"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated June 02, 1907:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (AUGUST 21, 2020):
Well, this strip went and took giving the imps their own cultural identity (through language) from the last strip and ran with it right into a burning building… - 1/14
Not only does casual racist caricature continue, amplified by the trio's blackface, this strip also features blatant cultural appropriation (stereotypical depictions of African culture, race, religion, etc. that ignores real lived experience in favour of caricature). - 2/14
I'm not going to dissect this strip; I just can't. But I will talk about how I might use it in a 21st Century context. - 3/14
There really is no redeeming this strip *as a text* in my eyes, but I think it is valuable as a socio-historic artefact, primarily as it can be used to further Anti-Discrimination Education. - 4/14
Immediately upon reading this strip, I thought about the #ACultureIsNotACostume movement (that inevitably becomes more prominent around Halloween) and how it's aims are about education and helping individuals to make better costume decisions. - 5/14 [INSERT IMAGE]
In a #WashingtonPost article from this past Halloween (2019), University of Denver resident director, Rajhon White, had the following to say: - 6/14 [INSERT IMAGE]
As a socio-historic artefact, this strip can be used to spur that education piece by focusing conversation about the mistreatment of cultural "others" in the past; becoming a site of constructive social friction for 21st century students to grapple with our shared past. - 7/14
It can lead 21st century students to gain a better understanding about histories of oppression, encourage them to question who benefited from that oppression/appropriation, and (maybe most importantly) begin to guide them towards a better understanding of privilege. - 8/14
Since this strip in particular features three white (I'm counting Flip in this) characters being dressed in blackface, it also provides an opportunity to discuss how blackface played a role in the creation of Black American stereotypes historically. - 9/14
Defined as "comedic performances of 'blackness' by whites in exaggerated costume and make-up", it is impossible to divide the performance of minstrelsy from the racial derision and stereotyping that birthed it (https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/blackface-birth-american-stereotype). - 10/14
This strip demonstrates (in the same way that popular American actors of the 20th Century like Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, and Mickey Rooney demonstrated when they donned blackface)… - 11/14
…that racial parody and stereotyping was not just a political concept, but a cultural one that permeated much of 20th Century society (including popular culture) before leaning into a role as "family amusement" (NMAAHC). - 12/14
That #LittleNemo participated in "bridging the minstrel performance across generations" (NMAAHC) by putting it front and centre for young children to read and consume is something that can be discussed to guide Anti-Discrimination Education today. - 13/14
This is my "reading" of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #86. What's yours? - 14/14
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