Beaners, Micks, Wops, Kykes, Niggers, & Fags

The fact that Carlos Mencia's act is racist or prejudiced has nothing to do with why I dislike him. I'm not offended by his use of stereotyping or slurring in his sketches. Generally, I've been attracted to comics who aren't PC. I think South Park is some of the most scathing satire on TV these days, and much of that is owed to clever use of stereotypes and other controversial issues. In fact, Carlos Mencia isn't that offensive because, A.) We know he's joking and B.) We've heard it all before since the dawn of white people meeting not-white people. If Carlos Mencia was not marketed as the "offensive, anti-political correctness" comedian, no one would even consider him that. The commercials show him making a bunch of shocked faces, covering his mouth, and saying things like "Ooh, I shouldn't have said that". Ever notice that they don't cut to the audience looking appalled or upset? That's because no one that watches the Carlos Mencia show gets offended.

What offends me about Mr. Mencia's act is that he's simply not funny. His jokes are easy -- there's no thought behind them. No attempt to make them clever. Once I heard him make a joke about Mexicans leaving pre-Katrina New Orleans in one bus. Haha, Carlos, I'm thankful that you've pointed to my attention that Mexicans squeeze as many of themselves into vehicles as they can. I've never heard that joke before. Certainly I've noticed it, but never ever has anyone ever made a joke about a bunch of Mexicans stuffed in a car.

Maybe if this was the 1950s, Carlos Mencia would be funny. Not only because his material would seem fresher, but also it would be okay to say racist shit all the time. Here is a comic by Nothing Nice To Say creator Mitch Clem. This pretty much sums up Mencia's comedy. The obvious counter to my anti-Mencia tirade is that I'm too uptight or PC. I wouldn't say that I am either, I just like my comedy like I like my coffee -- not shitty. It's almost glaringly obvious that Mencia's show was picked up to fill the Chapelle void. Comedy Central thought they could keep the socially charged comedy torch burning by simply changing the comedian not the format. The problem in doing this is that Dave Chapelle is an outstanding comedian -- everything from his delivery, his writing, to his actual stand-up -- and Carlos Mencia is a third-rate hack that just happened to make all the right moves and know the right people to get his own show.