Mind of Mencia - TV-14

Ridiculous variety show; proceed with caution.

TV Rating: TV-14 Network: Comedy Central Cast: Carlos Mencia Genre: Comedy
Available on: DVDDownload

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that Carlos Mencia, the comedian who headlines this show, often relies on racist jokes that poke fun at his own Hispanic heritage to elicit laughs. He comes across as mean and uninteresting, and his one-liners are raunchy and inane. Some sketches are very violent, but it's not a constant theme.

Families can discuss stereotypes. Why is it so easy -- and so tempting, especially for comedians -- to mock people based on the color of their skin, their religion, or their ethnicity? Do you feel guilty if you laugh at a joke based on a stereotype? Why or why not? How do you let someone who's making an offensive comment know that it's not OK with you?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Lucy Maher

In MIND OF MENCIA, stand-up comic Carlos Mencia entertains viewers with a hyperactive mix of stand-up and comedy sketches that riff on popular culture.

Each episode begins with Mencia doling out a round of jokes to an audience seated cabaret-style before him. Then he joins a rotating cast of characters in several skits that poke fun at popular TV shows, current events, and celebrities. In one episode, for example, Mencia played the star of a show called The Serranos, which satirized HBO's The Sopranos and featured Hispanic hoods shooting each other with Uzis, falling down drunk, and gawking at pregnant pole dancers. (Mencia also made derogatory comments about "wetbacks" in the same episode, which came on the heels of Congress' failure to pass a highly touted immigration bill.)

While adults may be able to watch Mind of Mencia with bemused detachment, the jokes and skits are too inane and nasty for impressionable youngsters. Only mature teens should tune in, if they're even interested.

Fans might also like Chappelle's Show (which is a much better version of the same general concept) and MADtv.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content Plenty of tasteless sexual innuendo.
Violence Sketches have involved murder, machine guns, and blood (all intended for comic effect).
Language Words and phrases like "retarded ass," "fake titties," and "bastard" are used.
Message
	Social Behavior Ethnic stereotypes are perpetuated incessantly.
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Social drinking and implied drug abuse.