Patrice was portrayed honestly by honest people who knew him. You have a right to feel and think however you want, despite what others lead you to believe. As a human being, it's the one right you have - don't self-censor, but be sincere and honest.
Very well edited, I liked the round-table of those involved to collectively discuss his humor and his life, but also have them individually give their feelings. This isn't watered-down, and I highly urge you to check out the unedited version.
I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll try to be general to serve as a free advertisement for this documentary. I had a feeling it would be good knowing Bill Burr helped produce this, a funny man with integrity, and a friend of Patrice. It's a sad commentary on our lives when the only ones who can tell the truth are stand-up comedians, and that's no longer the case, unless you're grandfathered in like Mort Sahl, but he's been blacklisted repeatedly unfortunately.
As a black man, I find nothing more prejudicial than political correctness. Some rich white old man going to tell ALL black people (or women, Middle-Eastern folks, etc) what they can or cannot handle? Freedom of thought is not allowed. White people aren't the enemy, it's those who have monopolized this earth. In an era of information, it's Big Tech now. Resist.
Patrice O'Neal isn't my favorite comedian, or even a Top 10, but we need more of him. Humor and laughter in general can get at the truth, either by that feeling you get after noticing the irony of our situation, or how you relate to it personally. I was especially moved by hi step-daughter who had some interesting things to say how his humor helped her life.
I wonder how many people know about Patrice Lamumba. Bill Hicks. Mort Sahl. Jim Morrison. Roger Waters. John Lennon. John Cassavetes. Jimmy Hoffa. Marlon Brando. The truth - not what the media picks and chooses to serve their own financial bias.
The more I disagree with something, the more I want to know why. Get out of your comfort zone. With COVID, I think people have had time to evaluate, and finding their (and our) world is lacking soul nutrition. You know what's out there now, try checking out the movies, stand-up comedy, music of the 60s, 70s, and even before that. See if you can come to your own conclusions as to how we got here.