Do I really need to explain Blackface?

It is 2013 about to be 2014 and yet we as a society can't seem to get past this race thing. Added to the fact that while we have the complete wealth of human knowledge at our finger tips with the internet, computers ands cell phones it seems we are becoming more and more ignorant. We have smart phones but dumb people. Think about how often a celebrity has said something stupid only to apologize for it later. Recently that person was Julianne Hough who decided to dress up as her favorite character from "Orange Is The New Black", an black inmate, complete with black face. What prompted this blog post was a great many people didn't see what she did was wrong. We will be looking at the history of black face and why it is offensive to African Americans.

There are two different stories that tell the beginnings of minstrel shows. Minstrel shows begin in the early 1830s in two different ways. When Thomas Rice, who was a white musician, saw a black stable hand singing as he worked, Rice came up with the idea to add music and chorus and hit the road with the show. This was the beginning of "the white-man's" minstrel show. In other areas, local African American entertainers formed musical and theatrical groups that traveled around the United States and to parts of Europe, thus beginning the formal entertainment industry. They performed “…humorous and dance-oriented, music-oriented, joke-oriented variety shows, in between other kinds of more formal theatrical acts, but over time minstrelsy became itself the entertainment”. This was the beginning of the African-American minstrel show.

The minstrel shows that were originally performed by African-Americans were a celebration of African-American music and dance. It is when whites began to dress up in tattered clothing and began rubbing burnt cork on their face that the shows eventually became offensive. Though the typical stereotype is that only Caucasians performed in blackface, African Americans were known to paint their faces to appear blacker than they really were, only perpetuating the stereotype that the blacker one was, the stupid one was as well. African Americans were originally presented in the minstrel shows as being "…stupid…comical…a frivolous character". Once minstrel shows became an entertainment item of their own, they began to have a structure and certain characteristics. The Virginia Minstrels were the first develop different characters that were much more flamboyant than previous. They introduced Mr. Bones, Mr. Tambo, the semi-circle format, and the more outrageous characters. The standard line-up included a fiddler, a "tambo" or tambourine, a banjo and bone castanets. They mixed African and European musical elements to create a truly unique musical style. This is when the art form morphed from a celebration on African-American music and dance to an ugly "peepshow" into plantation life, as if the minstrel shows would give some insight into the inner workings of the African Americans. "That's when you really get the negative characterization of blacks as the total comic fool…". It is easy to see how such shows could become offensive, as it was the only form of entertainment African-Americans were allowed to participate in.

The fact is that Black Face reminds us of a time when they were less than human. Many of the stereotypes created during this time still persist to this day. The idea that African Americans eat a lot of chicken and watermelon was created during this time. If you have ever heard someone refer to "CP" Time or "Colored-People" Time this is a reference to the idea that African Americans are always late. This was created in the minstrel shows. As a result, the genre played an important role in shaping perceptions of and prejudices about blacks generally and African Americans in particular. Some social commentators have stated that blackface provided an outlet for whites' fear of the unknown and the unfamiliar, and a socially acceptable way of expressing their feelings and fears about race and control. Writes Eric Lott in Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class, "The black mask offered a way to play with the collective fears of a degraded and threatening—and male—Other while at the same time maintaining some symbolic control over them."

One of the biggest things I have seen is people suggesting that if black face is not offensive to them then it's not offensive. If you do not belong to the offending race then it's really not up to you to say that it's offensive. Take for example the situation with the Washington Redskins football team. As a black male I didn't see an issue with the name. It's what they were always called and I never gave to thoughts about it. However if a Native American is offended by the name then who am I to tell that person to get over it? I think the biggest problem is that we never had THAT serious talk about race that this country needs. We elected Barack Obama and declared issues with race over. We got a black President so that means we no longer have race issues. Yeah that solved things. What other President had to prove he's an American and that he isn't a muslim, as if that a problem? Race is a big problem and the longer we continue to ignore it the bigger it will bite us in the ass. "Totally Biased" host W. Kamau Bell said this regarding race and the George Zimmerman murder trial:
“You need to listen to the story before you come to conclusions. The worst thing to say to a person of color is, ‘I don’t think that’s racist.’ I don’t think that’s your area. You can have an opinion but I don’t think you are the final word. That’s what’s missing, white people. You’ve got a lot of jobs” but should not have the ‘I know what’s racist’ job. I know what’s imperialism – that’s your job.”

However I am a fair man and I will make a deal with you, White America. If African Americans can move about the world for one day without being reminded that we are a minority, if African Americans can go shopping without being accused of stealing, if for one day Police Officers would be there to help us rather than keep an eye on us, if for one day the full range of black experiences could be portrayed in movie and TV, if for one day we look for lost little minority girls the way we look for lost white girls, if for one day all minorities could be treated as people instead of their skin color…I'll let you wear black face and even say the N-word.