There was a time in this country when a comedian was free to express their art in anyway they chose. We were free to watch, or not. No one forced us to watch or to participate in an uprising for or against the either the message or the medium. Richard Pryor was one of the many great comedians that could shamelessly get us to laugh at our plight regardless of the race or creed of the subject or sensitivity of the topic targeted.
So then, it occurs to me that if we could apply a lesson learned by Richard to the riots du jour, we may have found a solution to one of society’s ills. If your short on time, skip forward to the 40 second mark,
Now, imagine if each of those that wished violence on our cities were to suddenly come to the realization the Richard came to. Well, as a guess, there would be a lot less children running wild in our streets!
When that fire hit your ass, it will sober your ass up quick! I saw something, I went, “Well, that’s a pretty blue. You know what? That looks likeโฆ FIRE! Fire is inspirational. They should use it in the Olympics, because I ran the 100 in 4.3.
–Richard Prior