"The Royal Family: They are the OG's, the Sugarhill Gang of Racism" - Chris Rock

[MrsMaxDeWinter]

I got the title of this thread from Chris Rock's funny riff on the Royal family in his Netflix special. I found it a bit off for him to direct his bile at Jada, and not at Will who punched him last year at the Oscars. But his skit about Meghan and the Royal Family was really funny. He took on Meghan, the Royal Family's history of racism, in-laws, interracial marriages and colourism, but to the surprise of no-one, the jokes about the Royal Family are getting no mention in the UK tabloids.

Hope some of you will watch it on Netflix: his delivery is classic Rock, especially when he does the Sugarhill Gang rap.

*Back to the show. Everybody trying to be a victim. Like, who is this girl Meghan Markle? Seems like a nice lady – just complaining. Like, didn’t she hit the light-skinned lottery? Hit the light-skinned lottery and still going off complaining? Acting all dumb like she didn’t know nothing. Going on Oprah, ‘I didn’t know, I had no idea how racist they were.’ It’s the royal family! You didn’t Google those motherfuckers?

What the fuck is she talking about, she didn’t know? The fuck? It’s the royal family. They’re the original racists. They invented colonialism. They’re the OGs of racism. They’re the Sugarhill Gang of racism. Like, ‘a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip hip hop-a don’t stop' of racism. The fuck is she talking about. I didn't know. That's like marrying into the Budweiser family and going, 'They drink a lot. The fuck is she talking about. These motherfuckers invested in slavery like it was Shark Tank. The fuck?

Some of that shit she went through was not racism. It was just some in-law shit. Sometimes its just some in-law shit. Because she's complaining, I'm like, 'What the fuck is she talking about? 'They're so racist, they wanted to know how brown the baby was going to be...' I'm like, 'That's not racist,' cause' even black people want to know how brown the baby gon' be. Shit. We check behind them ears.

Black girl trying to be accepted by her white in-laws. Oh, it's hard. It's so hard, it's very hard. But it ain't as hard as a white girl trying to be accepted by her black in-laws. Now, that shit is really hard. If you black, and you wanna be accepted by your white in-laws, then you need to marry a Kardashian. Because they accept everybody. Kris Jenner is like the Statue of Liberty.
😂

Surely, for his skit Chris Rock will leave out a few things.

Does he mention the racist headlines or that there was 'concern' regarding the hair colour? Does he go into the fact that a whole list of PMs, lawyers, poc journalists all recognised the racism against MM?
Remember that the RF has had the world believe that they are 'moving on with the times'. So I don't see how MM from America could have known this was all a PR farce. Bet Chris himself didn't know they have not changed.

I also just saw him talk about Will Smith now. He is reminding everyone what they already know, apparently. But leaves out that Will and Jada were separated going to divorce and had an open relationship at the time. Nevermind that he publicly teased Jada on her medical condition is why he got the slap. He has been obsessed with Jada for years. As well as Will's family.

I think he was struggling to book $20 seats, so that slap revised his career. Now he is seeing that the hate wagon is making him money and will milk it for all it's got.

You are right to say their issue was that concerns were raised about the baby's skin.

But I don't see his jokes as invalidating their experience, comedians riff on and joke about all sort of things.

The jokes were more than just about Meghan to be fair, he also jokes about colourism, which is something a lot of white people in the UK may not understand as it is very specific to some black communities.

Am not a huge MM fan - whole I think Harry probably does have some legitimate complaints about his childhood, it's hard to buy the whole 'hard done by' narrative and I don't believe for a minute that MM didn't google the RF or have an inkling of what it was all about.
But she and Harry are an easy target, so it feels a bit like a cheap shot to go after them, when South Park has just done so.

I hear you, but Chris is making fun of the situation, and it doesn't feel mean. South Park felt mean and nasty precisely because it is based on a media narrative that was made up to shut up Harry and Meghan. They never ever said they wanted "privacy". But the UK media runs with that false narrative so they can complain when they speak. It's meant to shut them up, it's a malign form of censorship. South Park felt like a continuation of that false narrative.

Whereas these are jokes about expecting racial sensitivity from an institution that, as he says, is associated with slavery, colonialism.

The jokes were more than just about Meghan to be fair, he also jokes about colourism, which is something a lot of white people in the UK may not understand as it is very specific to some black communities.

This lack of mention here is something I always wondered about but never felt it was my place to bring it up.

@MrsMaxDeWinter I like Chris Rock and am waiting to watch the full show so have purposely not watched the clips.

But what you describe seems meaner to me that the South Park episode. (But I only watched clips of that.)

SP has a history of satire while Chris Rock is usually delivering genuine criticism. ie; no one really thinks Tom Cruise is gay afaik. I think Chris Rock would sting more for me.

But I’ll watch this week and see.

Isn't the fundamental point that he is calling the royal family racist? And that she should've known they were racist. I think it reflects poorly on the royal family given it's stated as fact that they are in fact a racist institution.

They didn't want privacy, what they wanted was to make as
Much money off the back of the Royal Family commercially, then also pick and chose the fancy events, cutting out the daily drudgery of the royal jobs. Anything money orientated or fancy and glitzy, whilst telling th world to be kind 🤮 (like they are!!! 🥴) or save the planet yet they're out on their Lear jet, jetting around the world every available opportunity ... they need a good pasting from the comedians of the world who say it how it is!

Was it ‘concern’ or was it normal family ‘interest’?
Recollections may vary.

I agree with custardbear when it comes to what I believe H&M wanted.
Bit difficult to criticise the RF and imply they are racist ( without giving any specifics to back it up) while keeping the titles and making money off the back of their association with it.

I would be inclined to believe that a poc would know concern or interest in the matter before a white queen and her white courtiers.

White courtiers, are you so sure about that?

But is MM being honest @notanotheroneagain? It wouldn't be the first time that it turned out events weren't quite as she remembered them?

The reactions to his gig on social media (eg. a well known anti-racist commentator saying Chris Rock needs to be slapped) show that, just like right wing comedy, woke comedy is an oxymoron.

I would be inclined to believe that a poc would know concern or interest in the matter before a white queen and her white courtiers

Under normal circumstances absolutely but I think its been proven time & time again the Sussexes version of events aren't always the most accurate

Well said

I’ve watched some parts, as I really wanted to watch the will and Jada part .

And although I can’t comment but ..,
is it ok for Chris to say Meghan won the light skin lottery ?

is it ok for a chris to say that even brown people are interested in knowing the shade of their baby ?

If the answer is , its not cool but it’s something that is sometimes discussed within families , then why did they even go on Oprah in the first place ?

if the answer is thats crossing a line and totally unacceptable ,
then why do they still want to keep working for Netflix after this? They quit the the RF for the exact things chris was making fun of .

@queenofarles
Chris Rock’s humor is a style common in the African American community not really doing anything that unique or out of line, he’s just doing it on a stage. I’ve met 90 year old AA women who are just as sharp, just as funny and addressing the same topics.

I think he was also just saying what many think Re: Will and Jada. She slept with her son’s friend and we are supposed to act like they are more evolved because they talked about it in public?

yes I know that Aliceolive ,
some might even argue that it’s all in the delivery , Chris made it sound funny and light hearted ,
what about the person who allegedly said that to Harry and who ,Harry, allegedly found it amusing till Meghan said otherwise?

It was just comedy, not such a big deal, public figures will be ridiculed from time to time, it’s expected.

He also says something about Meghan Markle complaining about racism and being treated like a black woman....astonished look....she won the light skinned lottery! He also says what's all the fuss about asking about the children's skin colour...it's a normal conversation in mixed race families.

He is rude about everyone.

Don't take it seriously @MrsMaxDeWinter

Hi @queenofarles

You have to understand the context of colourism in some black communities to get, or make a joke like someone got the "light skin lottery". I think it is clear that black people can send themselves up about colourism. The joke about looking behind the baby's ear is also a joke about colourism.

Black people however, are not concerned about what colour their babies are going to be, that was the word used by MM.

Obviously white people being concerned about how brown a child is really off. And if a white person joked about Meghan's skin colour, or said what Chris said about colourism in some black communities, he would, rightly, be called out.

You will also notice that Chris Rock throughout the special used the N word. Black people, particularly rappers and comedians, do use the N word that, but spelled like Rigga, although there is no consensus about it.

Jokes about race, colourism, slavery etc very much depend on who is saying them.

Here's a joke that a lot of people say to each other where I am from: "How was it at the plantation today" meaning at work. It's a joke that references slavery, but if a white person said to a black person, "How was it at the plantation today" it would be offensive.

You can do some reading if you are really interested. Here is a start.

everydayfeminism.com/2014/03/white-people-cant-use-the-n-word/

I've reproduced the whole conversation in the OP🙂

This. He's saying they RF is a racist institution and she was dumb/ naive to not have "known"