I hear you're a racist now, Prime Minister!

[pap]

Dave Cameron posing with blacked up Morris Dancers.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/david-cameron-in-race-row-after-posing-with-blackedup-morris-dancers-9791733.html

 

 

Disclaimer: thread title is tongue in cheek and deliberately provocative. I don't think Dave is a racist, just a lad with very selective life experience.

[sandwichsaint]

Dave Cameron posing with blacked up Morris Dancers.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/david-cameron-in-race-row-after-posing-with-blackedup-morris-dancers-9791733.html

 

 

Disclaimer: thread title is tongue in cheek and deliberately provocative. I don't think Dave is a racist, just a lad with very selective life experience.

 

Is the shop title deliberate? Might as well conclude he is gay or a paedo as a rascist from that picture. I'm sure he's none of those things, but it's still a major PR gaffe methinks, though perhaps not. A lot of people seem to like this sort of thing. Casual racism and race hatred seem to be making a major and mainstream comeback.

[Whitey Grandad]

Only a racist could find that photo racist.

[CB Saint]

Here is everything wrong with the British media, actively looking to create outrage where none really existed before they got involved.

 

DC's only error was letting his guard down and posing for a shot without thinking that the media might be able to construe an "outrage" out of it.

 

Pathetic

[Sour Mash]

Is the shop title deliberate? Might as well conclude he is gay or a paedo as a rascist from that picture. I'm sure he's none of those things, but it's still a major PR gaffe methinks, though perhaps not. A lot of people seem to like this sort of thing. Casual racism and race hatred seem to be making a major and mainstream comeback.

What is "casual racism" about what those people are doing? There is clearly nothing racist about it. And there is no race hatred making a mainstream come back either.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Great title. Great programme. For those that don't know it:

 

[trousers]

[Minty]

It's not the story I mind (that tends to just report the public reaction, even if they should know that they fan the flames) so much as the initial ignorant reactions of people who don't understand the history of Morris dancing.

 

Now, I wouldn't expect many people to know about it to be honest - and this gets to the crux of these issues - so what people need to do is actually learn why their faces are black before making these stupid comments.

 

Not knowing about something is fine, but not making any effort to learn before commenting is, at best, lazy and inflammatory and, at worst, the key to why society has so many problems these days. From immigration to benefits, to the environment and race relations like in this case, problems are made MUCH worse by such ignorance.

 

And for those who, like me, genuinely did not know:

 

"They blacked their faces with soot because it was illegal to beg and they didn't want to be recognised. It was a disguise, in the same way that the leader of the troupe wears a top hat and is called the squire to take the mickey out of the local squire.

 

"It's not racist and offence is never taken. People from other cultural backgrounds don't see it as that at all. We have had an Arab person dancing with us in the past - it's not seen as racist."

 

I thought the Independent was better than that, but sadly not.

Edited 15 October, 2014 by Minty

[Bearsy]

It's not the story I mind (that tends to just report the public reaction, even if they should know that they fan the flames) so much as the initial ignorant reactions of people who don't understand the history of Morris dancing.

 

Now, I wouldn't expect many people to know about it to be honest - and this gets to the crux of these issues - so what people need to do is actually learn why their faces are black before making these stupid comments.

 

Not knowing about something is fine, but not making any effort to learn before commenting is, at best, lazy and inflammatory and, at worst, the key to why society has so many problems these days. From immigration to benefits, to the environment and race relations like in this case, problems are made MUCH worse by such ignorance.

 

And for those who, like me, genuinely did not know:

 

 

 

I thought the Independent was better than that, but sadly not.

 

I personally do not believe this bros testimony bout black-face being a disguise! In the article it says they got the dance from Moors - it was originally called Moorish Dance - and if my mind search is correct Moors is what Kevin Costner called Morgan Freeman in the movie Robin Hood Prince of Bros, so it is prob a racist term for people who look like Morgan Freeman!

 

Therefore, I conclude, if one was to perform a "Moorish Dance" one would naturally black-face, not as disguise from coppers, but as to look more like Morgan Freeman in a v.racist fashion! I think I have blown this case wide open!

[Sour Mash]

I don't think it works as well as many think. Most the population are aware of that and don't get outraged for that reason, don't get outraged because they don't give a toss, or don't get outraged because they're too wrapped up in their own little lives.

 

Most the actual outrage I see comes from people outraged that people are apparently getting unnecessarily outraged. Same way political correctness stories are invented to get reactions from the people who like complaining about too much political correctness, rather than the people who are suggested to be offended, but in reality don't give a toss.

So why is there a link to this story on the opening post? With comments added?