Dave Chapelle is a storyteller. He crafts stories in the art form of comedy. His stories are provocative because they are designed to provoke thought. When a storyteller does this, their intent is that it will provoke conversation long after the "comedy" special is over.

What happened? People are talking. When you "provoke" there will always be someone offended. If you look into the crowd during his special--you saw it--some people weren't laughing.

You can't laugh and be "provoked" at the same time. When a comedian is a true storyteller, you will find that the jokes are woven into the story, but don't miss the story.