# Trade Places with Chris Rock? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 30, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624 "2010-09-30T17:17:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/1 "2010-09-30T17:17:20Z")
On a recent podcast with Adam Carolla, Ken Burns made the statement that he does not think any white people would be willing to trade places with Chris Rock because he is black. Rock is a comedian and hyperbole is part of his act, but Burns was in ernest in his opinion that most white people would not be willing to switch places with Chris Rock despite his money and fame. This seems incorrect to me. So I am starting this poll. Would you be willing to gain Chris Rock’s money, fame, and earning potential if it meant that you had to become black? Everything else about your life could stay the same except your color and the color of your children. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/2 "2010-09-30T17:22:41Z")
Would I have to live a public life? I wouldn’t like that. Could I stay my same gender? I don’t want to be a man. A rich black woman instead of a working-class white woman? I’ll take the wealth. StG ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/3 "2010-09-30T17:26:52Z")
If I had to switch places with either a struggling unknown white comedian or Chris Rock that is an easy choice. I would rather not switch with anyone, though. ---
**Author:** ![2ply](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/b2d939/32.png) [@2ply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ply)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/4 "2010-09-30T17:36:05Z")
He’s almost twice my age, so I’d lose about twenty years of my life, though I’m sure Chris Rock had more money than me when he was my age. I would switch with a rich black person, but it would have to be with someone born after 1975. Either Beyonce or Lebron James would suffice. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/5 "2010-09-30T17:46:00Z")
He has his own stresses and problems, but at least money isn’t one of them. Unless he has a thief for an accountant and money manager. That happens to celebs with some regularity. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/6 "2010-09-30T17:47:15Z")
Do I get to keep my current age? If so, yea I’d switch. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/7 "2010-09-30T21:16:08Z")
Do I also get his wife? ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/8 "2010-09-30T22:13:20Z")
I don’t want to be famous for any reason, and I answered the poll as asked in the title- would I want to be Chris Rock. ---
**Author:** ![HawksPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f07891/32.png) [@HawksPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HawksPath)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/9 "2010-09-30T23:05:06Z")
I’m mostly happy with my life, but if I could keep most all other things about me, I’d change. I’d keep my values and my wife. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/10 "2010-09-30T23:36:09Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > If I had to switch places with either a struggling unknown white comedian or Chris Rock that is an easy choice. I would rather not switch with anyone, though. This raises a good point, and is my position as well. Wanting to trade places results in all sorts of uncomfortable questions about abandoning the people you love, and taking on the unknown personality quirks of someone else. I’m a reasonably happy person - what if Chris Rock suffers from depression? In that case I’d much rather like to remain me, despite my lack of very expensive car. Since the poll is more interested in a bias against being black, the better poll would be similar to **awldune** suggested: if you had to trade places with a person of the same race, personality and earning potential as yourself, or Chris Rock when he was your own age, which would you chose? I’d choose Chris Rock. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/11 "2010-09-30T23:37:46Z")
I like being me, but I would be okay with being Chris Rock too. I would also definitely prefer to be Chris Rock rather than Ken Burns. Chris Rock is a cool and funny guy. On the other hand, Ken Burns apparently favors extremely dorky bowl haircuts. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/12 "2010-09-30T23:37:53Z")
I wouldn’t mind being black, and I would love the money and fame. However, I still wouldn’t trade places with Chris Rock, because then I’d be Chris Rock. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/13 "2010-10-01T00:26:47Z")
No, because with all of you other people trading places with Chris Rock, I’d eventually wind up as one of you. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/14 "2010-10-01T00:32:30Z")
I don’t know. How big is his dick? I don’t want to be trading down. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/15 "2010-10-01T01:08:55Z")
Am I the only one who thought this was about a remake of the movie with Rock in the Eddie Murphy role? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/16 "2010-10-01T02:37:47Z")
Was Burns’ statement made in reference to Rock’s famous bit where he claims that no white person would trade places with him, even though “I’m RICH!”? That was a joke, part of his act. I doubt Rock meant the statement to be taken literally. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/17 "2010-10-01T17:06:47Z")
**BrotherC** Yes, that was what it was in reference to, and he was in earnest. He said something about how America is not as post racial as we like to pretend, and that no white person would ever want to take Chris Rock’s joke seriously and trade white skin for millions of dollars. I just thought that was such a strange thing to say. I know Burns has issues with the white devil but it just seemed bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/18 "2010-10-01T17:35:18Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > He said something about how America is not as post racial as we like to pretend, and that no white person would ever want to take Chris Rock’s joke seriously and trade white skin for millions of dollars. I just thought that was such a strange thing to say. I know Burns has issues with the white devil but it just seemed bizarre. I think this dork is projecting his own prejudices on others. I can definitely believe that the reason Ken Burns has such a horrible haircut is because all of the best barbers in his hometown are black and he is terrified of black people. I’m sure there are a number of racists still out there. However, it is ridiculous to think that there aren’t any white people out there who just see black people as normal people and don’t harbor prejudices _based on race_ (I firmly believe we all have our own prejudices but that not all of them are based on the same things - as you can see I have a very strong prejudice against people with bowl cuts). Just recently I read an article about how my old hometown, Detroit, has had a sudden bump in the percentage of young white residents (from 8% white to like 13% white). Most of the new white people are young people who find the idea of urban living cooler than hanging out in the traditionally white suburbs of Detroit. While there may very well be exceptions, I would wager that most white people would not choose to live in a predominantly black city (especially one that is as notoriously troubled as The D is) if they had an issue with black people. I would also guess that most white people who marry a black person and have kids with them are not harboring deep-seated animosity towards black people. I could see thinking that most white people would not want to be a black person because of not wanting to deal with the discrimination black people have to deal with. However, Chris Rock has managed to succeed in spite of discrimination, has enough “eff you” money to do whatever he wants, and would probably be able to cut down any racist with a funny retort, so I don’t see why he would be a bad person to trade places with. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/19 "2010-10-01T17:48:03Z")
I would trade races for Rock’s money. His fame does not sweeten the deal but I could live with it. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624/20 "2010-10-01T17:55:33Z")
I’d trade places with Perez Hilton for that kind of money… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624.md?page=2)