# The Boondocks 11/13 - The Trial of R. Kelly **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988 "2005-11-14T14:00:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/21 "2005-11-15T04:22:41Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > So not only did he steal the joke, he’s too stupid to even try to hide it? Maybe if I looked at them side by side. Meanwhile, I still don’t think Chappelle’s jokes about Kelly were so astonishing or unusual that anybody who said something similar had to steal it. It has nothing to do with stupidity, people steal jokes all the time. It’s just lazy writing. maybe if Chappelle weren’t that popular, you could argue that he wasn’t influenced by it, but I highly doubt McGruder hadn’t seen his comedy special. Dave Chappelle said: _“15, to me, is old enough to decide whether or not you want to be pissed on…if you don’t want to get pissed on, just get the fuck out of the way, it’s not even a decision. If I start peeing on the front row, they’re not gonna have to calculate and think, like ‘how do I feel about this, am I okay with this’, they just move…”_ What they said on the Boondocks was too similar to that joke and others I’ve heard Chappelle make to be a coincidence. Even if he didn’t knowingly steal it, the joke was made by someone else first, and is less funny when you hear someone else make the same point. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/22 "2005-11-15T04:43:18Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > It has nothing to do with stupidity, people steal jokes all the time. It’s just lazy writing. Failing to hide it was the stupid part. > [@](#): > > maybe if Chappelle weren’t that popular, you could argue that he wasn’t influenced by it, but I highly doubt McGruder hadn’t seen his comedy special. Or whoever wrote it (do we know it was McGruder)? > [@](#): > > Even if he didn’t knowingly steal it, the joke was made by someone else first, and is less funny when you hear someone else make the same point. Sure, but somebody else making the joke doesn’t mean you stole it. That was my entire point. I just don’t think any of the phrasing or ideas in Chappelle’s jokes were so unique that somebody had to watch Chappelle’s Show and steal it as opposed to, I don’t know, thinking it as soon as they heard the details of the case years ago. For whatever it’s worth, Chappelle makes this point in a straightforward way while it was mocked on the Boondocks. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/23 "2005-11-15T05:31:57Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Failing to hide it was the stupid part. It’s not stupid because it’s not really an uncommon thing for writers and comedians to do. > [@Marley23](#): > > Or whoever wrote it (do we know it was McGruder)? True. > [@Marley23](#): > > Sure, but somebody else making the joke doesn’t mean you stole it. That was my entire point. I believe there is enough similarity between the two to justify the belief that he stole it. > [@Marley23](#): > > just don’t think any of the phrasing or ideas in Chappelle’s jokes were so unique that somebody had to watch Chappelle’s Show and steal it as opposed to, I don’t know, thinking it as soon as they heard the details of the case years ago. For whatever it’s worth, Chappelle makes this point in a straightforward way while it was mocked on the Boondocks. If it were so easy to do what Chappelle does, many more people would be doing it. I think you underestimate how “unique” his jokes are. It was the same exact joke/point, delivered in the same exact way, with similar intonation. It’s hard to believe the writers didn’t realize that. That’s why I think they stole the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/24 "2005-11-15T05:36:35Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > If it were so easy to do what Chappelle does, many more people would be doing it. I think you underestimate how “unique” his jokes are. It was the same exact joke/point, delivered in the same exact way, with similar intonation. It’s hard to believe the writers didn’t realize that. That’s why I think they stole the joke. I’m not underestimating Chappelle’s talent or how funny he is. This particular point about the Kelly case is very simple and obvious. The Chappelle episode in question aired two years ago and there’s very little you can say about R. Kelly that is fresh at this point - and certainly not “if I peed on you, wouldn’t you move?” I’d never heard anybody make the “what happened to standards?” argument, and Chappelle sure didn’t go there. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/25 "2005-11-15T06:12:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m not underestimating Chappelle’s talent or how funny he is. This particular point about the Kelly case is very simple and obvious. As are most good jokes. If it were so obvious, then someone else would have made the joke. They didn’t, Chappelle did. > [@Marley23](#): > > The Chappelle episode in question aired two years ago and there’s very little you can say about R. Kelly that is fresh at this point - and certainly not “if I peed on you, wouldn’t you move?” Once again, it’s not an episode, it’s from his comedy special from last year. The DVD came out this year. > [@Marley23](#): > > I’d never heard anybody make the “what happened to standards?” argument, and Chappelle sure didn’t go there. Come on now. Comedians have been there before as well. Just off the top of my head, both Chris Rick and Bill Maher discussed those in there more recent HBO specials. I’m not saying the Boondocks can’t discuss stuff other comedians have gone over, just that stealing jokes is a lazy thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/26 "2005-11-15T06:25:04Z")
I didn’t notice that the R Kelly joke was stolen, personally, but for some reason I can never remember the Chappelle’s sketch. I can remember the “Pee on you” song but the rest is a fuzzy area. I always thought it was one of his less funny jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/27 "2005-11-15T06:33:24Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > As are most good jokes. If it were so obvious, then someone else would have made the joke. They didn’t, Chappelle did. I think this is a joke many people can and did make in conversation. It strikes me as something a lot of Dopers might have said. > [@](#): > > Once again, it’s not an episode, it’s from his comedy special from last year. The DVD came out this year. I guess I’m confusing it with Kelly spoofs on his show. (I don’t suppose Chappelle can be accused of ripping himself off, _a la_ Fogerty? ;)) If it’s from a special last year, the Boondocks episode could have been written before it aired. > [@](#): > > Come on now. Comedians have been there before as well. Just off the top of my head, both Chris Rick and Bill Maher discussed those in there more recent HBO specials. I didn’t see either of those. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/28 "2005-11-15T06:39:19Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I guess I’m confusing it with Kelly spoofs on his show. (I don’t suppose Chappelle can be accused of ripping himself off, _a la_ Fogerty? ;)) If it’s from a special last year, the Boondocks episode could have been written before it aired. Cite? I think the timing was what made me think they stole the joke. The Chappelle Special aired roughly a year and a half ago, this was the first episode they made for the Boondocks (they aired them out of order). I doubt it took them a year and a half to produce this episode. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/29 "2005-11-15T06:51:49Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Cite? How the fuck am I supposed to cite something I said **COULD** have happened? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/30 "2005-11-15T07:01:25Z")
I mean, I could say that Wikipedia notes the show has a long turnaround time, and that of course writing is the START of the process, and that McGruder said in the Washington Post that he’s been working on the show for about two years, but I thought cites were for _assertions_. I’m just wondering if something is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/31 "2005-11-15T07:06:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > How the fuck am I supposed to cite something I said **COULD** have happened? Snarky, snarky. You do it like [fucking this:](http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/television/stories/DN-boondocks_1106gl.State.Bulldog.6661f24.html) > [@](#): > > The Boondocks TV episodes, which are animated in Korea, have to be written roughly a year before the finished product is sent back to the United States. That eliminates up-to-the-minute topicality, but Mr. McGruder is still targeting a few celebrities. “The Trial of R. Kelly” episode will lampoon the hot-button R&B star; “Let’s Nab Oprah” is built around an attempt to kidnap the talk show diva. - Peter Wiggen ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/32 "2005-11-15T07:20:37Z")
> [@PeterWiggen](#): > > Snarky, snarky. > > You do it like [fucking this:](http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/television/stories/DN-boondocks_1106gl.State.Bulldog.6661f24.html) So we can say it might have happened, not (as I felt he was asking) whether or not it did happen. If “For What It’s Worth” first aired last September 4, it’s very possible that the episode was written first. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/33 "2005-11-15T07:30:04Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > So we can say it might have happened, not (as I felt he was asking) whether or not it did happen. If “For What It’s Worth” first aired last September 4, it’s very possible that the episode was written first. Yes, it’s very possible. For what it’s worth (despite the “Snarky snarky” comment) I thought you might be right. Mcgruder does not seem to be very derivative in his comedy, and I can’t imagine that he would consciously steal a joke. It just seems to me that Mcgruder works in the well-trodden comedy area of race-relations and racism. Many jokes (white people can’t jump and like mayonnaise, black people steal and have huge johnsons) are riffed on successfully by many different comedians. So in summary, I don’t think that Dave Chappelle (though I am a huge fan) invented the R. Kelly sketch. He did a great job on the topic - but the subject seems fairly ubiquitous to me. Finally, FWIW I did think you were a bit snarky, BUT I also thought you were probably right. And the constant calls for “Cite?” drive me a little bonkers as well. Cool? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/34 "2005-11-15T07:38:46Z")
> [@PeterWiggen](#): > > It just seems to me that Mcgruder works in the well-trodden comedy area of race-relations and racism. Many jokes (white people can’t jump and like mayonnaise, black people steal and have huge johnsons) are riffed on successfully by many different comedians. Sure. I’ll admit that I hadn’t seen “you can’t change the racist power structure with cheese!” before, but obviously you don’t have this show without Richard Pyror and a bunch of other people. > [@](#): > > Finally, FWIW I did think you were a bit snarky, BUT I also thought you were probably right. And the constant calls for “Cite?” drive me a little bonkers as well. Cool? 😃 Absolutely. And hey, you did do the work. I looked a little and found that Post interview, which I read a while ago. I didn’t think there would be anything so definitive out there. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/35 "2005-11-15T07:42:23Z")
As to the bonkers thing - I love the standards on this board, but sometimes I don’t understand why people ask for cites when they do. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/36 "2005-11-15T15:47:45Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > As to the bonkers thing - I love the standards on this board, but sometimes I don’t understand why people ask for cites when they do. Yeah, it bothers me too, and I probably was being kinda dick when I asked for it. But, I was genuinely interesting in something saying how long the turnaround is. Either way, it seems as thought the timing was perfect for him to steal the joke, as I’d imagined. I think he did, but I can understand if you just think it’s a coincidence. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/37 "2005-11-15T15:57:28Z")
> [@PeterWiggen](#): > > Yes, it’s very possible. For what it’s worth (despite the “Snarky snarky” comment) I thought you might be right. Mcgruder does not seem to be very derivative in his comedy, and I can’t imagine that he would consciously steal a joke. It just seems to me that Mcgruder works in the well-trodden comedy area of race-relations and racism. Many jokes (white people can’t jump and like mayonnaise, black people steal and have huge johnsons) are riffed on successfully by many different comedians. I do find him to be pretty derivative in his comedy, which is why I think he stole the joke. I can’t think of any new ground he’s ever broken with his cartoon, because the whole “black people are different from white people” has been done to death. That, and his political humor is all the show is about. That’s not really new in my mind. Not that he has to be, just that I see the majority of his stuff as unoriginal and unremarkable. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/38 "2005-11-15T16:24:49Z")
I didn’t realize they were doing the show and somehow, happily, ran across it the first week it aired. I read the strip and enjoy it, so I immediately took to the show. I think it is faithful within the constraints of animated television (even cable). The bit that got me Sunday was the whole grandpa: “I wish somebody’d give me a golden shower.” Cheap and easy, you bet. Funny? ditto. I think the speech and commentary “yeah, vexed is a good word” are what really make this show sing. So, is it okay for a middle-aged white guy to find this stuff funny? ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988/39 "2005-11-15T16:58:13Z")
> [@ddgryphon](#): > > So, is it okay for a middle-aged white guy to find this stuff funny? Sure. The show, IMO, is aimed toward white people primarily, so I would hope, for McGruder’s sake, that people like you find it funny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boondocks-11-13-the-trial-of-r-kelly/330988.md?page=1)