AIBU to think that this is racist?

[usainboltsleotard]

Genuinely don't know if I am being over sensitive and want to hear your views. I name changed because this will identify me to anyone who knows me. (don't mind if people I know see this and I will discuss in RL but some of my other threads/responses are a different matter!)

I live in an area where people are very careful about racism/sexism/homophobia etc. It is one of the reasons we chose to live here, multicultural and positive attitude to different ways of life.

Last year my DD came home refusing to take part in the Nativity play at school because it was racist. I asked for a copy if the script and it featured '3 Rastas" instead of 3 wise men (amongst others 'hilarious' adaptations), with comedy dreadlocks and Jamaican accents. They brought coconuts, jerk chicken and a bob Marley CD to baby Jesus. The parts were played by 3 white children and no one else seemed to have any problem with it. I asked the teacher organising and was told it wasn't racist so we just took our daughter out for the days of the play and ignored it.

Yesterday in the town square there was a woman (white middle aged hippy-type clothing) busking singing Bob Marley covers in a cod Jamaican accent. I found it really surprising that when I mentioned it to 2 friends I was with, the saw no problem with it. I asked them they would view it if it was an Indian or Chinese accent and they said that was different but shrugged and laughed when I asked why? (very lighthearted conversation they weren't being unpleasant)

I am genuinely not sure if I am missing something/being over sensitive because I spent my childhood between Jamaica and the Uk and have many Jamaican relatives who are diverse and fantastic people or whether there is an acceptance of racism (certainly not any form of attack or degradation - just a reinforcement of cultural stereotypes and oversimplification of a rich and diverse culture) against some groups and not others.

Sorry if this is ramble - I've been up half then night with a very elderly poorly relative and am probably over thinking things!

Oh god yeah the "see you jimmy" shite.

Ffs.

Hmmm its a strange one. Remember Fat Club in Little Britain where Margery Dawes makes fun of the Asian woman? Is that racism? I guess it is.

Fekko - That's exactly what I said to the teacher - would you put kids in 'see you jimmy' hats?! She was deliberately obtuse and pretended not to understand what I meant. She left very soon after the incident thou so there was def more going on than the weird play!

Lana - I agree entirely - I think we all do this.

How old is your dd because those plays are for little ones who wouldn't have a clue about racism

nativity play unimaginably racist, can't believe school thought that was ok. White person singing in Jamaican accent bit weird but could possibly be white Jamaican? Guess you would know the difference between real or fake accent. Only thought about it as I used to have white bermudan friend that nearly got beaten up in a pub for 'putting on' his accent.

I'd find that inappropriate op. Mind you, I also found the nativity play instructions for the shepherd costume at our school to be rather unsettling. They advised the use of a tea towel on the head in order to perfectly capture that 'middle-eastern man look; I wasn't impressed and neither was my Syrian dad! I have heard a lot of white people explain how they've been doing this forever and so it's FINE, though.

I made DS2 a cracking outfit with a lovely headdress, and donated several others to the school for the other shepherds to use. PA, me?

cd - I have white, ethnically asian and black Jamaican relatives (now 3 generations on pretty much everyone is mixed race) so have no idea where you're coming from with your post. Jamaica is a predominantly ethnically black country but has one of the greatest mixes of genetics in of any place in the world - it's an amazing place with a rich culture and history that I have studied extensively. My post is specifically referencing the fact that Jamaicans are diverse ethnically and in religion - the exact opposite of your post, perhaps you misunderstood.

save - DD was 10 - the Nativity was for the whole school not just the infants. It's a very small school so they wouldn't have enough to cast the play!

I would love to be a fly on the wall in an interview if that teacher went for a job where I live, and flaunted their work tne nativity as a career achievement....

I am amazed it got through the Head etc. Good for your Dd.

Jr - That's v sad about your friend - I hope he's ok :( lots of people in UK think all Caribbeans are black. Another example -my DM lives in the US now and lots of her friends find our black family members with English accents absolutely hilarious and constantly call them African Americans and make them repeat stock phrases (mind the gap, can I have a cup of tea etc) for entertainment. Wears thin quite quickly.......

Singing road rage with a Scottish accent is probably offensive to the Welsh, maid!
I love bob Marley he was an incredible man. His message was very much one of peace and love and relevant in some way to everyone. We should all be allowed to sing his songs.

Camper - the head wrote the play! I think she was the problem and the teacher had to tow the line to keep peace - but that is speculation based on a lot of circumstantial evidence! DD left the school for unrelated (mad head related) reasons soon after.

TBF You can’t depict the life of Jesus (according to the gospels) without a massive dose of racism - what with them being throughly racist set of texts

it sounds like the wise men were caricatures of Rastas. As a pp said, imitating anyone from any background isn't on. I was appalled at the character inStar Wars Ja Ja Binks and another in one of the sequels (can't remember the name) that was a cariacture of a Jew. And Fagin in Oliver is beyond a caricature. I just don't get how people can think it's ok. Singing in a different accent I don't feel is anywhere as bad in the main. Uk singers have sung with US accents for years, opera singers sing in different languages and accents. If you are singing a Marley song then I reckon it's unimaginative but not offensive to imitate his accent. As long as it's done out of authenticity not mockery that is.

oh crepe - I agree everyone should sing bob Marley it's good for the soul. But what is wrong with BM in a Yorkshire or Scouse accent? I am not saying I am right and I love hearing everyones views - but I just want to be clear it was the accent not the song that made me raise an eyebrow!

"How old is your dd because those plays are for little ones who wouldn't have a clue about racism"

Every child in our S London primary knew about racism / not being racist by the age of 6 or 7.

Nativity plays IMVHO are just a fucking racist/theological minefield anyway tbh.

LaContessa just made an excellent point about the "tea towel" thing.

It all makes me a bit uncomfortable.

How many kids grow up thinking Jesus was some blonde blue eyed guy?

"I think that the word you are looking for if cultural appropriation. And yes, you are being over sensitive."

I see crass caricatures as racism, not cultural appropriation. And don't see schools as the right place to promote crass caricatures. So the OP is not being 'over sensitive ' but applying a political perspective.

I think she was probably just singing the song as she knew it. Like you'd sing now then mardy bum in a Sheffield accent because that's how it was originally sung. id rather a Jamaican accent than some breathy English accent cover version. But it also just sounds like she just wasn't very good.

everyone should sing bob Marley it's good for the soul. But what is wrong with BM in a Yorkshire or Scouse accent?

Absolutely nothing!

Though I will add that one of the funniest things I ever heard was a guy at a festival singing along to BM in the broadest Glaswegian accent I have ever come across.

The 'Rasta' wise men in the nativity play is appalling, I almost can't believe someone would think that was appropriate, but as you will have seen on this thread, and any other thread about racism on MN there are a hell of a lot of people who think things like this are no big deal. Funny even. The busker lady wouldn't have bothered me so much, but I really really hate the association of hippy culture and Jamaican culture in this country, reducing it to smoking weed and being a bit 'alternative'. I also hate seeing white people with dreadlocks, but that is due to my own experience of them being cannabis addicts which they justify by claiming they identify with Rastafarian culture (while doing nothing to actively participate or even knowing who Haile selassi is) Cultural appropriation is one thing, but actively performing reductive stereotypes for laughs is worse, and that is all that the nativity play was aiming for.

DP is Jamaican, and DD is mixed race so I feel passionately about trying to change some of the appallingly racist attitudes people still have, despite thinking of themselves as educated and accepting people. I hadn't acknowledged or noticed the amount of racism people face in the UK before I met DP, my white privilege meant I didn't see or understand. I made it a priority that I educated myself and tried to put myself in other shoes so I could understand the protection that my skin colour has given me. The more people who stop and think about the consequences of their actions (and inaction) the better this world will be for everyone no matter their colour.

But what is wrong with BM in a Yorkshire or Scouse accent? not even the Beatles sang in a scouse accent . I think the accent when singing a song issue is less cut and dried, they’re emulating the style in which the song was originally sung, and probably attempting to pay homage in a respectful way. In all honesty, if I sang Bob Marley songs in my accent it would sound like I was trying to do a Chas and Dave version, which I’m sure a lot of people would find even more offensive (I think my singing voice is offensive anyway, sadly ). But the Rastafarians in the Nativity were presumably there solely to be laughed at, which is a problem. Rastafarianism is a religion. They probably wouldn’t have had ‘three wise women in Burkas’ and expected people to find that hilarious. On a similar note, we went to see Warhorse, in the city local to me, last night. It is spectacular. But, there were actors (white and black) doing German accents. One actor was of German heritage and his accent was, of course perfect, the others were awfulI and it felt incongruous. There were French accents use too. I did think, whoa, is this ok? It felt a bit weird, but of course in a production like Warhorse, they’re not deliberately taking the piss or trying to be offensive, so does that make it ok? I’m really not sure.

And the nativity Rasta wigs/tams were just a shockers! And the tie dye t shirts blushMust have been saved from a racist 80s comedy sketch show! At least they knew better than to actually black up.

I'm not sure its actually much better. Would the school have done comedy irish characters with red wigs and leprechauns bringing bottles of green Guiness? At the very least its tasteless appropriation.

I've also noticed white buskers putting on fake accents whilst they sing (usually) Marley or other black artistes but maintaining a neutral access whilst they sing Van Morrison or other white artistes. If their concern was recreating the original they would be more consistent.

I'm not sure why people are telling you you are oversensitive - you have hardly made a massive fuss over it and I'm astonished this is considered inoffensive in 2017.

Silk - thanks for your thoughtful post.

YANBU with the nativity at all.

Less sure about the singing. If she was just singing as herself then maybe it was inappropriate (though I sort of think the songs need the accent to sound right). But, if she was performing as a character, then I actually think that's okay.

On a similar note, we went to see Warhorse, in the city local to me, last night. It is spectacular. But, there were actors (white and black) doing German accents. One actor was of German heritage and his accent was, of course perfect, the others were awfulI and it felt incongruous. There were French accents use too. I did think, whoa, is this ok? It felt a bit weird, but of course in a production like Warhorse, they’re not deliberately taking the piss or trying to be offensive, so does that make it ok? I’m really not sure

This, for example, I think is totally fine. It's an issue that professional actors were doing the accents badly but otherwise, no. It's a part of the character and the script and wouldn't make sense if they didn't have accents.

I'm currently directing a production of Beauty and the Beast. Our Lumiere and Babette both have a French accent because those characters always do. I'm not sure why the others don't as the whole thing is set in France but that seems to be the way it's done. I'm not asking any of the others to do American accents though because that isn't a part of their character, it's just the that original version premiered on Broadway so the characters with 'no' accent naturally had American accents if that makes sense.