What's so funny about race?

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 17 August 2022

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What makes a great joke about race? In the first of two episodes, Code Switch talks to comedians Ziwe, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes and Joel Kim Booster about their favorite race joke they tell: What's its origin story? Why is it so funny? And what does it say about race in America?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just to heads up y'all, this episode includes some mature language, which means...
0:03.8	It's probably gonna be some custom.
0:06.5	What's good, y'all? You're listening to Code Switch.
0:08.4	I'm Jean Demby.
0:09.4	And B.A. Parker.
0:10.5	Alright, Parker. So, if I asked you who Jennifer's short was,
0:14.8	would you know who I was talking about?
0:16.1	Uh, probably not. Is she an actor or something?
0:19.8	I mean, she is an actor, in a sense.
0:23.0	Mm-hmm.
0:23.6	Okay, okay. So, if I told you, she was barbecue-becky.
0:26.9	Oh, she's a lady with the shades.
0:29.2	Yes.
0:30.4	You know exactly what I'm talking about.
0:31.6	Like, you could conjure up her face, her backstory.
0:35.1	Yeah, I can see her clear as day in my mind's eye with her sour expression,
0:38.8	and her sunglasses on, holding the phone to her face.
0:42.4	Yeah, like, in that cell phone video, that one viral that made her famous or infamous, I guess.
0:47.1	She was calling the police on some black folks who were having a cookout.
0:49.8	Yeah, I like her reports, but honestly, we really do think...
0:52.8	You know, in a public park, as you do.
0:54.3	And of course, she started bawling when she was confronted.
	...

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