Netflix and Dave Chappelle’s Act of Defiance

You can love or hate Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer, his controversial Netflix special that dares to be as politically incorrect as anything out there, but one thing Chappelle’s standup special has also done is open up an important debate about freedom of expression.

The social media hounds are not letting it slide either. They’re all doubling down and tripling down, trying to get Netflix to pull “The Closer” and censor Chappelle. Now you have Hannah Gadsby, who became famous for her own Netflix special, tearing on Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos: “Fuck you and your amoral algorithm cult.”

Four days ago, Sarandos sent a lengthy email to Netflix employees regarding calls to ban Chappelle from the platform. Variety’s Matt Donnelly received the letter tonight and published its contents online. In it, Sarandos basically doubles down on Netflix’s support for Chappelle and cites an intriguing argument:

“With “The Closer”, we understand that the concern is not about offensive-to-some content but titles which could increase real world harm (such as further marginalizing already marginalized groups, hate, violence etc.) Last year, we heard similar concerns about 365 Days and violence against women. While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.

“The strongest evidence to support this is that violence on screens has grown hugely over the last thirty years, especially with first party shooter games, and yet violent crime has fallen significantly in many countries. Adults can watch violence, assault and abuse — or enjoy shocking stand-up comedy — without it causing them to harm others.”

“Cancel Culture” in U.S. history isn’t necessarily new, it is a continuum of what has long existed since the McCarthy lynchings. I’m old enough to remember that it used to be Republicans or conservatives demanding for the banishment of controversial art and/or artists. That’s all changed in the last decade, where now it’s the progressives who are calling for the censorship and cancelation of anything and anyone who doesn’t share their political beliefs. It’s actually quite fascinating how the roles have been reversed. Sarandos’ main argument, that content doesn’t cause real-world harm, is the same argument that liberal progressives used in the ’90s in favour of showing uncensored art.

Much of the art being created by today’s American artists is being done with an unconscious or subconscious fear to not offend. That’s what makes Chappelle’s “The Closer” so fascinating to watch: it’s made by an artist who is fearless. The greatest works of art will always be made by those unafraid to offend. I’m not necessarily implying that “The Closer” is a work of art, but it’s an unfiltered statement.