美国非裔幽默.pptVIP

* AFRICAN-AMERICAN HUMOR by Don L. F. Nilsen and Alleen Pace Nilsen The World-Wide Influence of African American Humor Humor scholars have always acknowledged the contributions and effects of Jewish humor on the subjects and the roles of American humor. It is appropriate to also acknowledge the contributions of African Americans to the overall humor of the United States—and to the world—especially if we consider the elements of playfulness and humor in hip-hop. Within living memory, the “place” of AA humor has undergone more change than any other genre. Today, the mainstream laughs with Blacks, while a couple of generations ago, the custom was to laugh at blacks. * Until well after WW II . . . Traveling minstrel shows were one of the few theater events available in rural areas. In small town America, amateur actors loved to put on black-face and costumes and perform their own minstrel shows. Popular children’s books included the 1889 Story of Little Black Sambo by British author Helen Bannerman and the 1907 Epaminondas and His Auntie by Sara Cone Bryant. It was the exaggerated drawings, as much as the stories, that offended African Americans and made black children feel embarrassed or ashamed when teachers read the books to mixed school groups. * * Features of AA Humor That Can be Traced to West Africa Extensive Word Play An Abundance of Street Language Punning Signifying Verbal Put-Downs Mocking of Enemy’s Relatives Chanting of Ridicule Verses Using the Whole Body (including bent-knees) for dancing and communicating feelings Admiring Trickster Figures Verbal Quickness and Wit Amos ’n Andy During the 1930s the Amos and Andy radio show starred white actors doing blackface comedy. It was the most popular of all radio shows. When the show moved to TV in 1951, African Americans were hired as performers. * * In the 1950s as everyone became more aware of racism, leading up to the desegregation of schools, Amos and Andy became so controversial that the pr