Minstrel Show Archetypes

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An Examination of Minstrel Show Archetypes

The most troubling element of stereotypes are typically their alleged roots in reality. We’ve all heard it said at some time that stereotypes of race, social cliques and economic classes are based on truth. This is what I find to be so dangerous about the archetypical characters found in early 20th century minstrel shows, many of which continue to be seen in modern media.
If we begin in a mental state of believing that all stereotypes are at least partially rooted in truth we have already alienated blacks from whites a fair deal. To do so not only makes the stereotypes in question seem harmless, but also socially ingrains that some part of it is the truth.
We become conditioned, as a society, to believe that black women are angry Sapphires, who are constantly looking for a fight. Stereotypes such as this one force even modern black women to white wash themselves, their own personalities and appearances, in order to seem …show more content…

They too, must whiten themselves in order to not be automatically viewed as criminals and a general threat to whites. The modern version of a coon is not too different from the character that began it all, with a penchant for gambling, violence, and illicit behavior and substances. This stereotype unfortunately works hand in hand with the system of disenfranchisement running rampant in our country today.
And yet, perhaps the most worrisome of archetypes for me are those of the Savage and Pickaninnies. During the time surrounding the second world war, not too long after the establishment of these stereotypes, Hitler was giving speeches comparing the Jewish people as “rats”, and in Rwanda, Tutsi individuals were referred to as “cockroaches”. This is a system known as dehumanization and is often a key role in things such as slavery, but as noted above, it is also a key role in the rationalization of committing mass

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