Just because Diane Abbott is against it doesn't mean it is right.

This is a thread we all whip each other with every year - almost as traditional as Morris Dancing.

The issue revolves around two factors:

1. Some white people have been blacking up for a long time for reasons they claim are "traditional".
2. Some other people feel uneasy about this and some are offended, because white people blacking up has sometimes been used to mock black people.

How many people does the event have to offend before people stop doing it? If it was the entire population of Cornwall I guess it would stop. If it was just me, I guess they wouldn't. If the offended live a long way off, would anybody care?

So, if it is about anonimity, as is often claimed, wouldn't they look just about as anonomous if they blued, greened or rainbowed up?

In fact rainbowing up would be something a living tradition might consider?

No? No, I thought not.