I just started Nick Tosches “Where Dead Voices Gather”, I’m about 6 pages in. So far it appears to be about early american music history. Tosches mentions a few singers from the early beginnings of american music, Emmett Miller for one. I looked Miller up on Youtube to listen to some of his stuff. Wasn’t bad. In our partial class on Wednesday O’Malley mentioned some topics we would go over in class next week, and he talked about the Minstrel Show, in which american musicians would wear black face and perform musical numbers. I had never heard about this but I am thankful that I was informed of this phenomenon because when I was on Youtube listening to Emmett Miller there were pictures in the video of him wearing black face. When people talk about black face, or slavery for that matter, I get an uncomfortable feeling. It’s awkward and weird thinking that people 100 or even 60 years ago didn’t find it awkward and weird or insulting.  With all Youtube videos there is the much beloved comment section and in this particular comment section there were more than a few people who who said things along the line of “He’s racists, I can’t enjoy his music”. I think there are a lot of people who want to bury parts of the past since they can be rude, insensitive and offensive. I don’t think history lends itself particularly well to being edited in that fashion. Unfortunately there are a lot of terrible historical happenings that caused good things to happen later down the line. It can’t be so cut and dry as “this guy was a racist so his music shouldn’t be played.” can it? Would we lose a large part of our history if we glorified the racists less? Or those who caused genocides?

I am all for getting rid of Columbus day, that guy was a jerk, but I don’t want his name erased from history books. Thomas Jefferson has slaves, while he was vocally against slavery, even having an affair with a slave, not exactly the first man you would want as a role model, but he did a lot for our country. Does the sins or misdeeds of one man cancel out his good deeds?  I guess Hitler is one case of that, I don’t even know if he did anything good in his lifetime, was there a reason why so many people loved him while he came to power in the 1930’s? Would people be better off if Hitler and Columbus were never mentioned?

Wild tangent, back to Americans wearing black face. Should Emmett Miller be known more for his talent or for what he put on his face? I like finding out about the flaws of historical figures, Because I have flaws too, you won’t ever catch me owning slaves or painting my face black, but I’m not perfect.

Maybe I would have a whole different outlook if the color of my skin was darker or my ancestors came from the other side of the equator, I am open to being wrong. I mean the worst things people do to my race is call us “Crackers”, which doesn’t bother me.

I wish, that since African and Caribbean music influenced american music a lot in the early days, that the actual makers of that music could have been on stage performing, maybe not instead of but at least alongside, the other musicians of the Minstrel Show. Or maybe instead of, I don’t know. I am glad that we have records of those early musicians, Emmett Miller seems to have influenced a lot of later musicians.

Maybe the more I read the more of an established opinion I’ll have.

Is it more important to develop one set opinion about something, or to keep an open mind?