Musical Culture Appropriation?

rubber soul · 08-30-2021, 07:29 AM

Maybe you have to look at the intent of the artist/songwriter/etc. I think a more egregious example, historically at least, would be the minstrel shows where white men performed in blackface, Al Jolson being perhaps the most famous example of this. A product of the times I guess.

Terrapin_Station · 08-30-2021, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubber soul

Maybe you have to look at the intent of the artist/songwriter/etc. I think a more egregious example, historically at least, would be the minstrel shows where white men performed in blackface, Al Jolson being perhaps the most famous example of this. A product of the times I guess.

Re it being egregious, what would you say that Jolson's intent was?

rubber soul · 08-30-2021, 07:55 AM

Honestly, I don't know. It could be that Jolson was just a product of his time. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was in style to make fun of minorities, particularly African-Americans, so no one ( or at least no white persons) batted an eye when someone would go on screen in blackface and do some ridiculous caricature. It was an era when the KKK was popular enough to control the government of Oklahoma for a time. Racism was more obvious in the movies but there are plenty of racist songs from the early period of recording as well.

**Frownland** · 08-30-2021, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terrapin_Station

Which black man's perspective, though?

The black character in Ol Man River.

Terrapin_Station · 08-30-2021, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

The black character in Ol Man River.

Sure, so a particular fictional character.

**Frownland** · 08-30-2021, 08:01 AM

A black man's perspective, like I said.

Terrapin_Station · 08-30-2021, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubber soul

Honestly, I don't know. It could be that Jolson was just a product of his time. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was in style to make fun of minorities, particularly African-Americans, so no one ( or at least no white persons) batted an eye when someone would go on screen in blackface and do some ridiculous caricature. It was an era when the KKK was popular enough to control the government of Oklahoma for a time. Racism was more obvious in the movies but there are plenty of racist songs from the early period of recording as well.

I don't think there's any good reason to believe that Jolson was "making fun of" anyone. Not that I agree that "making fun of" people should be verboten expression in the first place, but I don't think there's any good reason to believe that that's what he was doing.

08-30-2021, 08:01 AM	#46 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	A black man's perspective, like I said. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x