Black Faced Morris Dancers Banned at ShrewsburyFolk Festival

granjura People have been over thinking this since these ideas about "political correctness" occured often in attempt to pour scorn on the ideas of what are and what is not offensive.
Yes I know the term "black sheep" has these connotations about people who go off the rails etc. But the rhyme is not talking about black people.

Most black people define themselves as such as a statement of their race. "Black lives matter" etc. There was also a black is beautiful campaign.
So how should anyone refer to my trousers or my M&S black pants come to that are they demeaned by using the word black. Read this.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baa,_Baa,_Black_Sheep

This has nothing to do with the dreadful British past in slavery either. Also that rhyme is just that. it has good rythm, alliteration etc it is easy and memorable for little children to sing.

What about "wind the bobbin up"
Wind The Bobbin Up - Lyrics

Wind the bobbin up,
Wind the bobbin up,
Pull, Pull, Clap, Clap, Clap,
Point to the ceiling
Point to the floor
Point to the window
Point to the door
Clap your hands together - 1, 2, 3,
Put your hands down on your knees.

Wind the bobbin up,
Wind the bobbin up,
Pull, Pull, Clap, Clap, Clap,
Point to the ceiling
Point to the floor
Point to the window
Point to the door
Clap your hands together - 1, 2, 3,
Put your hands down on your knees.

This could to those who like conpiracies might wish to construe this as encouraging child labour in cotton mills.

There needs to be a national campaign that whenever this nazi non-sense rears its divisive head - the whole country breaks out in a blacked up dancers - or whatever else it is celebration of our traditions - a blacked-up dancer fest in every town.
All it takes is people to confront these people and say enough is enough. Trolling on the internet is the cowards way out.

I do agree with the singing of the nursery rhyme, it just happens to be a black sheep, just as a cat or dog may be black.Although we say 'the black sheep of the family' this has nothing to do with the rhyme ( and the rhyme only has positives about the black sheep anyway!) It has plenty of wool.

Perhaps you haven't read my post properly- or perhaps you choose to misconstrue.

All I am saying is that we should indeed try and perceive how others of different cultures may feel or react- and that this is fine. We live in a different world today.

As said, in my country, where Conservatism rules large for many, espcially in rural areas- one political party has used the 'black sheep' image in many guises for their racist purposes for years- and that does make me more sensitive to the image, perhaps. If the image had been used by Britain First and the EDL, you might feel the same.

Again, especially in the post Ukip/Brexit context.

sarahc- sorry your post is not clear. Could you make yourself clearer please.

As usual in these cases, no one seems to have consulted any black people as to how they feel about the black-faced Morris Dancers. Someone has, as usual, complained 'on their behalf'.

The blacked faces of the Morris Dancers are in no way connected with black people, slaves or any other ethnic minority. Why see a problem where there is none?

OFFS!!!

Initially ( on here) I posted that the dancers had no axe to grind about race ( which is true) but then I thought about being black, being in a pub garden, and seeing the blacked up faces dancing about.I say a pub garden, because they often perform outside inns, but it could be the market square or wherever.Nobody is going to explain that this is an old tradition pre-dating by hundreds of years, our multi-cultural society,
Are they?
So, this is something all these groups of dancers will have to think about, I would certainly not ban them, but ask them to think about it carefully ( if I was a power-that-be) it may not have even entered their heads.

That last to granjura!

I am sort of being a devils advocate about this.

Perhaps they should put up giant posters everywhere they intend to perform, explaining the origin of the tradition...?

(In many languages, of course!)

now you're talking!

Here's a story to mess with the PC brigades head.
Retired midwife, Charlotte Nightingale runs a campaign called: Gollynomics. She makes gollywogs and dresses up as a gollywog at events to raise the awareness of black heritage. By the way, Charlotte is black.

Nobody seems to have understood my post...or perhaps I was being too obscure, again.

We have a very famous Folk Festival here and a very multicultural society. This year I noticed that two of the Morris Dancers, in one of the the Black-Faced Group were in fact black themselves. So, this would seem to indicate that they were happy with this.

What a fuss about nothing and as for anyone trying to justify this ban.....

If the one white person hadnt complained, and since no people have colour have,and perhaps see no need to, who has "won"? A white person.

I understood it, anya. Still do.

ana's suggestion of more public information about Morris dancing traditions is a good one too. One of the team could give a little spiel before they begin, or when they finish a dance. It doesn't have to be high tech, just a bit of spreading the word to people who are watching.

Ye, so did I, but it didn't stop people from supporting the ban on here. Perhaps they thought those particular people didn't count, as obviously local...

yes, that would be a good idea. Not sure who here has supproted the ban, as such- but tried to explain why it may be a bit more complex than FFS- nought so blind, as usual.

Most people have now agreed that it is the Gollywog is best not used anymore on products- but of course I accept that there is no slavery connection in the Morrismen tradition. But tourists, and those not 'au fait' with said tradition may find it quite distasteful - unless an explanation given. Why not take that on board without such fuss. Goes both ways.

petra- Cyrano de Bergerac comes to mind here.

To those who find something merely distasteful the proper response is either "don't watch then" or "tough!".

Once the unreasonableness of their distaste has been explained to them, of course.

I guess that another thing that annoys me about it [which is totally unrelated I know] is that there was a Britain First [or some such group like that]in Nottingham the other weekend. The 'beach' in the town square had to be closed for the day on what would have been one of it's busiest and most popular days of the summer and the cost of policing it was astronomical. So a lot of people were deprived of something pleasurable by a load of racists and the money it cost could have gone to something worthwhile. So democracy allows that but stops something that gives pleasure and fun to a lot of people. I don't think I understand a lot of things these days .

I had thought of the little spiel before the dances, it may be that this is done anyway?
Have never seen the black faced Morris Men, but thinking about it, here,I have sometimes heard an explanation about the dances and the age of a particular troupe.This makes it interesting and informative.

I am not blind, granjura - my post was ill mannered, but your remark is condescending. I let my frustration spill over because I am sick of those who take every chance they can to chip away at our cultural heritage in the name of political correctness. It's depressing. If tourists not 'au fait with our traditions' find them so distasteful let them take their holidays elsewhere.

The world we live in is very different now- so why not try to be more sensitive about the current make-up of the population and the current context. Post Brexit Britain has seen a massive rise in racist attacks of one kind or another (I know some here deny this) - and I can't see any reason for not taking this on board.

No-one is saying traditional Morris dancing should be banned- but that blackened faces may not be very sensitive. At least have someone explain to audience- or consier doing the very same dances with blue or green, or 'normal' faces.

Many in my country say that if Anglo-Saxon expats continually complain about everything here and how things are done, they should pack up and go home. I find this appalling- here, there or anywhere. WE can all give and take a bit, surely.