# Is this "white surburban minstrelsy"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032 "2015-11-20T00:59:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/1 "2015-11-20T00:59:33Z")
Or is it just a white family having good-natured pop-culturish fun? [The Holderness family goes for Drake, Adele and Silentó in new Thanksgiving video](http://www.indyweek.com/music/archives/2015/11/19/white-suburban-minstrelsy-the-holderness-family-goes-for-drake-adele-and-silento-in-new-thanksgiving-video) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/2 "2015-11-20T01:31:41Z")
I’d just like to say that Kim Holderness is one of the milfiest milfs that ever milfed. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/3 "2015-11-20T01:55:41Z")
Well it’s no [We’re So Cheesecake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoGAmzNCnP4). (For one thing they have rhythm and timing) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/4 "2015-11-20T02:03:23Z")
I believe it’s more like a geeky acting out of overproduced, autotuned, derivative music videos, some of which may possibly have appropriated actual African-American performance themes, but have so thoroughly bastardized and commercialized them as to strip them of any cultural significance or legitimacy whatsoever. I believe in fighting bullshit with bullshit. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/5 "2015-11-20T08:56:07Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Or is it just a white family having good-natured pop-culturish fun? **[Voice of Raj Kuthroopali]:** It’s Bollywood, dude! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/6 "2015-11-20T10:21:52Z")
Well, if you describe “white suburban minstrelsy” as the article does: > [@](#): > > the geeky acting out of African-American song-and-dance styles by a white family drowning in their own wholesome privileged opulence Umm, sure. But fact is, the African-Americans that created it certainly hoped that white suburban folks would like it. If you like it, you emulate it. They know they’re not that smooth, so they shoot to make it umm, cracker? I don’t know the non-awkward word for it. Either way, to elevate that bad video to the level of actually trying to say something other than “look at me!” is giving it way too much credit. In addition: 1. I want my 2 minutes back (nope, couldn’t finish that crap). 2. No one owns artistic style. If I want to play like guitar in a style associated with West Africa tomorrow, no one has the right to tell me I should feel bad for doing it. In fact, I’d say the shame would belong to a person who would try to stop me. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/7 "2015-11-20T14:21:46Z")
I’m not inclined to sit through the video, but skipping around didn’t reveal anything egregious. I’m given to understand that minstrelsy consists of: -One or more people who are not part of group X -dressing up as members of group X -and putting on a show that ridicules group X. Does this family give the impression that they’re ridiculing the style of music they’re performing, or the people who usually perform it? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/8 "2015-11-20T14:51:22Z")
It seems obvious to me that given the placement of the pillow during the “watch me snore, watch me superman” section, Daddy took one to the balls in the first take. I don’t know from minstrelry but that amuses me. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/9 "2015-11-20T15:03:11Z")
I think saying that these videos “take down” any of these blockbuster songs is giving way too much credit to these suburbanites. Some people are looking awful silly as a result of these videos and it’s not Drake or Adele. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/10 "2015-11-20T16:35:36Z")
Wait… …minstrelsy… …ADELE??? …am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/11 "2015-11-20T16:38:09Z")
The people on “My Name is Earl” used to shake themselves around to “Bust A Move” from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/12 "2015-11-20T16:46:03Z")
> [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](#): > > Wait… > …minstrelsy… > > …ADELE??? > …am I missing something? I didn’t even know minstrelsy is a word, much less that Adele is black. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/13 "2015-11-20T17:16:16Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Or is it just a white family having good-natured pop-culturish fun? > > [The Holderness family goes for Drake, Adele and Silentó in new Thanksgiving video](http://www.indyweek.com/music/archives/2015/11/19/white-suburban-minstrelsy-the-holderness-family-goes-for-drake-adele-and-silento-in-new-thanksgiving-video) The thing that keeps it from straying into minstrel territory is that they are still presenting as white suburbanites; without that identity, a key piece of the humor would be missing. True minstrels presented the opposite; you had white people pretending to be black, with the painted faces, affected speech, and everything. By exploiting the incongruence between their mainstream blandness and the hip-hop/RnB they parody, what they are actually making fun of is their whiteness and the assumptions that whiteness conjures. White people like them aren’t supposed to know and enjoy those songs, you know? And yet these do! Hahaha. A black Huxtable type family could do a similar parody, but I don’t think it would communicate the same subtext. I think it’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/14 "2015-11-20T17:48:54Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > much less that Adele is black. Me neither. I’ve been lied to by my eyes. Also there’s a lot of hate in that article. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/15 "2015-11-20T19:04:59Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Me neither. I’ve been lied to by my eyes. Also there’s a lot of hate in that article. Jeez, no kidding. I just watched the video and all I see are people, much like all the other attention whores who post videos of themselves, doing a parody of some pop songs. They are no more minstrelizing (:smack: ) than Weird Al. Not mocking your question, **monstro** , just the article. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-white-surburban-minstrelsy/738032/16 "2015-11-20T19:45:15Z")
Yeah, it’s a good question. Important to know where and to what you should devote your outrage. Otherwise you might end up looking as silly as the people to whom you either do or do not “feel” outrage towards.