Eric, this is a spurious argument, and it'd been presented too often here. The lampooning of one race by another is offensive, period. NOT on behalf of the lampooned, on behalf of the human race. giving offece when questioning someone's consious beliefs or actions is one thing, and may even be healthy at times. to do so about inherited skin colour is not.

I, a white man, am offended by the influence of minstrels on morris. I am offended by some dancers refusal to recognise this influence. I am offended by the BNP. I am offended by some dancers' refusal to recognise that black-face plays into their hands.

I am unhappy that you put a tenuous tradition before all this, when there are simple alteratives.

Do you want morris to thrive?

If so, don't listen to your supporters on the street. cock an ear to those who are at the moment NOT into morris.

and ask them why.

then compare your the size/influence of your b/f 'tradition' and ditto of the plain face, other disguise traditions.

are you helping or hindering?

Tom