One topic touched on in class was the perception
African-Americans in the media. As a class, we also found that there have been
advances and setbacks. In today’s culture, music produced by African-Americans
is revered by the international community in the especially in the genres of soul,
hip-hop, and r&b . Yet, the popularity of blackface during the Halloween season
reminded the world of how blurred the line between the positive and negative
perceptions of people of color remains.
Blackface minstrelsy is an overlooked part of American culture. In the early twentieth century, blackface was found in the first feature film shown in the White House in Birth of a Nation (1915) and in the first talking picture The Jazz Singer (1927). President Lincoln even attended minstrel shows. Because of its popularity, minstrelsy is arguably America’s first national popular culture (Kelley 2013). Blackface minstrelsy began as a form of entertainment in the late 1820s. By applying burnt cork, white and/or red face paint along with tattered clothing, white male performers of this time would be African-American stereotypes before and audience. This style of entertainment attempted to educate audiences on the realities of Negro life, but to also politically state the societal problems of desegregated spaces and the free black man. Blair L.M. Kelley, associate professor at North Carolina State University, describes that:
“Minstrelsy desensitized Americans
to horrors of chattel slavery. These performances were object lessons about the
harmlessness of southern slavery. By encouraging audiences to laugh, they
showed bondage as an appropriate answer for the lazy, ignorant slave. Why worry
about the abolitions of slavery when black life looked so fun, silly, and
carefree? Even the violence of enslavement just became part of the joke” (Kelley 2013)
During the Halloween season, I was intrigued and a little
appalled at the amount of blackface that I saw across the internet. From
dancer/singer Julianne Hough dressing up as character “Crazy Eyes” of the hit
show “Orange is the New Black” to the hosting of Africa-themed parties where
attendants dressed as Klansmen, blackface during the Halloween season ranged in
degrees between mockery and tribute. As you can guess, there is a thin line
between the two.
Other costumes
included an impersonation of the flight crew on the tragic Asiana Airlines
Flight 224 and of Trayvon Martin and Andrew Zimmerman. Of course there were
countless others that were controversial. The links are below.
Is it okay for people of color to be portrayed in this manner? Can blackface ever be done tastefully? Is it wrong that people are not sensitive?
Blackface strikes again
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/25/blackface-elle-france-beauty-editor_n_4338640.html
Halloween and Blackface: Same Story, Different year
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/10/31/241884986/halloween-and-blackface-same-story-different-year
Is this 2013 or 1913? 7 Disgusting Displays of Halloween Blackface
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/10/31/2013-or-1913-7-disgusting-displays-halloween-blackface-152018
The Celebrities that Didn't Wear Blackface (or Whiteface) for Halloween
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/blackface-costumes-halloween_n_4195824.html
The Incredibly Offensive Photos From An "African" - Themed 21st Birthday Party
http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/the-incredibly-offensive-photos-from-an-african-themed-21st
Halloween
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
A Brief History of Blackface
http://thegrio.com/20131/0/30/a-brief-history-of-blackface-just-in-time-for-halloween/
I definitely think there is NO QUESTION that even testing where the line is in these situations is WRONG. African Americans are a formerly oppressed race who still experience the impacts of that oppression. Many African Americans express discomfort and anger with these costumes and with other activities such as use of the n-word by whites (as they should be angry!), and my personal opinion is this: if these activities cross the line for ANYONE, then that line should be respected by EVERYONE! This should not be a problem anymore! Being white is being privileged, and these costumes make light of that and pretend like that isn't wrong that we have unreasonable institutional advantages. It is wrong! Making light of slavery at the start with blackface had a hand in making slavery okay and lasting... and making light of this oppression today is no different. It makes light of serious racial disparities, and that is undeniably WRONG.
ReplyDeleteI have no restraint in bashing the tasteless Halloween mockeries mentioned in the previous posts, however, do not think that all uses of blackface to 'test where the line is'--which I am assuming is the line when the act turns offensive--are all conditionally bad.I would like to qualify Kearney's statement by considering the use of blackface in art and to raise an awareness or consciousness.While the original uses were to perpetuate steryotypes, I think blackface could presently be used to demonstrate just how ridicuouls these notions are. In the McCoy theaters most recent production 'Antone and Showbusiness,' it featured an all female cast, including females acting as males. The show used these actors to highlight characteristics of men and even demonstrate some of their faults, usually in a comical nature. Could the same notion not be applied to the use of blackface? I would argue that many people are moved by large, dramatic movements, and that by using blackface in art we are able to do just this; dramatically see the tragedy behind the story and elaborate on the master narrative of slaves and African Americans in America.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sick to look at those two blonde girls...something I think about is whether or not they know the story behind what they are doing? Regardless of if they do or do not know, it's wrong if it's not being used in the ways that Chad mentioned in his response. I remember freshman year, we actually discussed blackface in my English writing seminar. The topic was Deceit, Deception, and Lies (or something along those lines) and the practice of blackface and dancing around on stage to inaccurately portray black people was something we talked about. The actors would dance around and act out scenes that would inaccurately portray the character and life-style of these people, deceiving the audience. Whether the whole audience knew of the inaccuracies or not was irrelevant because they were being entertained in a way that was accepted for that time period. In very few situations is the something that should be used as a form of entertainment today whether that be Halloween costumes, Instagram pictures, or birthday parties. It's just not right to bring back an age old, hateful, and ignorant misrepresentation of a people like that. I'm honestly appalled that people would even consider doing this as there is nothing about it that is okay because of what it represents.
ReplyDelete