Subscribe
NewsOne Featured Video
CLOSE

Well, if Chris Rock‘s much ballyhooed return to Saturday Night Live this weekend was to offend almost everyone in ‘Murica, then he succeeded with flying colors.

SEE ALSO: Too Soon? SNL Spoofs Trayvon Martin Case

The SNL vet wasted no time breaking into a subversive monologue that tackled patriotic hypocrisy, capitalistic narcissism and the ridiculously delicious irony that Jesus’ birthday, as many Christians have dubbed December 25, is the cherry on top of the most materialistic holiday season in existence.

And this was Chris Rock-lite.

As with much of Rock’s humor, the 9/11 and Boston Marathon bombing bits were little nuggets of social commentary wrapped in a subjectively awkward—and potentially offensive—delivery. New York City is probably not the best place to make 9/11 jokes, but once people unclasp the pearls and pay attention to what (and whom) he was really mocking—the superficiality of human consumption and America’s willingness to capitalize off of anything, including, but not limited to White, blonde-haired baby Jesus—it becomes a little bit easier to see that the jokes were not on the victims. They were on us.

Important to note that the mostly White crowd became significantly less uncomfortable laughing at Rock’s jokes about assassinated civil rights leader Dr. Martin. Luther King, Jr.

SEE ALSO: N.C. Teacher’s Bucket List: I Would Kill All Black People If I Had Ten Days To Live

This is not to say that the jokes were, or will ever be funny. Some things are such emotional landmines that it’s almost impossible to get to the other side of jokes about them intact. Still, if SNL can make light of the murder of  Trayvon Martin, less than two months after the unarmed teen’s slaying by neighborhood rent-a-cop George Zimmerman, with barely any outcry, I’m not sure they can be held to an arbitrary standard of political correctness now.

Watch and weigh in below:

*******************

Kirsten West Savali, a writer and cultural critic currently based in Mississippi, is a contributing editor at NewsOne.com and the “What’s Going On” columnist at DAME Magazine. Her provocative commentary explores the intersectionality of race, religion, gender, politics and pop-culture. You can always find her where the good fight is—or good cookies. Follow her on Twitter: @KWestSavali