Totally embarrassing herself, former MSNBC host Joy Reid reposted a viral Instagram video alleging “Jingle Bells” was written by Confederate soldier James Pierpont as a racist mockery of Black people via blackface minstrel shows, citing his use of slurs in other works.
The clip claims the 1857 song”One Horse Open Sleigh” caricatured Black winter activities. Based on Kyna Hamill’s 2017 paper on its minstrel performance history, Reid captioned it “Lord have mercy.” Hamill clarified later that her research highlights historical context and “misreading,” not intent or modern racism.
In any case, the caption to the original video read, “This is where a racist Confederate soldier wrote ‘Jingle Bells’ to make fun of Black people.” Prompting the controversial media figure to comment, “Lord have mercy,” and ” American history is a horror show.”
Apparently, this conspiracy theory originates from a 2017 paper from the so-called academic Kyna Hamill.“The legacy of ‘Jingle Bells’ is, as we shall see, a prime example of a common misreading of much popular music from the nineteenth century,” she claimed, “Its blackface and racist origins have been subtly and systematically removed from its history.” However, later, she backpedaled, saying, “I never said it was racist now.”
However, when the news of Reid’s comments broke on social media, conservatives wildly mocked her claims. “JOY REID SHARES VIDEO CLAIMING ‘JINGLE BELLS’ WAS WRITTEN ‘TO MAKE FUN OF BLACK PEOPLE” They really can’t let people enjoy Christmas,” a lengthy breakdown began.
Continuing the analysis, popular conservative influencer Mario Newful noted, “Fired MSNBC host Joy Reid shared a video to her 1.3 million Instagram followers claiming the beloved Christmas anthem “Jingle Bells” was composed by a “racist Confederate soldier” to mock Black people and has ‘origins in bigoted minstrel shows.’”
He kept going, writing, “The video claims songwriter James Lord Pierpont wrote “The One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1850 for blackface performances that “mock and caricature black people trying to participate in winter activities.” It alleges that the lyric “laughing all the way” is “likely” a reference to a racist routine called the ‘Laughing Darkie.’”
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