Part A: “Blackface” Controversies
The use of Blackface throughout history has been met with both positivity and negativism to the cultural presentation of black people. The “Blackface” tracing its popularity in the 1820s where actor Thomas Rays imitated the black folks depict them as uneducated, lazy, and childish beings (xoBookworm37 2012). The “Blackface” depicts emotions of segregation, discrimination, racism, slavery – social ills that the black people have suffered throughout history. The negative cultural effect represented in the use of “Blackface” in minstrel shows reminds people of a past that they wish to forget. A past characterized by suffering and immense degradation of the black people’s dignity. Won by white characters – the “Blackface” is even worse creating the connotation of advancing racism and social problems that have prevailed against the black community.
Part B: Character Based on Stereotype
Giancarlo Esposito (Genie) is a character of color in the Television Show Once Upon A Time. Esposito’s stereotype is presented in his role as being part of a group of pretty white women and the European male characters. Amidst all the white populace used in the character, Esposito is the only person of color in a sea of white people. To make matters worse, Esposito plays the role of being an object – “the Magic Mirror” used for the amusement of the woman he loved (Twenties Girl 2016). Esposito is portrayed as the voice of reason for the woman he falls in love with despite remaining devoted to his superior white woman who controls his life. The character stereotyping is presented in the negative light that for Esposito to gain access and be with a woman he loved he had to become an object. Further, remaining devoted to the superior white woman is diminishing to the persona and dignity of the character.
Part C: “Theatre of the People”
The Theatre of the People; Identity, Protest, and/or Cross-Cultural Theatre can be used to address the negative effects of the practices of characterization used in “blackface,” “yellowface,” and the “redface” by depicting them as survivors and triumphant at the end. The characterization can be turned into a positive opportunity that illustrates the value of history in understanding the self. The stereotypes of “blackface,” “redface,” and “yellowface” can be changed in emphasizing the characters as the main characters bound to emerge victors. Thus, it shows a transformation of associating them with ignorance and degeneration in society.
