Chelsea Does ...

The thorny issue of race is yet again in the media. Donald Trump seems to be in a personal battle with himself to see if he can surpass each preceding inflammatory comment. He believes the inauguration of Barack Obama proves racism towards black Americans is over. He wants a wall built along the Mexico border to keep the ‘rapists’ and ‘murderers’ out. He thinks a ban on Muslims entering America would neuter terrorism. On his very own War on Intelligence, Trump has mobilised his few remaining brain cells and scored a resounding, ignoble victory.

The reason I speak about race is because this week I’ve been watching Chelsea Handler’s Netflix series Chelsea Does… Her first two episodes tackle love and technology in an engagingly forthright way.  Previously, Chelsea was proud of her marital status, but of late she’s been wondering whether she’s happy ticking the ‘single’ box; consequently, she goes about exploring why she’s single by visiting the ghost of boyfriend past and interviewing future brides on why they might want to spend their future with a significant other. What makes the documentary novel is how it begins with an alcohol-sodden round table discussion, then moves between interview and reportage, whilst splicing excerpts from her therapy sessions. I appreciate the segments with Handler probably aren't spontaneous, are possibly preordained, but I think the variety of the format works, giving balance and subjectivity.

Handler’s opinion is always interesting because she says it how it is. Normally, I hate these type of people; the kind of people that proudly say, ‘I’m a bitch’ as though they were saying, ‘I just won the Noble Peace Prize.’ With Handler though there is enough vulnerability to make a virtue out of her abruptness. But when it comes to the highly flammable topic of race is an incendiary comedian like Handler the right one to tackle it? In my eyes, the answer is ‘yes.’

The episode begins with her and her multi-ethnic friends discussing the programme. All agree that there is absolutely nothing new about a white person investigating the subject matter. Admittedly, normally it’s old white academics pontificating over race, whereas this time it’s a female Jew with a filter problem. Handler knows as a Bel Air resident that she is coming from a position of privilege; she lives in a hermetically sealed neighbourhood impervious to colour. She is by her own admission guilty of ‘self-segregation.’ Because of this, she goes on a journey around L.A. and the globe to see whether different cultures are rubbing alongside one another or whether we're all living a poorer type of self-segregation.

Exclusivity: the price of Bel Air.

Handler’s trip takes her to LA's Little Salvador where street food vendors tell stories of being confused for ‘the help’ when they deliver their take-outs. It appears that in some corners of America the only dialogue between white and colour is through a post-it note detailing what jobs need doing. Most disturbing is Handler’s trip to the Confederate South. There she meets homely people, angry over the South’s small town racist depiction in the media. They argue the stereotype is unfair, how the south has advanced, that black and white live side by side – a black woman goes to their Church after all. Despite my mocking tone, the people seem genuinely sweet-natured exhibiting the kind of decency that the Finch family show in To Kill A Mockingbird; however unlike Atticus, they deny mockingbirds are harmed. They admit that some slave-owners treated black slaves with disregard, but counter any claim that this was commonplace, arguing many black people were so happy with their treatment that after emancipation they asked to stay with their masters. The ascension of Handler’s eyebrows to heaven tells the viewer everything she thinks about that.

The uneasy relationship between confederacy and racism.

Handler doesn’t just interview deniers of racial equality; she meets champions of it too. In a heated debate she meets with representatives from respective ethnic groups. In America Handler is a divisive figure: she invokes stereotypes to target all creeds and colours. Her defence is: if you attack everyone, then no one can get offended. This is a similar position comedians Jimmy Carr and Jerry Sadowitz adopt: Sadowitz, impoverished and broken, arguably is better placed to do this material than the affluent Handler and Carr – he is coming from a position of weakness; they a position of strength. In her grilling in front of committee members, Handler is accused of pedalling stereotypes (black men have big penises) and denigrating the defenceless (Angelina Jolie’s Cambodian baby). Handler believes her freedom of expression shouldn’t be suppressed by political correctness; I disagree, for me it comes down to the argument that just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should. I found it illuminating to hear how positive stereotypes can be harmful: the idea that black men being well endowed seems like a compliment; but as the African-American spokesman says, it celebrates physicality over intellect. Stereotypes like this are just a reductive way of telling people to not have ideas above their station.

Chelsea is challenged by a racial equality council.

I can’t say I’ve seen Handler’s stand-up- my guess is that I would find it a little too direct; I do, however, think she’s fantastic in her role as Gonzo journalist. She listens to her subjects, but isn’t afraid to argue with them too. She doesn’t hide behind a voice-over in the same way Louis Theroux does. She also isn’t afraid to show her prejudices and foibles, making her feel honest and real. She is quite the character, but quite the human too. All in all, a documentary worth watching.  

Chelsea Does... is available on Netflix now.