U S National Anthem Racist?

I'd say racist, coming from a non-American point of view. But if you guys don't sing that third verse, then... eh.

Australia has had similar kinda problems in the past. Not to mention, everyone forgets the second verse. Especially this part:

To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;

But sure, let's be all "Go back to where you came from" to anyone who isn't white. *rolls eyes*

There was debate about a decade ago whether or not to change our anthem to Waltzing Matilda. A song about some swagman who catches a sheep to eat, gets caught by a trio of cops for squatting and then kills himself.

I got off topic but... Now you know some random Aussie facts 😛
 
I wasn't aware that New York City has more people then some European countries, that is a seriously large country.

Canada requited the official flag it has now in 1965 amazing Eh?
Before that it was some Commonwealth thingy

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

I have always liked the acknowledgment of our native roots, while some have cheekily replied, more like our "home on native land"
not to say Canada is without prejudice, or the native population doesn't to this day live in greater poverty etc cetera,

You could always change the USA anthem to something people could actually sing maybe? no, that will be feeding frenzy of political spin.

Yes, Rick Mercer totally made fun of this opinion with foresight but I'm making it anyway! I never liked "We stand on guard for thee" as child, that sounds too militaristic, I hate war, why not remove it, we should be laying down! ha ha
 
Do you think there is any validity in this, or is it just another eye-rolling reaction to the current issues with NFL players' protests?

Our national anthem is being attacked as racist, but I say we should keep it
I understand they want their ancestor's plights to be acknowledged as wrong, but changing the national anthem seems to me to have the opposite effect, like another form of sugar-coating history. Yes, America has a spotted past when it comes to racism, but if the government does remove it, then it will be easier to pretend that it did not happen; they would be removing the record of the struggle. IMHO, it seems unfair to take away a part of history to make yourself feel better about your own existence. We can't take back history, and we certainly can't ignore it; therefore, all we can do is acknowledge it and live with it.This whole situation reminds me of the episode Pangs.
 
I understand they want their ancestor's plights to be acknowledged as wrong, but changing the national anthem seems to me to have the opposite effect, like another form of sugar-coating history.
But the song took years and numerous votes to be voted as being the National Anthem, it was not written as such. So unvote it. That is the benefit of being able to vote. If you don't like something, let your voice be heard in the ballot box and change it. The Star Spangled Banner has a blantaly racist origin. If people feel it should no longer be the national anthem then they can, by votes, remove it.
 
My lord, I can think of numerous things that should change before the national anthem does otherwise, I say this as a person of color I think it will only serve to hide history, not right it, you can't rewrite history. It is the same thing as free speech, if the farthest left wants limited speech those same laws will be used against them selves before it ever would do any thing objectively 'good' and I am the same generation as these students, I always remember thinking it was disgusting scientific racists and what else were invited to speak at US universities the highest institution of learning and privilege, which is another thing, I think a college educated is still sold in the states to the public like it is a very privileged commodity when it is not in reality, they find themselves unemployed and its the least affordable at a time when it should be the most, post secondary is the way of the technological future, its not the new HS diploma because its value has decreased but because it has increased, its simply the future every European country has it and their cars and everything else is better quality because it has a educated populace, i'm sorry but being able to own four mansions with more luxury vehicles then you could ever drive and private healthcare catered to you only is not worth the other half of the country living in destitution.
 
My lord, I can think of numerous things that should change before the national anthem does
But nothing as easy to change. More people know (and like) America The Beautiful anyway, that's practically the de facto national anthem.
 
Has anyone ever heard that verse actually sung? Or actually knew it existed before these protests?

People - and our government - need to focus their time and energies on things that actually matter, rather than wasting their time on inconsequential things that just divert attention from real problems. Strike the verse from the official song and be done with it.
 
Has anyone ever heard that verse actually sung? Or actually knew it existed before these protests?

People - and our government - need to focus their time and energies on things that actually matter, rather than wasting their time on inconsequential things that just divert attention from real problems. Strike the verse from the official song and be done with it.
It's not about the verse being sung, it's about why the song was written and the history behind it. The star spangled banner is a racist song, as such, the national anthem is racist.

The question should not be is it racist, it should be does it's racism matter?
 
The star spangled banner should be replaced by something the people can actually remember and sing? otherwise it doesn't matter.
All it would do is inflame the partisan news cycle taking attention away from important things, say after much commotion and fighting and South threatening to succeed or whatever, it gets changed and the Republican party maintains the next 16 years in office, the lifes of African Americans have changed in no way because of this except possibly for the worse, ha ha, I'm not saying backlash is a definite reason not do something progressive but the Anthem is definition of a distraction.

Its different then confederate statues for one it wasn't erected right after the civil rights era in Jim Crow states to tell black people where they stand,
It is history, yes it is racist and yes it should remain, the national anthem is where the confederate argument actually applies. Get rid of it with relations too poor and it will effectively cause harm, not only by raising tensions but by doing the racists job for them and erasing history.
 
Haha, I mean... pretty great "hey, look over here" approach to be honest. National Anthems tend to be something people have an emotional attachment to because it's something they've heard, sung and associated with their home country since birth. So basically, if they want you to be talking about some obsolote stanza no one really sings (?), then shouldn't the question be what is it they don't want you to be paying attention to?
 
Haha, I mean... pretty great "hey, look over here" approach to be honest.
But the "hey, look over here" is what they are protesting. So it must have importance to some lest they not protest over it.
 
edit:
@Taake Unless you are going conspiracy theory that the national anthem protests were just a created smokescreen to hide and ignore bigger issues, that the person responsible for this movement was actually working for and with "the man" to keep the important topics on the back burner. If that's what you are saying then hells yeah! I can believe and support that too.
 
@Taake Unless you are going conspiracy theory that the national anthem protests were just a created smokescreen to hide and ignore bigger issues, that the person responsible for this movement was actually working for and with "the man" to keep the important topics on the back burner. If that's what you are saying then hells yeah! I can believe and support that too.

Yes, that's what I meant. Is that conspiracy theory? Or just rational? Or do I think it's rational because I'm going conspiracy theory?
 
If we change our National Anthem because of one obscure line that refers to slavery, what else are we going to do? How far are we willing to go to eradicate all reference to slavery and racism from our nation's history? U S Presidents from Washington through Ulysses S Grant all owned slaves at one time or another. Do we erase them from our history, change the names of every city, state, park, monument and institution that now bears their name? Change all of our currency, because the figures depicted were slave owners or racists? Slavery is an abomination. No human being should own another human being. That is a given. But forgetting, or trying to somehow mask or ignore history, simply because some of the events don't comply with the standards that we have today is purely insane.
 
Yes, that's what I meant. Is that conspiracy theory? Or just rational? Or do I think it's rational because I'm going conspiracy theory?
I think you are now thinking like you think I think...
 
If we change our National Anthem because of one obscure line that refers to slavery, what else are we going to do?
But that's not the reason why they want it changed. It's not because of that one line.
 
Taake
Taake
I think you're maybe right about that
I guess it depends too on how much you value the national anthem. I could maybe sing along to ours for the first verse, but I don't know it at all bar the first two lines.
 
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