Yoda Strikes Back, about folk music

Some while ago I posted about how it’s sometimes possible to get around the Al Gore Rhythms that censor speech online by using Yoda speak. Changing the word order, but leaving the message intelligible.  

Tonight, I was moved to post a couple of things on a Guardian (where else?) piece on how few black people there are on the British folk music scene by Angeline Morrison, a Scots/Jamaican folk singer from Birmngham (our Birmingham that is, not Birmingham Alabama).She’s right of course, the British folk music scene is largely white, because until very recently Britain has been overwhelmingly white, and the modern folk scene tends to take inspiration from Britain’s past.

It is also true that, since the 1950s, the folk scene has been very much left leaning. Songs of poor serving girls, downtrodden farm hands and of course miners, have abounded. “The Hard Times of Old England” and “The Blackleg Miner” are particular favourites.  The people singing these songs about the poor starving horny handed sons of toil have, naturally, mostly been well off city bred middle-class Uni graduates in knitted jumpers, with straggly hair and wispy beards. The men are much the same, but usually more effeminate. 

So, I posted this comment on the shifting, toxic sands that old school lefties find themselves on these days. 

That was fine, not editing needed. I also attempted to post a reply to someone who has simply posted out of frustration the repeated message you sometimes get when what you’ve written doesn’t “fit”. Here’s the original message and my attempt at a reply. 

A new level of irony. As you can see, somehow the bland and inoffensive words “Trying to write something sensible?” do not fit in the shiny new world. Well, you know me, I am nothing if not stubborn, bloody minded and petty. No pox ridden Al Gore Rythm’s going to get the better of me. So, I got Yoda to re-write my reply…

As I said before Charlie don’t surf, and the Al Gore Rhythm don’t speak Yoda, yet…