Blackface

“compensatory pattern of white supremacy.” In other words, they created a system that would help them cope with their sense of loss and suffering experienced at the time of their rejection (Welsing 37; ch. 2). American minstrelsy is well-known for its use of blatant racism and negative stereotypes. American minstrelsy was started by Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice. He performed in old, shredded clothes and blackface. His character was molded after Jim Crow, a folk con man popular among slaves. His performance evolved into what is now known as minstrel shows (“Blackface! Minstrel Shows”). A short clip from the minstrel show Yes, Sir Mr. Bones generates many stereotypes. For example, the white woman continuously uses demeaning names such as “stupid.” She belittles Cotton, the blackface character, and treats him like a child by giving him simple tasks: “All I want you to do is meet me at the zoo in the morning at 9 o’clock.” At the end of the clip Cotton is prancing around the stage while the white, male host sits on his large throne watching over him (“Cotton and Chick Watts Blackface Minstrel Show Comedy”). The scene is reminiscent of a tiger marching around the center ring with the ring master watching over this wild animal making sure it does not step out of line. The creation of minstrel shows as a form of entertainment for whites can be explained using The Cress Theory of Color-Confrontation and Racism (White Supremacy). Whites used minstrel shows as a platform for their…

Despite this, Black men and women were not hired to perform as themselves during early productions. Instead, White actors and actresses were hired to do so while in blackface. By refusing to hire Black actors to play themselves, disparaging stereotypes were being created as Blacks were presented in an unfavorable light. As stated as by Recchio (2011), “blackface minstrelsy was characterized by racial mockery, trading on stereotypes of the African slave” (p. 38). Not only were blacks being…

2014’s Dear White People where the African American students crash the party hosted by the White fraternity and it turns out to be a Blackface party? The viewer is introduced to a bunch of 20 something, white, college students frolicking around a frat house with inflated behinds, gold chains, grills, and “gangsta” outfits. What if I told you that this scene (which ended in an epic brawl) wasn’t as far-fetched as we were lead to believe? Fast forward to October 2015, on the campus of UCLA,…

What is a stereotype? A stereotype can be defined as a generalization from a specific trait or behavior that is common by members of a group (Dictionary). Latino stereotypes are no different. Charles Ramírez-Berg lists six basic Latino stereotypes that were prevalent then and are still used today. They were first popularized in the 1900s; they twisted the public’s view on Latinos and gave Latinos a negative reputation. One movie in particular that depicts Latinos as the “bad guy” in an unfair…

This theater review will examine the racial themes of “3/Fights” by James Scruggs at the 3LD Art & Technology Center in New York City. Scruggs presents an interesting example of American racism by breaking the barriers of the “fourth wall” by including the audience members in the imaginary world of SupremacyLand. Before entering the venue, I was asked my racial designation (being either black or white), which immediately included me in the production. More so, after entering, I was guided by a…

Blackface has been around since the nineteenth century. Recently, for our high school football game, the theme was blackout. A few students took this theme too far, and had painted their entire face black. My friends and I confronted these individuals, they did not believe they had done anything wrong, and the conversation went south. Therefore, the teens had accused us for being racist, for this idea to even cross our minds. This topic is not some type big secret only closeted racists know…

An example can be found in pages 419 to 421. This area titled the ‘Beasties in Blackface’ starts by saying “Boys mastered a black musical form they did not perform it in a version of blackface”(pg419 Stratton) it then moves on to describe the Cookie Puss EP which uses African American accent and street slang. A line is added saying “The temptation to use such an accent remained.”(pg419 Stratton) after which he describes Vanilla Ice who seemed to lose most of his credibility by trying to imitate…

6. “Kim Kardashian on Her New Beauty Line and Those Blackface Allegations”…

Minstrel shows were popular before slavery was abolished, sufficiently so that Frederick Douglass described blackface performers as "...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." Although white theatrical portrayals of black characters date back to as early as 1604,[9] the minstrel show as such has later origins. By the late 18th century, blackface…

by white Americans. Demonstrated most aggressively during slavery and Post-Antebellum America, whites turned to laws, violence, and physical and mental abuse to keep blacks as the inferior race. One way whites reminded blacks of their incompetence and inferiority was through minstrel shows and their use of blackface. For whites by whites, minstrel shows featuring blackface were used as a source of entertainment for the white community. White men were painting their faces black, their lips big…