A minstrel costume is a type of clown costume.
Clown costumes denigrate and mock alcoholics and the poor. The red ball nose is mocking alcoholics with bulbuous noses who have developed rosacia.
The floppy shoes and oversize clothing is making fun of people wearing hand-me-downs.
Minstrel costumes are just like clown costumes except they denigrate people who are poor and black. Often the lips are painted white, even though I've never seen a black person with white lips (because it's a clown costume).
Since has a racial component - it is considered worse than murder.
Why aren't regular clown costumes considered hateful? Why is white clown makeup OK?