Entertainment or racist propaganda?
What is the difference between Jeremy Clarkson and David Lowe, one allegedly sang the nursery rhyme, and another played a music hall classic on the air. However, one who makes lots of money for the BBC was made to apologise and the other sacked. Money Talks
Both of these ‘songs’ contain words which are not only socially unacceptable but also show a part of history we all like to brush under the carpet. Coon Songs were extremely popular in the 1880’s – 1920’s, with lyrics being stereotyping, derogatory and defamatory but they are still part of history. Many English festivals include morris dancers who are ‘blacked up’ to represent the colour of the workers at the end of the day; sweeps, miners etc. but can still be seen as offensive despite it’s original symbolism. The Black and White Minstrel show, Love Thy Neighbour and Mind Your Language are all seen as socially embarrassing but are still representative by the views of many people at that time. All forms of media can show more about the cultural history of a country more than history books; they may have been used at the time to sway public opinion about a certain matter i.e. justifying people’s attitudes whilst promoting a race supremacy that was believed at the time.
Just as race has been portrayed over the years, the hegemony of capitalistic greed is beginning to unravel. Just as the majority of the world realised that people are people no matter what colour their skin, sex, sexuality or disability. Of course Cameron is going to be edgy about Barlow’s millions because it’s how his families money was made; avoidance is not evasion. I can only hope that in future years the rich will be seen as a cultural embarrassment; and the true acceptance that the ‘Free Market’ only favours those who have money. Barlow should keep his OBE, as this is simply another aspect of our culture which does little to favour the normal working class in this world.
You can only be offended if you allow yourself to be, we cannot cover our own history no matter how abhorrent. Lets face it the English invented the concentration camp. Lets embrace our history, allow it to be known so our children can learn just how appalling and bigoted some people’s views were in order to keep them in the past. Greed and wealth are traits that our children can look back on and state how wrong it was.
To Be Kind…………….Viva L’Anarchie
Jason E Cooper 
Agree. Our history reveals prejudices and teaches us how to overcome them.
Yes the British invented the concentration camp and participated in the slave trade, and then spear headed the campaign against slavery. A mixed record, not all bad. Think of the Lancashire textile workers who supported the black people in the US Civil War. Much to be proud of.
As a youngster in Wales I remember the eeny meeny mo song. But it wasn’t the version in the current controversy. With apologies it went like this:
Eeny meeny miny mo,
put the baby on the po,
When he’s finished wipe his bum,
And show the doctor what he’s done.
The context? Bullying school doctors and nurses, home visits from health experts who always criticised our mams. So we sung songs that lampooned them.