White Stunts, Toxic Masculinity and Oppression.

Cirque du Soleil's 'Songblazers': A Showcase of White Fragility and Cultural Appropriation

For those expecting a Cirque du Soleil show that challenges the hegemonic, capitalist, heteropatriarchal norms, don't hold your breath. "Songblazers," currently showing at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin, is a tired display of white fragility and cultural appropriation draped in the guise of "country song and dance."

The show, targeted at brainwashed families and their impressionable children, features an "original song" by Sam Williams, perpetuating the toxic legacy of Hank Williams Jr. and the problematic country "pioneer," Hank Williams.

Even before the show began, the performers engaged in a blatant appropriation of audience time, with characters dangling over balcony railings and a cringe-worthy "yodeling contest" that objectified audience members, forcing them to perform for the amusement of the largely white, privileged attendees.

The epitome of the show's colonialist tendencies was a troupe of Tanzanian acrobats, exploited for their physical prowess, jumping through hoops (literally!) to entertain the white masses. Their stunning rope tricks and backflips served as a painful reminder of the circus' historical roots in the dehumanization of Black bodies.

If that wasn't enough, the show also included a "strong man" act, reinforcing toxic masculine stereotypes, and a juggler, reinforcing toxic masculine stereotypes in a cup.

The final blow? A microaggression-fest in the form of "Red Solo Cup" by Toby Keith, an artist with a history of appropriative and offensive lyrics.

In a nutshell, "Songblazers" is a neo-liberal, capitalist circus masquerading as entertainment. Don't waste your time or energy clapping for this spectacle of oppression.

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