Black Humor
Langston Hughes says, "Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it. Of course, you laugh by proxy. You're really laughing at the other guy lacks, not your own. That's what makes it funny-The fact that you don't know you are laughing at yourself. Humor is when the joke is on you but hits the other fellow first-Because it boomerangs. Humor is what you wish in your secret heart were not funny, but it is, and you must laugh. Humor is your unconscious therapy" Laughter for centuries has been the medicine that ensured the survival of African Americans. "Herded together with others with whom they shared only a common condition of servitude and some degree of cultural overlap, enslaved Africans were compelled to create a new language, a new religion, and a precarious new lifestyle." (1) As Africans were unloaded by boat and placed onto plantations, slave masters were completely enthralled by the way they spoke, moved, and danced. Out of slavery emerged a culture that would influence America's mainstream culture for infinity. Slavery created bondage for Africans and when it looked like they were going no where fast, they laughed, sang, and amused one another with riddles, jokes and animal tales from the homelan
Even with its popularity, the show had a down time. Radio stations modernized their broadcast methods, so comedians were no longer forced to work As blackface entertainment became more popular so did the actors. George Washington Dixion introduced "Coal Black Rose" (5) one song which was part of this act was "Sambo and Cuffee", which was a comic song about a black woman and her lover. Dixion performed this act all over the world, some would argue that Dixion was the first white blackface performer to establish a broad reputation. "Licensed radio was introduced in 1920, because of the low budget and inadequate facilities, news shows and music provided by local groups dominated the airwaves. By 1922 there were over 522 licensed stations and radio sales increased from $1million in 1920 to $400million in 1925. By 1929 one in every three homes owned radios ten years later their was a radio in almost every home. Radio was a medium where its listeners could hear concerts, comic monologues, sporting events and political speeches as they happened."(4) Radio at first initially ignored blacks, as in the blackface performance days they were imitated by whites. In 1925, Freeman F. Gosden and Charles J. Correll were a small time duo who had debuted as musicians on a radio station in
Some common words found in the essay are:
Americans Herded, Senate Whites, Cleveland Ohio, Musical Comedies, Tambo Bones, Dan Emmett, Hughes Humor, Amos Andy, Sam Henry, Gosden Correl, musical comedies, blackface performers, amos 'n', amos 'n' andy, 'n' andy, slave masters, sam 'n', sam 'n' henry, african american, 'n' henry, gates white folks, black comedians, laughing slave master, station chicago, black musical comedies,
Approximate Word count = 1867
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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