Minstrel Shows...

The Minstrel Shows imitated the behaviors of African Americans by performers covering their faces with black paint and parodying 'negro behaviors'.

I think it is interesting that African Americans could not combat these shows by parodying white people so they created their own "authentic" Minstrel Shows that white people could not compete with. At this time African Americans were heavily discriminated against and the entertainment industry projected the myth that all they wanted out of their 'simple' lives was to entertain the caucasians. I did not realize that this racist media ever existed and the heavy stereotypes that the entertainment industry like Coon Songs and the Minstrel Shows reinforced about black people being ignorant and lesser peoples.

One man in the video states that "show business is show business and anything that gets a laugh should be in show business" I disagree. After studying media in school I believe that their is not an equal playing field when it comes to media biases and that all laughs are not created equal. Some groups such as African Americans at that time were made fun of in Minstrel Shows but had no platform to defend themselves and prove their side of the the story. They could not mock others, only themselves. It is not right for the majority to mock the smaller groups who do not have an equal voice, even if it is 'comedic'. This causes some people to actually believe the stereotypes they see projected because they are never shown the other side of the story.