Black Faced Morris Dancers Banned at ShrewsburyFolk Festival

I agree completely.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KmQRhgORi4
..if this works, these are my favourites...

I agree, if the custom had started with black slsves being made to dance then yes ban it, but this form of Morris dancing is English history , if wearing the Welsh National Costume was to be banned because high black hats could cause offence there would be uproar in Wales .

Oh for goodness sake . Whatever next.?

Makes my blood boil this type of thing.

The problem is this actually get's peoples heckles up and provides more ammunition for the voices who say Political Correctness has/is going/gone too far. Well actually I agree it has.

I can imagine the person who complained in my minds eye and he/she is typically on 'a mission' in the belief they are being mindful of prejudice/racism where there is non intended. They are permanently on the hunt for the next time they can sign a petition or make a complaint because they feel we should jump to their tune.

I know this story would definately annoy and frustrate my friends and family from a non white/British background as we have spoken of this before. I know for a fact they would enjoy watching the Morris Dancers , put a quid in the collection bucket and accept the Morris Dancers are in no way being prejudice/racist.

Isn't the origin of "Morris" dancers "Moorish" anyway, so yes, they would have "blacked up" cf Othello. Another case of throwing the baby out with the bath water as on that basis ALL Morris dancing "should be banned".
Bah humbug!

www.rattlejagmorris.org.uk/history-of-morris-dancing

And when it says "Moors" it's not taking about the Yorkshire Moors either!

This is all part of dumb trying to ensure that everyone is dumber! It makes one despair!
Most people in this country are more than happy to support traditional events but get intimidated by those with the loudest voices so clearly we need to be more vocal in our support.

What a sweeping and funny idea about UKIP! I can't imagine where that came from! There are a broad range of people in every political party and no one party has the monopoly on stupidity!
I know lots of people who support UKIP and some of them are of very differing complexions and racial origins but they wanted to remain British - and "didn't want to be swallowed up in an enormous amorphous glob" as one of my friend's sons said. He sports an amazing 'afro' by the way which is all natural and he is fiercely British and third generation Jamaican/British. He is a very nice lad and not racist in any way.

So I assume he's happy that Farage is supporting that well known advocate of racial tolerance, Donald Trump then .

I suppose that we should ban all battle re enactments as well.

I sometimes think those who look for racism in everything are deep down racist themselves and this is their way of hiding it. It's like people saying some of their best friends are black - I have friends, their colour is of no consequence. I know someone who insists on referring to two of her friends as "my gay friends". What has their sexual preference got to do with anything!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_dance

I can just imagine the reaction if they try something so utterly daft around here.

I always think of Mollie dancers as Goths who dance with sticks.

However if people are being offended perhaps we need to look at some of our traditions in the light of modern society. We have given up black and white minstrels.

But that wasn't just blacked-up faces, they were made to look like golliwogs!

Yes,black faces. I think if people are offended we need to ask ourselves why.

Perhaps we also need to disseminate more of the history of the Morris dancers too, including that info that they blacked their faces as a disguise so that they were unrecognisable when they took the mickey out of their employers and "betters" who could sack them for it at the drop of a hat. They faced discrimination which could cost them their livelihood, that should be remembered, not overlaid by current pre-occupations.

It's because they associate black faces with people of colour and not people who have rubbed soot on their faces*...which, to me is racist. Some morris dancers use yellow but it has only crossed my mind now [literally this minute] that they might be racist against the Chinese. Who was it that used to daub themselves in wode? That must be racist against someone somewhere. Heck; I'm finding racist links with everything now. I'm getting good at this#justneededabitofpractice*better ban Mary Poppins while we're at it...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGCmVDl46rY

I am getting very these days (must be getting old).
At one time it was frowned upon to say 'coloured people' and people had to be called 'black' even if they weren't very dark-skinned.
Now the term seems to be 'people of colour' (I heard Dianne Abbott use it so it must be politically correct).

I see nothing wrong with Morris dancers putting soot or whatever on their faces to celebrate ancient traditions if it was to disguise themselves - or for whatever reason.

Near where I come from the dance dates from 1226:
www.abbotsbromley.com/horn_dance
but they wear horns and don't black their faces.

I've always wanted to go to this one
calendarcustoms.com/articles/whittlesea-straw-bear-festival
It probably all goes back to my time in Cornwall when I first followed the 'obby horse' round Padstow.

www.strawbear.org.uk

Have never seen the blacked up dancers, here it's white smocks and sticks and hankey waving ( I like it, but DH falls about laughing.)