Classic Chris Rock: How to not get your arse kicked by the police. (nsfw)

Old video, but much truth.
Most of the recent police shootings could've been prevented if the suspect hadn't run or confronted the officers.

As a major comedy buff who has spent most of my life reading about the history of comedy and studying and watching the greats, seeing this and its application to the situation really shows why comedy done well is so great. This video is relevant, but it's also relatable to people no matter how you feel about it. With such a heated topic, it's rare to see something people can all agree is "the truth". That's what comedy done really well really is, though. It's truth that resonates with everyone told in a humorous way. This video's relevance and comedians tackling the topic goes back much further than Chris Rock. Distrust of the police is something that has been tackled a million times by people of all races. Pryor, the GOAT, did a great bit police choking people in the late 70s, and it's one of the funniest bits in the history of comedy to me. People latched onto it as Pryor proving the police agenda to murder innocent people, but they conveniently ignored the set up to make it fit the narrative. The entire set up is about him getting smashed on vodka, taking out a magnum, and going out and shooting at cars. He put effort into showing just how drunk and disorderly he is before even mentioning the police. The bit goes on to say that he went in the house because they police showed up and "they have magnums, too". It still shows distrust in police, but it's still a different context than it was placed in because that context ignores why it stuck so well as bit.

It's been done for a long time by a lot of the greats, especially by great black comedians. Yet, people are still able to write good bits on the subject of distrust of the police and police brutality that still play well and resonate. Is it because police are all one step away from choking a black person? No. Is it because all victims of police brutality are innocent? No. Neither of those are the reason why this worked then and will work as long as these things keep happening because neither of those represent the real truth of the the situation. There are some psycho officers who want to play sheriff out there or may be racist, but for the most part, your chances of being hurt or murdered by them are decreased almost to zero if you avoid trouble and any reason to draw attention to yourself.

That's the reason the sketch works here, and it's the reason the bit worked for Pryor. It has a trait that is essential to great comedy, and what makes the greats like Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Carlin, and, Eddie Murphy (atleast in the 80s) stand so far above other decent comics is their ability to find it in situations and on subjects that are really touchy and pretty much taboo. It has brutal, unapologetic truth that is undeniable regardless of your stance while finding the humor in all of it. It says that there are reasons to distrust authority so there are a few really easy things you should do to try to limit any chance of having to interact with them.

This is exactly the same as the Pryor bit I mentioned earlier. He acknowledges police brutality and highlights it, but the entire set up to get to the "Police don't kill cars" punchline and choking joke is that he was drunk and doing stupid shite like shooting a magnum at random things. He's not going inside because he's targeted for his race for no reason. He's going inside and calming down because he knows he was causing himself to have to deal with people who may see this sort of behavior as a way to justify harassing or harming him if they have ill intent. That's what makes both bits great. They both take shots at police brutality while still acknowledging that an individual can also avoid the situation in the majority of encounters by acting normal and avoiding trouble as much as possible. It's brutally honest and avoids completely blaming either side 100% while still pointing out that negative aspects of the situation. Finding that thin tightrope to walk on above a dumpster fire and picking at a topic from every angle is what makes a comedian truly great, and when someone who isn't really up to that level tries to do the same, it backfires due to that lack of universality you see major fails like the Michael Richards situation. When a subpar comedian tries to toe that line, they almost always miss the middle ground and only see it in one way, and they almost always crash and burn in dramatic fashion.

Still good. That part when the cop asks for license and registration and his crazy friend tells the driver, "man don't give him shite! what the frick you want mother fricker?!" Next scene they're both on the ground getting pummeled.

Both of these videos started my day off right

The mad woman

"he got weed"

I used to love his show on HBO.