Jingle Bells Originally Performed in Minstrel Show

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Will Fly
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 01:47 PM

Very popular indeed, Steve - but I still can't stand it! Just personal choice...

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: RTim
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 01:13 PM

It was also originally written for Thanksgiving - NOT Christmas!

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 12:41 PM

This Boston University professor is both stark raving bonkers and clearly a pain in the neck!!!

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: GUEST,Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 11:28 AM

Gaaah! That was me. Forgot to fill in the 'from' box.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 11:27 AM

David Kritchevsky wrote a funny little scientific ditty to the tune of Jingle Bells, about how cholesterol is formed - 'The Cholesterol Biosynthesis Song'.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: GUEST,Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 11:15 AM

I hope no-one is going to mention Zwarte Piet...

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 11:07 AM

"Who cares - it's a crap song anyway." You might like to add (IMO) on the end, Will. The song has certainly been extremely popular for over a century. Its tune was utilised for a well-known folksong written at about the same time. Wonder if you know which one.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: meself
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 11:01 AM

Political correctness gone mad! Censorship! Book-burning! Not allowed to say Merry Christmas! ... (did I miss anything?).

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 10:27 AM

And Santa Claus is fat-ist, and we shouldn't have pantomime dames or horses...................
Jingle Bells was the single most popular song at a Christmas tearoom event for kids, which we played for last weekend. As it was a moving population of people coming and going, it must have been done at least 6 times - twice through each time - in the course of 3 hours. The kids played along with my set if bells and other percussion we'd brought. Payment was a cup of tea, a glass of non-alcoholic mulled wine, and a hot mince pie.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 09:51 AM

The vast majority of Christmas carols are anti-realist. As a realist does that mean I can't sing them? It's enough to make one want to change one's ism.

Adolf Hitler once sang 'Stille nacht'. Well that's out the window then.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: GUEST,Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 09:50 AM

Just found an old post of mine on the Christmas songs parodies thread:

Jingle bells
Rudolf smells
All the elves are gay.
Santa Claus
Ripped his drawers
Then he ran away.   

(My Glasgow pupils taught me this. It should be sung in a very strong Glasgow accent, and apologies for the homophobia)

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Mark Ross
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 09:38 AM

Learned this from Haywire Brack, my brother of the Rose Tattoo;

Dashing down the aisle
With an empty pocketbook,
I can't afford to buy,
So I'll just have to look,
Bells on registers ring
Making me uptight,
I guess I'll have to go and rob
A liquor store tonight!

Stick em' up, stick 'em up,
Give me all the loot,
Give all the cash and checks,
And the credit cards to boot,
Stick 'em up, stick 'em up,
Christmas should be free,
I can't beat inflation,
But inflation won't beat me!

To the tune of JINGLE BELLS of course.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Stu
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 09:14 AM

The minions version is far superior to any other.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 08:33 AM

Well, GUEST, my Muslim husband loves Christmas in our village, and adores the Carol Service in our ancient church. He'd be furious if it was cancelled on his behalf!!

And who are 'The Muslims' in London? Bit of a generalisation eh?

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Nick
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 08:26 AM

Let's play "spot the troll"

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 08:03 AM

Hahahaha! Fanny Crackle Lane! I'd love to live there.

My Granny was called Frances, and Fanny used to be a nickname for that (eg Fanny Price in Jane Austen's 'Mansfield Park'), but no-one in our family ever called her 'Fanny'. (Granny Fanny sounds a bit...er...)

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Raggytash
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 07:47 AM

Ahem! My Grandmother name was Fanny.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Banjo-Flower
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 07:44 AM

And fanny has a different meaning in the UK for the benefit of our US members

Gerry

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Banjo-Flower
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 07:40 AM

Did she live in Fanny Crackle Lane in Ludford Lincolnshire UK

If you don't believe me look on google maps

Gerry

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 07:34 AM

I wonder if Bobtail should be a transgender horse?

I've just done some Googling, and it appears in the original version there was a 'Miss Fanny Bright' seated in the sleigh. Words fail me...

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 07:28 AM

My black husband has often sung it, although he hasn't yet mastered the words apart from the chorus. It sounds more like "Jeengle belle jeengle belle, jeengle aul zee way..." then he has to resort to "da-da-da, dee da-da-da". But he likes the tune. He'll be astonished no doubt when I tell him it's potentially racist (and probably laugh his socks off!).

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Will Fly
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 07:18 AM

Only under extreme pressure, such as for money...

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 07:02 AM

Reminds me a bit of the Christopher Isherwood bon mot - EVENTUALLY WE'RE AL QUEER.

EVENTUALLY WE'RE ALL RACIST.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Is there anyone in the Western world who has never sung this 'racist' song?

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: GUEST,Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 07:02 AM

How very strange! This is all news to me. I've always imagined (erroneously) that the song depicted a Scandinavian scene of some sort.
I can't find anything in the words that could be construed as racist, and the fact it was originally sung in 'Blackface' says more about the singers than the song itself.
My pupils used to adore this Christmas song, with the addition of hand-bells to shake vigorously. I always played the piano for them with tremendous gusto, thumping away until we were all grinning and happy.
Such a shame if the Politically Correct Brigade were to ban it.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Raggytash
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 06:55 AM

So what you are saying is the way in which was originally performed was racist. That does not mean the song itself is racist which is what the titled of the thread would have one believe.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Ernest
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 06:32 AM

Will: apparently that was what happened before.... ;0)

With the author - and the professor.

Subject: RE: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: Will Fly
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 05:26 AM

Who cares - it's a crap song anyway. The "author" should have been frozen in permafrost before putting pen to paper.

Subject: Jinge Bells is Racist
From: GUEST,CJB
Date: 17 Dec 17 - 05:22 AM

Boston University professor claims Jingle Bells is RACIST because it was 'first performed in blackface and made fun of African-Americans'

*    Boston University theater professor Kyna Hamill made startling claim in paper
*    World-famous Christmas carol was composed in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont
*    Hamill asserts first performance of Jingle Bells was done in blackface
*    Urges reflection on song's 'problematic role in the construction of blackness'

By Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com

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Kyna Hamill, a BU theater historian, says Jingle Bells has racist roots

A professor has claimed that Jingle Bells has racist roots because it was first performed in blackface.

'The legacy of 'Jingle Bells' is one where its blackface and racist origins have been subtly and systematically removed from its history,' wrote Kyna Hamill, a Boston University theater historian, in a research paper that is making waves.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5186289/Jingle-Bells-RACIST-claims-Boston-University-professor.html

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2017/12/bu_prof_s_find_of_racist_origins_in_jingle_bells_hits_sour_note

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