Minstrelsy in Media
Comedy is my favorite outlet of creativity and entertainment. Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell, Louis C.K., and Jimmy Carr, are a few comedians I am partial to. What can be seen as controversial, however, are some of the jokes comedians use. Comedians that thrive on particularly controversial topics, racism for example, must be careful not to sound too genuine or serious. Recently, George Lopez told the joke: “There are only two rules in the Latino family. Don’t marry somebody black, and don’t park in front of our house”. Much of the audience laughed, but some took it as a personal attack on black people. What Lopez’s joke can be defined as is “Minstrelsy”, essentially making fun of a group of people for comedic effect. This term goes back to an early 19th century show called “Bamboozled”, where white actors would paint their faces black and ridicule African-Americans. While just about any topic can be the subject of comedy, even racism, it isn’t a joke for anyone who doesn’t find it humorous. What tends to make controversial jokes funny, in my opinion, is when it reaches a point where it too ridiculous to be considered seriously. Otherwise, it all leads back to Bamboozled.