Morris dancer phobia

[Disa13]

This is honestly not a joke. I was talking to my friend earlier and she reminded me about her phobia of Morris dancers. It might sound ridiculous but she finds them very creepy. I'd forgotten, but she was telling me about a time she was in a pub and some came in, so she ran downstairs to hide from them, but one came jingling down the stairs to the loo. She described it as "like the scene in Jurassic park." We had a bit of a joke about it and I kept saying "jingle jingle jingle" and she found it very funny.

I ended up reading about them on Wikipedia, I hadn't known much about the tradition or that different types of Morris dancing are from different parts of the country.

I wanted to ask aibu (is my friend being unreasonable) to be freaked out by Morris dancers? Or is it quite reasonable in that it could be likened to clown phobias, which aren't that uncommon. Personally, I can't stand Ronald McDonald, I find him a bit sinister. Now I'm in a silly mood, I wanted to ask if anyone else has a phobia of slightly irrational or silly things.

Also, if anyone has any suggestions to help her overcome her fear of Morris dancers, they would be much appreciated.

I also have a friend who is really phobic about Morris dancers and can't stand being anywhere near them , trouble is we are rural Home Counties so they are often at village pubs in the summer

I can relate to that, although I think it's good to keep these old traditions alive.

Charlie Chaplin has always given me the creeps. I recently looked up his, er, marital history and felt completely vindicated.

The sticks need to be on fire!

I'm so glad I'm not alone - I have a very severe (over)reaction when I see or hear Morris Dancers they not only creep me out but they also trigger a fight/flight response in me.

My worst experience ever was one evening some years back myself, DH and DS had booked on an evening sail on the Balmoral under both Severn Bridges, we had boarded the boat and were on the lower deck when there was a loud commotion above and I was horrified to see dozens and dozens of Morris Dancers boarding all jingling and prancing about and clearly very merry! I was stuck on the boat with them for hours with nowhere to escape - it didn't help that it was a very stormy sailing and very wet so everyone was crowded into the covered rooms and decks and every room had someone playing an accordian and people prancing about waving their hankies and twatting people with their bladder things - it was awful! I stayed out on deck on my own in the wind and rain for almost the entire trip to avoid them as much as I could. shudders

My late DHs best friend wasn't scared of MDs but actively disliked them... Some were "performing" at out local and he came whizzing round on his mobility scooter yelling "MIND THE WAY I'M COMING THROUGH." They scattered!!! 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

@JoeCalFuckingZaghe

DP is a morris dancer. Some of these comments have me HOWLING.

@JoeCalFuckingZaghe

Is your DP a Santa lookalike, white wearing, hanky waving, skippy Morris Man
Or is he a blackface, stick wielding, death metal Morris Man?

Is your DP a Santa lookalike, white wearing, hanky waving, skippy Morris Man
Or is he a blackface, stick wielding, death metal Morris Man?

😂 My dad was one of the original 70s folk revival blackface (or more properly molly or border) dancers. Sort of like a Morris version of what Black Sabbath would be to Slipknot.

Your loss then. They can be my friends instead, I don't have silly prejudices like this.

@toconclude

Your loss then. They can be my friends instead, I don't have silly prejudices like this.

That was for the I'd socially distance silliness pp. Honestly

@JoeCalFuckingZaghe sorry 😐 didn't intend to criticise your DH
I just find the idea of people in quaint country pubs getting scared by men in unusual outfits with lots of bells on quite comical!

It may seem strange at first glance though reading the comments I can see why.

Sadly also there were some who wore blackface long after almost everyone else recognised is completely unacceptable.

@nosswith it's not blackface; for some teams it symbolises their history as coal miners, for others it represents crows, or the earth. No Morris teams are mimicking black people.

@Disa13 no offense taken. They're a bloody weird bunch, I can easily see how they would be freaked out. I was when DP first had his border kit on.

Is your DP a Santa lookalike, white wearing, hanky waving, skippy Morris Man
Or is he a blackface, stick wielding, death metal Morris Man?
I have to endure both white wearing and death metal. Although he doesn't look like Santa, he's a long haired hippie underneath the morris garb. And defo no blackface (but he does wear red face paint and it is the most disgusting substance ever).

@nosswith most sides who have 'blackface' are from coalmining towns and it isn't meant to be offensive as @CurbsideProphet said (it was originally a disguise as dancing was illegal, however the Morris Ring has now said members are not allowed to use black full face. If there are patterns that is fine and I think 50% of the face has to be uncovered if using only black, or something. There is one side that has basically said no, it's traditional, but they have an ambiguous history and have amended many things to suit a modern world so.... make of that what you will.

[quote CurbsideProphet]@nosswith it's not blackface; for some teams it symbolises their history as coal miners, for others it represents crows, or the earth. No Morris teams are mimicking black people.[/quote]
The side my dad was involved with abandoned blacking up a few years ago because of how it’s perceived. It caused a schism in the side though, and some left. I personally think they took the right course, you can argue it’s an ancient custom that shouldn’t be changed because of changing attitudes, but my feeling is Morris like everything else does and has changed with the times. It doesn’t mean sides have to give up the idea of hiding or changing their faces, either with face paint or masks, it just means not using solid black anymore.

Cross post with JoeCalFuckingZaghe. I didn’t know the Morris federation had spoken out against blacking up, but I’m glad to hear they have.

Dark morris isn't an invention, there are pagan groups that practice it and Terry Pratchett was an initiate of wicca even though he didn't really practice, just used it in his books loosely, it's a very small world.

I run a Morris side and I’m definitely NOT creepy - a little eccentric maybe but a full-blooded, healthy woman. To help your friend overcome her fear - perhaps she needs to join a Morris side. Check out The Witchmen - they are amazing and just the freakiest. 😀

@DPotter

Anyone with a phobia of morris dancers should avoid south Oxfordshire on the first weekend in September (when normal service resumes). There's a festival in Wallingford with Morris dancers from all over the country. And it's brilliant!!

Love BunkFest !

I've seen some in action in Devon and I totally get it : it's a weird thing to watch and has ' wicker man' type connections to my mind! The actual dancing is well choreographed but it seems to date back to times when people were tried as witches and just looks a bit odd. They always look the sort of people who hang out on cliques and won't talk to anyone who isn't really into their hobby or doesn't understand it!
I avoid them and their wooden blocks ( or whatever they are) which is easy enough really !

I’m terrified of them , I live in a town where they rock up and have a festival and parade all around my high street shop, my team find it hilarious that I head off to “do some stock work”. BUT my worst experience ever was being on an overnight ferry ( the sort where you can book a chair to snooze in) and hearing the ominous sound of distant bells. The fuckers spent all night roaming the boat , swigging beer and jangling. I spent all night wide awake waiting desperately to get off. ‘‘Twas no fun.

I sometimes read stuff on here and I wonder if it's someone trying to make me out myself because it's so specific 😂

I am MyHair and Morris Men freak me out.

@laloue
Sorry but thats hilarious.

I love all the stories on this thread that involve the ominous sound of distant bells!

They are creepy 😂

I have vivid memories of green Morris men dancing at I think a May Day festival when I was a kid. I had nightmares for weeks!

They do look odd and creepy ; I can't explain it , but to actually want to dress in feathers and braces and those shoes! .. it's not the norm and that's why I think they freak people out ( clowns are the same)
It's the 'unknown '!