Dave Chappelle: Tron Carter's Law and Order

Dave Cheppelle as Tron Carter

Tags: class, crime/law/deviance, prejudice/discrimination, race/ethnicity, blue collar crime, comedy, criminal justice system, criminology, white collar crime, 06 to 10 mins
Year: 2004
Length: clip 1: 2:40 | clip 2: 1:25
Access: clip1: Vimeo | clip 2: YouTube

Summary: Dave Cheppelle plays Tron Carter, a black drug dealer, in this satirical look at the criminal justice system. As a spoof of "Law and Order," the skit is woven from the parallel stories of Tron and a wealthy white man, both accused of drug dealing and both regarded very differently by the criminal justice system. The first clip features the first half of the skit, and the second clip features the ending. In its entirety, the skit works well as a means of provoking students to think critically about how encounters with police and the courts vary enormously for people depending on their race and social class. After showing the clip, it might be useful to ask students to reflect on why they may have found parts of it funny. For example, why is it funny when it is revealed that the white criminal's jury is composed entirely of black men?

Submitted By: Margaret Austin Smith

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