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Anatomy of a Joke: "Who Wants to Change Places?" https…

- - - - White favoritism in the U.S. judicial and criminal system has led to the mass incarceration of people of color, and the subsequent overrepresentation of people of color in prison. For the same crime, people of color have historically received harsher punishments than white people. Unlike people of color, white people do not have to worry about "disproportionately serving time in [prisons], having longer than average sentences, and being executed in greater number" (McIntosh 3). This is largely because "those who have been able to afford the high costs of legal training have been, for the most part," white people and "the prison system is thoroughly controlled by" white people. This is an important frame of reference for understanding Rock's joke. The judicial privilege enjoyed by white people grants them more freedom and opportunity than black people; put simply, they are just treated better than black people when it comes to laws and crimes. Therefore, a white person would not trade places with a black person because they would not enjoy the same type of advantageous, privileged treatment that could possibly save them time in jail- a luxury that even money could not buy.
      - McIntosh, Peggy. “WHITE PRIVILEGE, COLOR AND CRIME: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT.” “Images of Color, Images of Crime: Readings” Chapter 18 (1998).
      - This image shows a young white man and a young black man receiving much different sentences for the same crime in the same place. The only significant difference was the skin color, and it was enough for the Florida judge to add over 24 years to the sentences of the black man. This is just one example of white people receiving lighter sentences for similar crimes. This image was published on Snopes.com in August 2018 in article written by Dan Macguill.
- - - - A major point that Rock makes with this joke is that white privilege is a luxury that transcends money. In other words, a white person would rather be poor and white than rich and black. While this seems like an absurd idea, its merit is grounded in stereotypes, injustices, and struggles that exist for black people but not white people. Rock maintains that a white person would never choose to live the more difficult life. This leads to the idea that white racial privilege is something that money cannot buy. The freedoms, opportunities, advantages, and easier law treatment are all things that cannot be saved by being rich. Even rich black men deal with stereotypes and racism that poor white men do not. Being rich certainly has its advantages, but the ones enjoyed on the basis of race are unique and important, and with this joke, Rock suggests are more important than having money.
- - - - The Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York had a large influence on Chris Rock's childhood as well the types of jokes he would make during his career as a comedian. The vast majority of residents in the neighborhood have been black since the 1920's, when African-Americans first moved to the area in masses. Bedford-Stuyvesant has been historically a crime-ridden, lower-income neighborhood. In 1990, there were 120 reported murders in the neighborhood alone and the current serious crime rate is far above that of the average New York City neighborhood. Even though the area has become increasingly safer and more desirable, the Bedford-Stuyvesant poverty rate is still considerably higher than the average neighborhood in New York City, and the average SAT scores from the public school students in the area are far below those of the average neighborhood in New York City. In conclusion, Chris Rock grew up in an area with a lot of violence, crime, poverty, unemployment, and a poor schooling, surrounded by black people. There's no doubt Rock saw and experienced black people struggling and reinforcing negative stereotypes. This association of black people with crime, poverty, and lack of education likely influenced this joke.
        
        Black Stereotypes
        
        There are many negative black stereotypes that have existed for a long time. These unpleasant associations make the entire race seem undesirable. Some of these stereotypes include the simple-minded Sambo, the silly Jim Crow, the loud Mammy, and the dutiful Aunt Jemima. However, arguably the most enduring and relevant sterotype, and likely the one that influenced Rock's joke, is the Savage. The Savage, popularized through film such as The Birth of a Nation, portrays black men as violent, menacing, aggressive, and dangerous. This is an image that still exists today. Black people that live in the 'ghetto' or the 'hood' are often seen as dangerous, fearsome criminals. This particular negative association is a primary reason why a white man would not change places with a black man. The way that other people act when a black man is around, the strangely afraid looks that white people have when a black man is around, the judgmental looks when a black man is in a nice establishment or associated with finer life; these are all things that white men never have to worry about. This much easier, less worrisome lifestyle is one that Rock believes white men would be hesitant to give up. The historical implications of negative black stereotypes are important for understanding the the reasons why Rock made the joke.
        
        Green, Laura. “Negative Racial Stereotypes and Their Effect on Attitudes Toward African-Americans.” Negative Racial Stereotypes and Their Effect on Attitudes Toward African-Americans - Scholarly Essays - Jim Crow Museum - Ferris State University. Accessed October 14, 2019. https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/links/essays/vcu.htm.
        
        This meme, for which the creator and origin is unknown, highlights the general public's association of black people with crime. Although done in a joking manner, this image still illuminates the negative stereotypical perceptions of black people that make being a black person seem so undesirable. No white person would want to have to deal with and put up with the constant criminal labeling that black people experience on a daily basis. White people would simply never choose to be associated with such a negative perception if they could help it, and would instead appreciate their much freer and easier daily experiences, at least those directly associated with race. This image was found on memecenter.com
        
        This image is the cover for the novel How Sleeps the Beast written by Don Tracy in 1950. The story is about a black man murdering a white woman in a small American town, and the entire town take justice into their own hands. The cover image, however, is more telling of the savage black stereotype. First, referring to the black man as a beast reinforces the savage, animalistic, and wild behavior of a black man. Second, the way the black man is portrayed, gazing eagerly at a white woman, ready to be violent to get what he wants also furthers the hypersexual and aggressive stereotype of the black male predator. Finally, the top right caption of "The Man- Negro, The Girl- White, The Payoff- Lynch!" furthers the image of the violent black criminal who deserves to pay for his crime. Overall, images like these provide historical context to Rock's jokes. The historical connotations of being a black man, deeply rooted in racist history of the U.S, illuminate why it would be undesirable to be a black man. The inherently negative, racist stereotypes of black people, particularly as criminals, are labels that no white person would ever want to have, and thus Rock makes the joke about white people never wanting to trade places with black people.
        
        Gregor, Alison. “Bedford-Stuyvesant: Diverse and Changing.” The New York Times. The New York Times, July 9, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/realestate/bedford-stuyvesant-diverse-and-changing.html.
    - - Chris Rock attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York which was almost exclusively made up of white students. As a result, Rock went through a lot of harsh racial discrimination by his fellow students. Even the school system itself was inherently racist, as he got to school every day via a separate bus used exclusively for transporting black students. Even in the 1980's, this level of segregation and prejudice existed, and made Rock's childhood very tough. He was persecuted and even beaten up by white students on a regular basis, and the oppression became so intense that he eventually dropped out of high school. Rock's terrible experience with bigotry and racism greatly influenced his perception of race, and its effects can be seen through this joke. His repeated ordeals of blatant, racist hatred of white people towards black people directly leads to the idea that a white person would never want to be black. The bitter disgust and contempt that he witnessed likely led him to the conclusion that even money or fame could not make up for the feeling of privilege, pride, and superiority that white people feel and enjoy because of their race.
        
        “Chris Rock Biography.” Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements of Standup comedian & Actor, March 14, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/chris-rock-30184.php.
- - - - One major component of Rock's joke is the unique set of challenges that black people face, which make being black such an undesirable idea to white people. Black families are statistically over two times less wealthy than white families. This economic disadvantage, largely caused by the neighborhoods they live in as well as the jobs available, have many negative effects. With less money comes a much lower chance of affording higher education, as well as more desperation to attain money, which leads to higher rates of crime. This combination of fewer opportunities as well as increased risks for a struggle that white people just do not have to endure. This fact directly influences Rock's "the limit's the sky" comment- black people simply have more limitations and less freedom on what they can do with their lives, compared to white people. Furthermore, black people are more likely to be killed by police officers or be the victims of police brutality, and are are also more likely to be sentenced as well as sentenced more harshly for crimes. This is another fear, injustice, and disadvantage that black people face on a daily basis that white people do not have to worry about. Yet another prejudice is the existence of negative, vilifying stereotypes, especially that of the black criminal- another discrimination and challenge not faced by white people. In conclusion, Chris Rock's joke was created to highlight the benefits of being white, which include more opportunities, more lenient legal treatment, less stereotyping, and in general, an easier, freer life attributed exclusively to the fact that they are white. In Rock's eyes, being white is so good that money simply cannot buy the freedom and luxuries that white privilege provides.