“What’s wrong with Blackface?”: theorizing humor ecologies and Blackface as satire

ABSTRACT

In this essay, I analyze the rhetorical implications of removing sitcom episodes containing Blackface from streaming platforms. By situating Blackface performances within what I call their humor ecologies, I attend to the dynamic interplay between comedic reflexivity, racial humor ideology, comic personae, and network influence. I argue that these factors enable audiences to glean meaning from these performances that vary ideologically, and I call into question the value of removing these performances without considering them within their humor ecologies and contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Blackface
• humor ecology
• erasure
• satire

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Kristen Hoerl, Robin Boylorn, and the three anonymous reviewers for their support, suggestions, and feedback on earlier drafts of this essay.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

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59 Thorne, “‘30 Rock’.”

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62 Adalian, “30 Rock.”

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