The Minstrel Show
The American form of entertainment developed in the early 19th century
The shows consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances, which mocked people specifically of African descent
Black Face
“Blacking up” calls attention to the whiteness of your skin
If you are not black, you are white
If you are not white, you are black
So ask yourself…
Is the point of the Minstrel Show ambiguity?
“If I could have the nigger show back again in its pristine purity, I should have little use for opera”
– Mark Twain
“Blackface performers are, the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens”
– Frederick Douglass
The Minstrel show is deeply entangled in American cultures
Many argue that Mikey Mouse is considered to be a Minstrel show character, do you?
http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/jackson/minstrel/minstrel.html
http://black-face.com/minstrel-shows.htm
