This is my video essay on the late great Patrice O’Neal; a comedian who was like no other. He was someone that if you were lucky enough to see live, you would immediately realise that you were in the presence of someone special.

But his comedy wasn’t the only thing that made him memorable. In my opinion, it was philosophy.
From relationships to show business and even video games, Patrice had a unique insight on almost every little thing you could imagine, and his views often went against the status quo. This is what made his philosophy so special because it came from someone who wasn’t afraid of popular opinion.

But if you could boil down his philosophy into the fundamentals, what would they be?

This is my video explaining what they would be.

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Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
3:38 Part 1 – Comedy
15:03 Part 2 – Honesty
31:02 Part 3 – Relationships
42:33 Conclusion

Who is Patrice O’Neal?

Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal (December 7, 1969 – November 29, 2011) was an American comedian and actor. He was known for his stand-up comedy career and his regular guest appearances on the talk show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and the radio show Opie and Anthony.

O'Neal began performing stand-up in 1992 and developed an act based on conversations with the audience, deconstructive analysis, and occasionally confrontational points of view. From 2006 to 2008, he presented The Black Phillip Show on XM Satellite Radio. His only stand-up comedy special, Elephant in the Room (2011), was released nine months before his death at the age of 41 from a stroke caused by type 2 diabetes. A posthumous follow-up, Mr. P (2012), was released as audio only.

He was named by his mother after Patrice Lumumba, leader of the Congolese independence movement and the Republic of the Congo's first prime minister, and the African-American human rights activist Malcolm X. He was bullied at school over his name, but later said that it taught him "how to be a man". He and his sister, Zinder, were raised by their mother in Boston's largely black working class Roxbury neighborhood. O'Neal never had a relationship with his father, although he was aware of his identity.

O'Neal attended West Roxbury High School, during which he took up football and ended his playing career with three varsity letter awards and winning a state championship in his senior year. He turned down a sports scholarship at Northeastern University in Boston, which included a housing grant, in favor of studying performing arts at the university with a major in theater studies. His interest in comedy had grown by this time, and he took up work as a bouncer at the Comedy Connection in Boston. He also sold food to guests at the Boston Garden arena.

O'Neal performed his first stand-up in October 1992 at Estelle's in Boston. He had attended an open-mic night at the venue the week prior to his debut where he heckled a performer, who in turn challenged him to try stand-up himself. Comedian Dane Cook witnessed one of O'Neals earliest sets and noted his "gentle-giant appeal ... he already had an edge, but he was a little more vulnerable". O'Neal developed his act in the Boston area for the next six years, where his earlier performances were done under the name Bruiser O'Neal. In the mid-1990s, he met comedian and later close friend Jim Norton.

O'Neal cited George Carlin and Richard Pryor as his favorite comedians. His comedy has been described as conversational. His routines were characterized by an off-the-cuff approach and frequently adult themes. He was direct when presenting his views, particularly on race and gender roles. He was also a provocateur, often inciting audience members to heckle him or even leave the club. Gregg "Opie" Hughes stated that he had seen O'Neal "give people money to leave"

And if you’re still reading this – hello.

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