Today in class we discussed the minstrel phenomenon and how what we contemporarily know as “white music” is derived from the caricaturization of black people, developed through minstrel entertainment. We also discussed how black people adopted minstrel performances in the later era of its existence, contrary to the typical practice of white people dressing up in blackface and mocking stereotypes of black communities. This was compared to the idea of artists like 50 Cent dressing in both stereotypical rap-associated garb vs. him wearing clothes to fit into white spaces. Personally, I think the idea that black individuals are capable of wearing any type of “blackface” is underdeveloped. Minority communities have the right to reclaim symbols of their culture that have been appropriated without appreciation for them as humans, or used to degrade them. Furthermore, certain paraphernalia and dress is associated with particular genres of music because these genres were borne out of resistance and reclamation of identity. Therefore it is not a charade or a mockery, but rather a tie to the genesis of the art form. Ultimately, telling the affected minority that their adoption of their own cultural symbols is “blackface” invites a dangerous connotation. Only members of other communities that participate in mocking the objects are capable of committing the same acts as those who participated in the original minstrel shows.