Minstrel shows. Yikes. I already knew that a lot of modern music had been “borrowed” from African American culture and little to no credit was given. I had even heard of minstrel shows before. I had no idea just how popular they were. America’s selective memory really did its job here. Obviously it is incredibly racist and intended to put down black Americans. But more than that it seems like a way for white people to enjoy aspects of black American culture without having to care about black people. Even today that is prevalent; white people pick and choose what they like from other cultures and races, ignore the cultural significance of it, and popularize it as their own.

I also think there is merit in the argument that minstrel shows helped to unite different white ethnicities. They did a little good. Mostly they turned black Americans into caricatures. It was argued that the reason that people enjoyed minstrel shows so much was the ambiguity it created. A white person pretending to be a black person was funny because it created an ambiguity of identity. I don’t know if I agree with that but I can’t think of much else that could have turned it into such a phenomenon. I do know that comedy today still relies heavily on caricatures of people. A man dressed as a woman acting out stereotypes is considered funny, as is a straight person pretending to be a flamboyant gay person. Mostly it all just seems like an advanced form of bullying. Make fun of people that are different than the norm (white straight men usually)and people will laugh.

On another note, my family is from Texas and I am not the least bit surprised that their state song is rooted in racism. Honestly I would be more surprised if there was something about Texas that did not make me cringe.