SNL's Street Corner Satire

Saturday Night Live is one of the most popular comedy shows. Every week, the show is hosted by a celebrity and features a popular musical group. One of the recent episodes was hosted by Kevin Hart, a stand-up comedian/actor who draws upon his racial background for most of his humor.

One of the skits contained several topics which being discussed in class at the moment, including race, satire, and code-switching. The skit features Kevin Hart, Kenan Thompson, and Jay Pharoah, all of whom are black. They are 'shadily' standing on a street corner, talking about what they've done recently. What they talk about, however, would not normally be expected from their appearances. They include, visiting mayonnaise shops, attending to spin classes, going to brunches, getting gelato, and going shopping. Kevin Hart's character then begins to say how he was "Out walking with his b*tches", but it turns out he was referring to his dog-walking business. He continues to tell how he then shot someone. The other two don't even react to this; instead, they ask about the mayo. 

The skit is satirical, because it draws upon the established racial stereotypes. It's humorous, because we don't expect to see these 'thugish' looking characters getting gelato and walking dogs. The humor and satire are clearly brought into light when the one character describes shooting someone, by drawing upon the racist brute stereotype in contrast to the other actions.