Contemporary Minstrelsy

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Contemporary Minstrelsy

• Presentation by
• Jessica Hong
• and Rachel Wong

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Examining Tropes of Minstrelsy

• Jezebel Stereotype used during slavery as a
  rationalization for sexual relations ( rape)
  between White men and Black women, especially
  sexual unions involving slavers and slaves. The
  Jezebel was depicted as a Black woman with an
  insatiable appetite for sex.
• Sambo The image that is usually associated with
  the "Sambo" is that of a happy-go-lucky,
  clueless, head-scratching black man.
• Mammie The most well-known and enduring racial
  caricature of African American women. The mammy
  caricature was posited as proof that blacks -- in
  this case, black women -- were contented, even
  happy, as slaves. Her wide grin, hearty laugher,
  and loyal servitude were offered as evidence of
  the supposed humanity of the institution of
  slavery.
• Zip Coon The free black man who is incapable of
  making it in the White world that attempts to
  assimilate but is always unsuccessful.

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Question to Consider while viewing these clips

• What are the contemporary purposes for having
  these kinds of portrayals of African Americans?

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Implicit Minstrelsy in Entertainment Today

• Black to the future
• Jezebel
• Sambo
• Mammie
• Zip Coon

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Explicit Minstrelsy in Entertainment Today

• 30 Rock, 2
• Tropic Thunder
• Tropic Thunder Conversation
• Malibus Most Wanted, 2