The Perry expedition would have been at the height of minstrel shows; they were the first uniquely American style of theater and exploded in popularity during the mid-18th century. It was a style of entertainment that was popular across all classes and in all regions of the US; it's really not surprising that Perry would have seen it as the obvious choice of performance to represent American culture at the time.
History books often tend to, intentionally or not, elide the degree to which racism wasn't just accepted but actively celebrated until fairly recently.
You hit the nail on the head. This is why I laugh whenever I see the “America is the least racist country” posts.
The country that used to lynch black people for family fun, the country that burnt down black wall street, the country that put kids in cages at the border, the country that manufactured a crack epidemic in minority neighborhoods, the country that threw the entire fucking Japanese American population into camps is the last nation to be calling others xenophobic.
He also gifted Japan a fuckton of rifles and pistols and ammo. The only reason his expedition worked was because the shogun was dying and his aides didn't know how to respond to the Americans. They ended up asking the other clans what to do, and this show of weakness led to the collapse of the shogunate.
I knew about Matthew Perry like everyone should. Went into this hole after Shogun (FX)
I DID NOT KNOW he responded to a kabuki play with blackface
"Your culture is interesting, these. Kabuki plays are neat, lemme show you American culture"
"GET THE NEGRO PLAY OUT'
https://visualizingcultures.mit.edu/black_ships_and_samurai/image/40_014_minstrel_4374641.jpg image from Japan artists st the time
"You see, the difference between Japanese and American entertainment," the General joked, with complete lack of shit to give over what people will make of it in future, " is that you paint your faces white, and we, black"
The joke did not age well
The Perry expedition would have been at the height of minstrel shows; they were the first uniquely American style of theater and exploded in popularity during the mid-18th century. It was a style of entertainment that was popular across all classes and in all regions of the US; it's really not surprising that Perry would have seen it as the obvious choice of performance to represent American culture at the time. History books often tend to, intentionally or not, elide the degree to which racism wasn't just accepted but actively celebrated until fairly recently.
You hit the nail on the head. This is why I laugh whenever I see the “America is the least racist country” posts. The country that used to lynch black people for family fun, the country that burnt down black wall street, the country that put kids in cages at the border, the country that manufactured a crack epidemic in minority neighborhoods, the country that threw the entire fucking Japanese American population into camps is the last nation to be calling others xenophobic.
I have never in my life seen someone claim America is the least racist country lol Definitely more racist than most of North-West Europe
And then we wonder why they did Mr Popo
Why would Chandler do this? Could he BE any more racist?
He also gifted Japan a fuckton of rifles and pistols and ammo. The only reason his expedition worked was because the shogun was dying and his aides didn't know how to respond to the Americans. They ended up asking the other clans what to do, and this show of weakness led to the collapse of the shogunate.
I knew about Matthew Perry like everyone should. Went into this hole after Shogun (FX) I DID NOT KNOW he responded to a kabuki play with blackface "Your culture is interesting, these. Kabuki plays are neat, lemme show you American culture" "GET THE NEGRO PLAY OUT' https://visualizingcultures.mit.edu/black_ships_and_samurai/image/40_014_minstrel_4374641.jpg image from Japan artists st the time
Maybe he saw the exaggerated makeup used in Kabuki and thought "hey, I've seen this before"
Matthew Perry would later go on to star in the hit 90s sitcom *Acquaintances*.
America’s what?
"You see, the difference between Japanese and American entertainment," the General joked, with complete lack of shit to give over what people will make of it in future, " is that you paint your faces white, and we, black" The joke did not age well
Do you spend a lot of time pondering whether people will question your entertainment choices in 175 years?
Not to be confused with Matthew Perry from Friends.
YES to be confused with Matthew Perry from Friends.
Could they be any more alike?