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BUCK
( Mandingo)
He is a large menacing black man, often proud and stubborn.
He is characterized by his lust for white women and virgins.
His crave for sex overshadows all other ambition, making him
animalistic or primitive. Often shown as a hustler or a gangster, the buck is irreparably violent thus viewed as destructive
to society. His rudeness and distaste for white law make him
seem uneducated and hot-tempered. Black buck became a racial slur during the reconstruction era; anyone man labeled the
term would be put to death by lynching
The Mulatto
Mr.Tambo &
Mr.Bones
The tragic light skinned male or female who
attempts to pass off as white. Often he/she
would be discovered to be part black by an
antagonist and forced to undergo the hardships that their white identity exempt the from.
The joyous musicians, Tambo played the tambourine and Bones played the bone castanets. They
were always paired with a straight man master of
ceremonies known as the instructor. The instructor served as a representative for the audience as
he interacts with the inept characters, often using
puns and play on words to demonstrate Tambo
and Bones’ stupidity. Sometimes they would be
electrocuted, run over or dunked in water as a
form of ridicule. This bit was a crowd favorite and
often seen as the highlight of the show, ironically
it was also considered the lowest form of humor.
The two characters spawned a long tradition of idiotic duos that can’t seem to be understood.
American
jubilee
The Minstrel show was bizarre, cruel and ignorant, but
where did it go? The answer might not be so simple.
Sadly the sentiments expressed in minstrelsy had a
long lasting influence in popular culture. The tradition
that started with Dan Emmet (who claims to have invented the blackface) spanned as far as Elvis Presley,
with white entertainers attempting to sell black culture
to white audiences. When we attribute behavior to a
unanimous groups based on genetic traits we are essentially dehumanizing them. The ideas of “white” and
“black” are just simply a cultural divide, not racial. The
Wench or Jezabel
(Yeller Gal)
The tempting minstrel in drag that enamored white men. The wench is the opposite of the ideal 19th century Victorian
lady, promiscuous and wild. The concept
originated when Europeans encountered
women in African culture, mistaking their
nudity and empowerment for lack of morality. They are shown to be fertile and always in heat.
tendency to view the African American way of life as
an attribute of skin color continues even among people
claim to reject racism. There are no black people, just
people who happen to have black skin. Residues of
this horrendous historical phenomenon are all around.
Instead of listing examples I invite you to use this guide
to look around and see for yourself.
LOVEDOVE, 12/12/2013
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