18 Struggles All Minstrel Show Goers Experience

This is just a little summary of what goes down when you see a minstrel show. Take it for what you will.

1. The first time you see your favorite character NOT in blackface

Talk about a mind blowing experience! Blackface is most commonly performed by white performers with burnt cork on their faces to make them look like black characters. Tons of white actors, namely Edwin Forrest, do amazing blackface impressions.

2. Only being able to buy Uncle Ben's Rice because he's an Uncle Tom, duh.

Uncle Tom, a minstrel character, is an old loyal slave who is typically good, gentle, religious and sober. That's apparently suppose to make this is a rice you can trust!

3. When you recognize your favorite minstrel character on the syrup bottle at breakfast!

Mammy is an idealized figure of a caregiver: amiable, loyal, maternal, non-threatening, obedient, and submissive. The mammy figure demonstrates deference to White authority. She is devoted to her owners/employers and her primary goal in life is to care for their needs. The word "mammie" is a variant on the word "mother", and means "mommy" in Dutch.

4. ...So you buy the Gallon Size...!!!

:) yum! Mammy's secret recipe! Walk through the aisles at the market and you will literally see Mammy's face everywhere! Advertisers really love using her as a selling point. Who doesn't love Mammy? She is lovable AND nurturing; having her influence in your kitchen is like a sweet little comforting taste of childhood when your nanny would care for you. There's no breakfast like Mammy's breakfast! M'm good!

5. Trying to Cakewalk like a pro

The Cakewalk developed from "Prize Walks," generally held at get-togethers on plantations. An enormous cake is awarded to the winning couple; how awesome is that?! They say that slaves imitate their master's walk in an exaggerated, mocking fashion for this dance.

6. But you just look like...

Dancing, other than the traditional waltz, simply isn't all that emphasized or practiced unless you're a performer...but hey, haters gonna hate.

7. Your attempt at blackface makeup

Okay, so this is a lot harder than you think! Getting the burnt cork to spread evenly over your WHOLE face! Ugh, you don't even know. Also, I have watched numerous YouTube tutorials on how to paint the red and white lines just right to make my lips and eyes as big as possible, but somehow I always end up looking like this. #makeupprobs #whyhaventtheyinventedabetterwaytodothisyet #19thcenturylife

8. You and your friends every time the "Jump Jim Crow" song&dance comes on

You can't help, but get excited for the one song&dance EVERYBODY knows! In 1830, Thomas "Daddy" Rice performed the "Jump Jim Crow" song and jig (based on the original "Jim Crow" song and dance of West African slave culture) in a minstrel show and people LOVE it; the character, Jim Crow, is a minstrel "must have." This revolutionary way of mixing African music with popular music is mind-blowing! African styles are starting to show up in everything!

9. You buy a tambourine in hopes of playing Brother Tambo

The minstrel troupe is seated in a semicircle, with one member on each end playing the tambourine or the bones. The endmen are named Brother Tambo and Brother Bones, and they engage in an exchange of jokes between the group's songs and dances. It is customary for Tambo to be slim and Bones to be fat. In the midst of all the social chaos, who doesn't want to be the light-hearted funny guy? Minstrel shows are a bit of a "getaway" for those of us plagued with #19thcenturyprobs. Having to be self-sufficient without a steady government is hard and no fun.

10. Looking for the one "authentic" performer in the troupe

Ever since the war between the Union and Confederacy, minstrel troupes have been featuring real African-Americans as "genuine" performers. Though they still put on blackface because in real life, they don't actually look like the minstrel characters. A lot of all-black troupes are being formed now that slavery is abolished and are becoming really popular because they're "authentic." Unless you've lived in a main city up North or on a small plantation down South, then you probably haven't seen a real African-American. #unexposed #civilwar #honestabe

11. Racing at the end of the gathering parade for the best seat because that will determine your utmost happiness

"MUST GET THERE FIRST!" Everybody and their mother is here to see the minstrel show. No matter what class or status you come from, the minstrel show is a "must see" attraction. Everyone likes to escape their mundane reality once in a while and see something new! Where else are you suppose to learn about what is happening in politics and society? The crowd-gathering parade to the theater precedes the performance and builds excitement and suspense like no other!

12. When each act opens

"Oh boy!" Minstrel shows have THREE acts! The first act has dances, songs, and jokes, like stand-up comedy. The second act features a variety show, including the pun-filled stump speech. The final act consists of a slapstick musical plantation skit or a send-up of a popular play. These performances cover every form of entertainment that is most popular right now. It's like killing 3 birds with one stone!

13. Your initial reaction to the first racist joke of the night

#tbh The abolitionist movement has left us all a little on edge about controversial topics like race, slavery, etc. Minstrel shows play heavily on stereotypes and portray a skewed interpretation of "slave culture" through the eyes of the white population. They also use the whole women's rights thing and politics as a source of comedy, which a lot of people don't know how to react to. The country has been in crazy political opposition since the war (conservative vs. liberal), and women everywhere are fighting for the right to vote. It's kind of no joke, and yet, it's supplying one of the nations greatest entertainments.

14. Trying to reenact what you saw in the variety show...

The second portion of the show, called the olio, allows for the setting of the stage for act three behind the curtain. It has more of a variety show structure. Performers dance, play instruments, do acrobatics, and demonstrate other amusing talents. Variety shows are so cool! Most people simply go to work (usually on the farm), go home, and go to church. #boring. But variety shows exhibit all the wonders of the world! #exposure #cultured #talented #superstar

15. ...and your friends look at you like...

^#lame

16. Only remembering two lines of each of song, but jamming hardcore anyway

Minstrel shows use a ton of music; combining popular songs with traditional African rhythm. Who knows where music is headed?! This new music style is SO catchy and being used as a medium for political propaganda! They're singing songs in the shows about the war and the backwards South...that's one way to get a message to stick with the audience.

17. And at the end of the night you've laughed so hard that you're like...

After all, laughter is one of the greatest ways to make a point.

18. So you run to your mom, screaming...

Minstrel shows are the most popular form of entertainment!