The Clown Another popular character which has its origin in slavery is the African-American clown. One of the primary forms of remaining in favor with the slave master by the slave was to provide entertainment for the master and his household. It is easy to observe that man exults in his superiority over lower animals by teaching them to do tricks and to be entertained by those tricks. In much the same way, the slave owner prided himself in his superiority by being entertained by the slave. Writers have long pointed to the fester, the clown, or the fool, as the inferior one who was responsible for making his superior laugh. Using a person for your clown has always been one of the major ways to assert your dominance over a person. Mockery is one of the more sophisticated forms of humiliation. Great favors of leniency and special rewards were given to the clowning slave. He enjoyed a special status above the other slaves because he kept his master entertained. Even the arts, music and dance, which had originally been used for cultural expression and community recreation, became devices which were used by the slave to protect himself from the master's anger. "Fiddler," in the TV drama, Roots, was a colorful example of this manipulative function of the clown. Clowning and buffoonery became one of the primary ways that the violent and abusive slave master could be controlled and manipulated. A laughing or satisfied master was less likely to be a violent master. Frederick Douglass observes in his autobiography: In all the songs of the slaves, there was ever some expression in praise of the great house farm; something which would flatter the pride of the owner, and possibly draw a favorable glance from him. "I am going away to the great house farm, 0 yea! 0 yea! 0 yea! My old master is a good old master, 0 yea! 0 yea! 0 yea!" This they would sing, with other words of their own improvisation-jargon to others, but full of meaning to themselves.' The problem with this pattern, as with others we have discussed, is that this kind of response has long outlived its real usefulness. What began as a survival tactic under highly unnatural living conditions, has become a crippling part of the psychology of a people seeking to restore life and community to themselves.
The current slave mentality still inhibits aspiration to be anything more than a clown. The clear exception is Dr. Bill Cosby, who used the clown's role only as a tool in the educational agenda from his mind and that of others, who were committed to the advancement of African- American life. An even more common example of the modern slave clown is the person who feels the necessity to be a daily clown in his interactions with Caucasians. Many people have observed or experienced the African-American member of an interracial team serving as the entertainer over lunch or at the party. Somehow, the "token" African- American always manages to be the "funniest guy." It becomes an obsession on the part of the minority member to maintain favor with his colleagues by keeping them laughing. He often finds himself being urged: "Come on Sam, tell us a joke." So another old pattern, with its roots in slavery, continues to bring rewards on the modern stage. Human beings are unable to be about the serious business of living and building societies if they feel compelled to always clown or entertain others. People do not take you seriously if you don't take yourself seriously. A sense of humor brings necessary balance to an organized life, but a life of humor blinds one to life.