U S National Anthem Racist?

After all of the arguments have been made, all of the issues cussed and discussed, I still firmly believe that changing the National Anthem would be the cause of far more discontent and unrest in this country than simply leaving it as it is ever could. Furthermore, and call me a conspiracy theorist if you want to, I firmly believe that that, not any actual outrage about equality and racism, is the actual purpose of the entire thing.
 
white avenger said:
After all of the arguments have been made, all of the issues cussed and discussed, I still firmly believe that changing the National Anthem would be the cause of far more discontent and unrest in this country than simply leaving it as it is ever could. Furthermore, and call me a conspiracy theorist if you want to, I firmly believe that that, not any actual outrage about equality and racism, is the actual purpose of the entire thing.
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I actually kind of agree with this. I’ll admit that I am pretty liberal. But I have to admit, even though I might lose my liberal card, that i don’t agree with this idea that if something is offensive, tear it down. We are at the point in society where colleges are refusing speakers and monuments are being taken down. History happened.Bloody, awful and racist history
Happened. What matters is that you learn from it, not hide it away. You can’t erase America’s bad history, and I think it’s more harmful to get rid of monuments and change songs because they make you uncomfortable. We as humans benefit from being uncomfortable, because that’s how we grow and develop . We have to hear other people’s views, no matter how hateful, because it exposes us to a different way of
Thinking and let’s us discover our own thoughts. Shutting it down and trying to stifle the opposite side raises a culture of easily offended children who can’t deal with adversity.
 
GraceK said:
History happened.Bloody, awful and racist history
Happened. What matters is that you learn from it, not hide it away
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Something to always keep in mind. History is written by the victors, and it is always told from their point of view. Often the "facts" are biased. The American Civil War is a prime example of that.
 
Mr Trick
Mr Trick
Food for thought indeed.
I dunno. As a straight, white male, once I learned why and what the song actually means, and the reason for it, I too am rather offended by it. It's a horribly offensive song to use as the national anthem and we as a country use to celebrate racial and economic divides. It's not a song about unity and brotherhood, it's a song about one quality of person versus the next... maybe it is fitting that it's our national anthem afterall.
 
Buffy Summers said:
Except that everyone views it as a song about unity and brotherhood
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But it's not. It's really far from it. That's the thing, I mean, I was blind to it as well, but then I stopped actually listened, and then did some research and yeah, I can't really say I agree with it being the national anthem.

Keep in mind I don't give a flying fig if it is or not, I just don't agree with the sentimentality of the song. And for some that feel more passionately than I, I can see where they are coming from.
 
GraceK said:
History happened.Bloody, awful and racist history
Happened. What matters is that you learn from it, not hide it away. You can’t erase America’s bad history, and I think it’s more harmful to get rid of monuments and change songs because they make you uncomfortable. We as humans benefit from being uncomfortable, because that’s how we grow and develop . We have to hear other people’s views, no matter how hateful, because it exposes us to a different way of
Thinking and let’s us discover our own thoughts. Shutting it down and trying to stifle the opposite side raises a culture of easily offended children who can’t deal with adversity.
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I mean, to some extent I agree. But it's not like racism is New Coke, here one day, forgotten the next. We edit and select what we want to remember from history all the time. And do people really want to keep things because it's uncomfortable and stimulates adversity and thought? Or do they want to keep it because it's "tradition" and feels familiar and safe? Isn't that just as stifling? Basically, is it learning and developing, or just accepting and normalizing?

Not that I have a horse in this race, there's just something so dramatic about people talking about "if we change this, then what's next?" because they're attaching all this value to matters that are ultimately kind of shallow, except that they're connected to emotionality.
 
What would be the best choice for the new National Anthem, if America was to change it?
 
Curious Pathos said:
What would be the best choice for the new National Anthem, if America was to change it?
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Considering they sing two songs anyway, I don't think they would necessarily have to remove it, just stop singing it. Sing the song that is actually patriotic before sporting events and it's a non-issue.

I think it's the being told to "rise and respect the anthem" that is a large part of the problem. It's saying rise, put your hand over your heart and respect the ideals from which this song is based.
 
I disagree with you. It's saying rise and respect what this song means in reality to the 99.9% of people who don't know anything about Francis Scott Key being a white supremacist. It doesn't matter what Key thought, it matters what the people singing it think.
 
Buffy Summers said:
I disagree with you. It's saying rise and respect what this song means in reality to the 99.9% of people who don't know anything about Francis Scott Key being a white supremacist. It doesn't matter what Key thought, it matters what the people singing it think.
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I am not saying a vast majority don't know the meaning or have a problem with it, I am saying that those that do it's more for the stand and show appreciation for it.

No, it doesn't matter what King thought, the tone and meaning of the song is what matters. Now you can argue that in the hundred years after it was written and when it became the national anthem the meaning and tone had changed, but then you could counter with the petition then for it to became the national anthem and who it was jonesing for that to happen.

There are valid points on both sides. Too many people consider the wanting to remove it as just being a frivolous argument, when in fact, it does have a lot of merit.
 
The Bronze said:
Except they don't all share the same values, so surely the meaning has to come from the song.
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And there's nothing in the first verse that we sing to suggest it is anything nefarious. It is only when people delve into Key's background that it becomes an issue. That he was an asshole doesn't change the words.

Mr. Pole said:
Too many people consider the wanting to remove it as just being a frivolous argument, when in fact, it does have a lot of merit.
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I'm not saying it's a frivolous argument. I could probably eventually be convinced about it. But right now I happen to disagree that this is something we should be worrying about.

🙂
 
white avenger said:
After all of the arguments have been made, all of the issues cussed and discussed, I still firmly believe that changing the National Anthem would be the cause of far more discontent and unrest in this country than simply leaving it as it is ever could. Furthermore, and call me a conspiracy theorist if you want to, I firmly believe that that, not any actual outrage about equality and racism, is the actual purpose of the entire thing.
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It's a very convenient distraction, come to think of it; along with the sudden focus on this Hollywood "sex scandal." Frankly, I don't even want to speculate on what the REAL topic should be...ignorance is definitely bliss, in this case. But whatever it is, we can't do anything about it, so...
 
Buffy Summers said:
And there's nothing in the first verse that we sing to suggest it is anything nefarious.
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I think season 8 showed us not to trust any gleaming twilights. 😉
Buffy Summers said:
It doesn't matter what Key thought, it matters what the people singing it think.
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I'm usually thinking: I'm about to see baseball at the stadium! 😉
 
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