New York Theater: The strange doings in Virginia have brought blackface back in the news. Reaction to the unearthing of a photograph on the 1984 medical school yearbook page of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam attests to the peculiar place of the practice in American culture and the special outrage it provokes: Far more commentators condemned the blackface than even mentioned the figure in the white robe and hood of the Ku Klux Klan.
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One of the most confusing things about black face and its “controversy” is that it’s a controversy at all. It was born out of the racist degradation of an entire group of people through the use of horrendous stereotypes. This is not a debate; it is the historical truth. I don’t see why it is impossible to come to terms with this as fact while also acknowledging the historical minstrel tradition as having significant contributions to the entertainment world. It did give African American performers a chance to take the stage and become respected entertainers, but that does not erase or alter the truth of the matter. A thing does not have to be 100% bad to be a bad thing. I think this article does a good job of recognizing both sides and labeling it for what it is. I understand that today the reason people defend their past antics in blackface is because they do not want to cop up to their racist actions, but to attempt to pretend that there is no racist background to it only makes them look the ignorant fool.
This article does a pretty stellar job of pointing out the issues that have permanently infected the art form of theater itself. Blackface itself, is a joke that has been perpetuated time after time to create a caricature like impression of Black Americans and Black skin. What strikes me about this article is the immense affect that minstrel shows have had on the entertainment industry throughout time -- we still see a lot of aspects from minstrel shows today in comedy, costuming, and even certain lighting elements. In a way, its what it is, but the most important thing that people should take out of this article is being able to accept that much of people's sense of humor has come from something that is incredibly heinous and degrades a highly significant community. Another interesting thing about this article is the allusion towards people's fascination with black people and culture as being a reason to go see minstrel shows, which to me might be even worse than being a flat out racist.
This is a topic that I have learned more about very recently in my elective, the roots of rock and roll. Earlier this week, we were talking about how so much of American culture and iconic American songs have originated in the culture of minstrel shows. This even includes the traditional song played by an ice cream truck, driving down the street. This also includes the not-so-long tradition of Broadway musicals, which are very clearly descended from the tradition of minstrel shows. Especially much of our music has traditions leading back to minstrel shows unless you only listen to various European folk music and/or pre-1800 American folk music. The truth is that minstrel shows and blackface are a very dangerous part of American history, that many people, including the governor and attorney general of Virginia, clearly, do not understand. I believe that people need to be much better educated into how and why the Minstrel tradition impacted America.
This topic of blackface is one that has always interested me because I like to stay informed on topics like this so I can have intellectual debates with people who may think that it’s okay. This article did a great job of talking about some of the histories behind blackface, and its specific use in the theater. I think one of the most interesting things I learned from the article was the fact that black minstrel performers were forced to wear blackface for the shows. I can’t directly relate to the issue, but from an outside perspective, it seems like one of the only things worse than seeing white people use blackface to mock your race, is being forced to wear blackface yourself. Overall this article does a very good job at reminding readers of the awful, racist history behind blackface, while focusing on its use in the theater, and by providing many different examples of it, through text and pictures.
Like Will, I’ve learned a lot more in depth about this topic in my elective, Roots of Rock & Roll. My teacher, Scott Sandage, is very great at articulating and showing us sources on how this style of entertainment came to be the most popular in America. American culture is very much minstrel shows. It is ingrained into our brains through songs, dances, and phrases that you don’t realize stems from minstrel shows. The best and really only way for African American performers to get into the entertainment industry in the 1920s was through performing in minstrel shows. They mention Bert Williams, who is an a black performer who sang and danced in minstrel songs and created popular songs. Scott Joplin, one of the most famous composers of minstrel songs, was an African American man. This just shows that even though it gave black performers the exposure they needed, it enforced the stereotypes put onto black people that are still heavily thought of today.
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