Chappelle perform at the Boulder Theater with my boyfriend and a gaggle of our best dude friends. A longtime fan of Chappelle's work, it was the first time I would be seeing his standup live, and I was stoked.

But halfway into his set, I had to turn off. If you are a female-identified person, a person of color, a member of the GLBTQIA community or any other under-represented or marginalized group, you know what I'm talking about. It's that inevitable time during a pop-culture-oriented experience when the subject matter turns on you: You become the punchline or the subject of harm or are put into a position of submission. Suddenly, you have to filter what is being presented to you.

Marginalized Folks, Butts and Jokes: When Pop Culture Is Made to Laugh at Us, Not With Us

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