More political correctness bullshit!!!!

[Red]

Can't believe that the organsiers have actually taken this decision and agreed with those who have complained!!

I was told about this yesterday as I have friends in the Lincolnshire Poacher Morris and they black up but do have yellow patterns also

Opinons please

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-37172500

[Master Ray]

Well... I can sorta see why people might take offence at this... but if it's a 500 year old tradition... why not?

It's not specifically about slavery or hatred of black folks, eh?  More like old smalltown traditions being commemorated...?

Well, Red, if the general consensus is that we're both complete racists, I guess we're going down to Hell together!

 

[Red]

Well... I can sorta see why people might take offence at this... but if it's a 500 year old tradition... why not?

It's not specifically about slavery or hatred of black folks, eh?  More like old smalltown traditions being commemorated...?

Well, Red, if the general consensus is that we're both complete racists, I guess we're going down to Hell together!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnB-khUYwC4

[Pol]

Seen this yesterday on the news app . Mmm not sure where I stand on the issue, ok I get its hundreds of years of tradition n was never meant to offend anyone but does that make gollywogs n black n white minstrels ok , different things accepted but not everyone sees it that way. Would wearing traditional Scottish dress get you arrested - well yes if you had a dirk (knife) down your sock

[Red]

Issue is that these are not white people pretending to be black but blacking up to disguise their identity.

The reason for the black is that they used coal dust or ash to black up.

how far do you go, do you stop the Molly dancers who are blokes dressed up pretending to be women?

[Master Ray]

Well... I can sorta see why people might take offence at this... but if it's a 500 year old tradition... why not?

It's not specifically about slavery or hatred of black folks, eh?  More like old smalltown traditions being commemorated...?

Well, Red, if the general consensus is that we're both complete racists, I guess we're going down to Hell together!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnB-khUYwC4

 

[Anna Woman von NRW]

Hmm............ tradition and modern sensibilities collide. No easy answer to that. Can see and accept both sides of this fence. Possibly one side needs to chill out a bit and explore history behind something that at first glance is ostensibly racist whilst the other needs to understand how blacking up might appear to others. Buggered if I know what the answer is 

[szmurf]

Don't know anything about this tradition, but looking at the first picture in the article, I'd say the guy looked more like a Kentucky coal miner than the black face paint wore by minstrels here in the US.