David Cameron's multicultral policies

[Gob]

may not have been based on the best advice...

[Lord Jim]

Yeah, if it's your job to schedule public appearances for a major political figure and "minstrel show" comes into your mind as a good one to put on the list, you should probably be in another line of work...

[MajGenl.Meade]

Why the fuss? Those are Mo'Ris dancers.

[BoSoxGal]

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 94704.html

Sounds like the participants have good hearts, but they really ought to just lose the blackface, methinks.

[Gob]

NO!! FFS why?

[Lord Jim]

NO!! FFS why?

After further review, I'm inclined to agree with Strop...

It's the ignoramuses who see this as "racist" who ought to be embarrassed, and apologizing...

(Much like the morons who hounded that college professor into resigning for using the word "niggardly" a few years ago)

The historical provenance of this troupe has absolutely nothing do to with mocking black people...

Zero. zip, nada....

It's about people using coal dust to hide their faces to avoid being arrested for begging...(something one would expect most good lefties to embrace; it was a way for the downtrodden to "get over on The Man")

If this is "racist" then so was Dick Van Dyke:

[Gob]

Ban this racism now!!!!!

[BoSoxGal]

LJ, did you read the article I posted?

There is, in fact, a historical connection to racism that can asserted.

[Gob]

No, there is a theory, one of many competing ones, that some tenuous link can be made to "Moorish dancers" or "American Minstrel shows".

But fuck them.

Why would people take offense at blacking up the face for a traditional English mummers dance? Where is the fucking offense?

[BoSoxGal]

Border Morris, as well as the East Anglian Molly dancers, and the Britannia Coconut clog dancers of Lancashire, use blackface. “From time to time, we do get people asking why, and they’re always very happy with the explanation and we smile and move on,” Finn says. “Sometimes we direct them to the available text, like the Border Morris page on Wikipedia.”

But that page reveals an unclear history and various explanations. “The most popular one is that it is a disguise that allowed impoverished 16th-century farm workers who were unable to earn money during harsh winters to go out and do a bit of begging and not be recognised for who they were,” Finn says.

But the other theories are more problematic. One traces the word “morris” to Moorish, and suggests the earliest performers were mimicking North African dancers. Studies of varying academic weight separately link the rise of Border Morris to that of American minstrel shows that launched the blacking-up-for-laughs craze of the 19th century.

According to these accounts, the minstrel shows that became ubiquitous in village halls across Britain began to influence other traditions. Morris dancers adopted “Not for Joe,” a song that mentioned “niggers” and the Wild West, while morris dancing is recorded to have been referred to colloquially as “going niggering”.

These accounts also suggest that minstrels gave morris dancing its enduring blackface tradition, but Finn prefers the disguise theory. “Talk to any morris dancer and nobody carries that feeling,” he says. He also recalls occasions – a mixed-race wedding and a citizenship ceremony in Dudley – when his side has performed without causing any offence. “Border dancing is healthy and good fun, and brings joy to dancers,” he says. “Trying to make an issue of some sort of minstrel past is tenuous, erroneous and unhelpful in celebrating this wonderful culture.”

That the link is tenuous is one dude's opinion expressed to the reporter, it's not an accepted position of historians.

I honestly don't know, but the article certainly suggests the link is far more than tenuous, and it seems like there is no reason that they couldn't modify the blackface bit while still doing the dancing.

[Gob]

Why should they? So middle class white English people can assuage their guilt about something they've chosen to find offensive?

And again, why no furore over Aboriginals whiting up?

[Gob]

Mummer's Day, or "Darkie Day" as it is sometimes known (a corruption of the original "Darking Day"), is an ancient Cornish midwinter celebration that occurs every year on Boxing Day and New Year's Day in Padstow, Cornwall. It was originally part of the pagan heritage of midwinter celebrations that were regularly celebrated throughout Cornwall where people would take part in the traditional custom of guise dancing, which involves disguising themselves by painting their faces black or wearing masks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummer's_Day

[BoSoxGal]

Mummer's Day, or "Darkie Day" as it is sometimes known (a corruption of the original "Darking Day"), is an ancient Cornish midwinter celebration that occurs every year on Boxing Day and New Year's Day in Padstow, Cornwall. It was originally part of the pagan heritage of midwinter celebrations that were regularly celebrated throughout Cornwall where people would take part in the traditional custom of guise dancing, which involves disguising themselves by painting their faces black or wearing masks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummer's_Day

The guardian article I quoted mentioned that one of the Morris dancers chooses to paint only a stripe of black, in deference to her daughter-in-law, a black woman who was uncomfortable with the darkface.

Given that wearing masks is an alternative to blackface, why not do that instead?

I know I'm not going to convince you, Gob, because you always take the position of outrage over what you call "PC" insanity.

My position is that until we all start caring about each other's feelings, we'll never get any closer to bridging the racism divide. I don't think the blackface tradition is so damned important that it couldn't be put aside - when an historical alternative is just as correct - to further betterment of race relations.

That's all I'm saying.

eta: Or for that matter, paint faces any other color (or combination of colors) rather than black. It's still a disguise, and it honors the historical tradition. Doubtless folks would have done so in the past, except colors were not readily available whilst coal dust was.

[Gob]

Bollocks. Whose feelings? What offense?

[BoSoxGal]

[Gob]

Please tell me what offense is caused by white people blacking their faces as part of an ancient English tradition?

[Lord Jim]

LJ, did you read the article I posted?

There is, in fact, a historical connection to racism that can asserted.

Well, here's what I see in the last three paragraphs of that article:

But the Finns are aware of how others could potentially mistake their motives. Finn, who has danced for 40 years, uses water-based make-up to cover the bits of his face that aren’t beard. Other Border Morris dancers, including Ann, prefer a strip of black across the middle of the face.

Why less? “In deference to my daughter-in-law,” Ann says. “She’s very sensitive because she’s a black American and is a bit confused by it because it’s not an American tradition.

“I hate the way people leap to conclusions which are misguided. Among our audience on Saturday were a father and his three mixed-race children. They were really enjoying the dancing like everyone else. There was no offence, and if I thought for a moment there would be then I wouldn’t do it.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 94704.html

The charge of racism can always be "asserted"...

Hell, Al Sharpton some people make a very good living out of "asserting" it...and waving the bloody shirt of "racism" in front of any available television camera, any chance they get....

Doesn't make it true...

[Gob]

Well, here's what I see in the last three paragraphs of that article:

Why less? “In deference to my daughter-in-law,” Ann says. “She’s very sensitive because she’s a black American and is a bit confused by it because it’s not an American tradition.

Oh, but it is!

[Gob]

THE decision to put Baa, Baa, Black Sheep out to pasture at some kindergartens because of racial concerns has been slammed by hundreds of Victorians.

Staff at childcare centres in the south-eastern suburbs told the Herald Sun the lyric was being changed because of concerns over the racial connotations of “black”, and to reflect a multicultural community.

Kindergarten teachers have told the Herald Sun a centre in Melbourne’s east had also considered changing the line “one for the little boy who lives down the lane” in case it could be deemed sexist.

SUSIE O’BRIEN: The world has gone bonkers


Black sheep not noticing any of the fuss.

Parents, teachers and hundreds of Herald Sun readers said it’s political correctness gone mad.
“What ignorance. The rhyme has nothing to do with race,” Amy said on heraldsun.com.au
Gavin said: “I am a person who has black skin. Can we please stop with the political correctness, it’s becoming a joke. The song is called baa baa black sheep. No need to change it!”

Leonie Meadows agreed: “It certainly is taking it too far. We have black sheep why can’t we call them black? Are we going to ban the colour black?”

One reader even took the time to come up with a new song - politically correct of course.

“Blah blah, that sheep

“Are you having a good day?

“I sure hope so

“Because I wouldn’t want to offend you

“In any way.”

Celine Pieterse, co-ordinator of Malvern East’s Central Park Child Care, said children could still use “black” if they chose to.

“We try to introduce a variety of sheep.”

At nearby Bubbles Pre-School, owner Belli Spanos encouraged the original lyrics: “There are black sheep and there are white sheep ... it’s not implying anything, other than the colour of the sheep.”

Cheltenham’s Lepage Primary principal came under fire in 2010 after pupils were told to replace “gay” with “fun” in Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gumtree.

The Education Department said it did not tell early learning staff what to teach children.

[Jarlaxle]

Hmm...Pappy will not be pleased!