Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: RTim
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 04:09 PM

Psycho - you are well named - and you really don't know what you are talking about. It would be nice to know who you are rather than hiding behind you Avatar.

But you can believe what ever you want, and I assume you will.

Tim Radford (60 years dancer and follower)

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: GUEST,Psychomorris
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 04:02 PM

So lets take this political correctness, thin edge of a wedge further. No songs about killing. No political songs. No songs unless sung by a person from country of origin.This should also preclude non Irish persons from singing Irish songs. No bawdy songs because they can upset and cause offence. In fact no song which demeans or portrays anyone as being less than equal.
As far as I am aware the blacking up of faces was in keeping with workers of the land who generally had little access to water and spent a lot of time in the sun.Also those who worked in pits and mines. Some, such as my father, had very darkened skin as a result of years of outside work. Morris dancers and Mummers have maintained a Traditional approach which represents our cultural past. Shame on you Tim. But then many of the wider issues we face today in our Society, can be traced to people who show no PC backbone.

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: GUEST,Morris-ey
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 03:44 PM

It is for organisers who books acts to decide what is acceptable for their venue and for their programme.

Border does not have 500 years of tradition anymore than Cotswold does.

As someone said above, Shropshire Bedlams kick started the "revival" of, mostly bad, Border dance.

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 03:33 PM

Would anyone be offended if black dancers painted their faces white?

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: GUEST,The unicornman
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 03:20 PM

I travel round the country watching Morris men and will be very afended if this is true

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: RTim
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 03:05 PM

My mistake - one of the board - Mr. Cunningham - is not white.
And Dave - No I don't think it political correctness.
It is something that has concerned many for awhile and has even had teams change their practice.
And I tell you - it is not going to go away.
All teams have to do is change the colour or wear masks - and there is no longer a problem.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 02:59 PM

Be honest at least Tim, admit it's political correctness.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 02:57 PM

The Chair of the complaining group - FREsh, is NOT white!!

Well, according to their website, the chair is a certain Peter Roscoe who looks pretty white to me...

Admittedly their site is somewhat out of date, so that may have changed.

Shrewsbury FF is just trying to encourage teams to use other forms of Disguise to replace Black Face

Come on, that's not really fair is it? Saying we won't book you unless you change your ways is hardly 'encouragement.' It's banning them, plain and simple.

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: RTim
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 02:10 PM

The Chair of the complaining group - FREsh, is NOT white!! So get all your facts right first.
Until John Kirkpatrick's Shropshire Bedlam's came into being in the early 1970's there were less than half a dozen teams Blacking Up. That team has now changed to wearing masks as a form of disguise. They are moving with the times, as have many other Border teams who now use a colour other than black.
Much else has changed with the times in the Tradition of Border Morris (and Molly Dancing) that makes it totally different from the Tradition as it was collected.
Also Border Morris does not have 500 year history.
Shrewsbury FF is just trying to encourage teams to use other forms of Disguise to replace Black Face.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: GUEST,Henry Piper of Ottery
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 01:55 PM

I would be more sympathetic if a group representing Black people complained, but as usual it is a group of white middle class "liberals" who have chosen to object on behalf of others. There are far more dangerous and disturbing acts of racism happening in our society at present particularly since the "Brexit" vote. but these groups have little or nothing to say about this.

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 01:24 PM

To prove my point, you can see 2 pics of him with two different sides, one blacked up, on my thread 'Sheringham Potty Festival'. He doesn't look offended does he??!

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: GUEST,Senoufou
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 01:17 PM

This makes me hopping mad. Exactly who do they think will be 'offended'? Unless some black people actively object and say they're insulted (which of course they haven't) then why is it necessary to change a long-held tradition? There are border Morris sides with different colours on their faces (Red Leicester for example) but they too have long traditions of doing so.
My husband is black, as many of you already know. He always goes to the Morris festivals and has had his photo taken with many black-face sides. He thinks it's all absolutely super, and would be horrified if people thought he was offended!

Subject: RE: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: leeneia
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 12:49 PM

Naw, it's simple common sense. If you want to disguise yourself, there are lots of ways to do it without adding to the tensions of an unhappy world.

Subject: Shrewsbury FF to ban 'blacked up' Morris
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 26 Aug 16 - 12:44 PM

According to the 'Shropshire Star':

"While groups who paint their faces black in the Border Morris tradition have said it has no racial connection, organisers have been approached by a group complaining about the practice.

The tradition dates back as much as 500 years and was used to disguise dancers so they would not be recognised.

The festival has never wished to cause offence to any person and as such, from 2017, we will no longer book sides that use full face black make up."

Full story here

Very bizarre and rather disappointing, I feel.