As a border morris dancer I'd like to point out that never once at any stand has anyone made a complaint that they found it racist or in immitation of black people, who as far as I know don't tend to walk around in tatter jackets, top hats with feathers or bells. On the contrary I can recount a number of occasions where black people have come up & said how enjoyable they found the performance. In one instance a young black lady from London came over & asked the origin of the costume and said she thought it was fantastic, and wished there was something like it in London.

Unfortunately there are a minority of white people who have an obsession with being offended on the behalf of others, without first asking said parties if they really do find it such an issue, and that I find patronising in the extreme.