FC: Yankees, Flyers dump Kate Smith's 'God Bless America'...

[BobPSU92]

See the link below. From the article:

"(CNN) -- For years, baseball's New York Yankees and hockey's Philadelphia Flyers have played singer Kate Smith's famous rendition of "God Bless America" during games.

But those long-time traditions have been halted over allegations that other songs performed by Smith -- one of America's biggest singing stars during the early 20th century -- are racist.

Smith is closely tied to the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers because she performed "God Bless America" before Flyers games in the 1970s. A year after her 1986 death, the team erected a statue in her honor outside of its arena.

Now the team won't play her version of the song during games and will cover up her statue.

"We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization," the Flyers said in a statement to CNN.

"As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith's recording of 'God Bless America' from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena."

The Yankees said the team also was no longer playing Smith's iconic 1939 version of the song because she sang at least two songs during the 1930s that are now considered racist."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/19/us/k...od-bless-america-song-dropped-trnd/index.html

Not a surprising decision in today's sensitive climate.

 

[JayWye]

See the link below. From the article:

"(CNN) -- For years, baseball's New York Yankees and hockey's Philadelphia Flyers have played singer Kate Smith's famous rendition of "God Bless America" during games.

But those long-time traditions have been halted over allegations that other songs performed by Smith -- one of America's biggest singing stars during the early 20th century -- are racist.

Smith is closely tied to the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers because she performed "God Bless America" before Flyers games in the 1970s. A year after her 1986 death, the team erected a statue in her honor outside of its arena.

Now the team won't play her version of the song during games and will cover up her statue.

"We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization," the Flyers said in a statement to CNN.

"As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith's recording of 'God Bless America' from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena."

The Yankees said the team also was no longer playing Smith's iconic 1939 version of the song because she sang at least two songs during the 1930s that are now considered racist."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/19/us/k...od-bless-america-song-dropped-trnd/index.html

Not a surprising decision in today's sensitive climate.

Good grief...is there any end to this nonsense?? Apparently not...

 

[interrobang]

Seeing that the "racist" songs are 80 years old, aren't the Yankees and Flyers racist too for playing her song in the first place?

I'd bet if you looked back at those in society back then, you could find a lot of influential people who would be retroactively considered racist simply due to the societal norms at the time.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

See the link below. From the article:

"(CNN) -- For years, baseball's New York Yankees and hockey's Philadelphia Flyers have played singer Kate Smith's famous rendition of "God Bless America" during games.

But those long-time traditions have been halted over allegations that other songs performed by Smith -- one of America's biggest singing stars during the early 20th century -- are racist.

Smith is closely tied to the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers because she performed "God Bless America" before Flyers games in the 1970s. A year after her 1986 death, the team erected a statue in her honor outside of its arena.

Now the team won't play her version of the song during games and will cover up her statue.

"We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization," the Flyers said in a statement to CNN.

"As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith's recording of 'God Bless America' from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena."

The Yankees said the team also was no longer playing Smith's iconic 1939 version of the song because she sang at least two songs during the 1930s that are now considered racist."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/19/us/k...od-bless-america-song-dropped-trnd/index.html

Not a surprising decision in today's sensitive climate.

Pfft. How racist could her songs be?

*Reads Article*

 

[interrobang]

So that song wasn't written by Kate Smith. She (along with many others) just recorded it.

Looks like the Marx Brothers should be racist, too, since they used it in a movie.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

If and until they change the name of any school/building/road etc. with Woodrow Wilson's name on it (looking at you Princeton), they should continue to play this woman's version of 'American the Beautiful'.

 

[demlion]

So that song wasn't written by Kate Smith. She (along with many others) just recorded it.

Looks like the Marx Brothers should be racist, too, since they used it in a movie.

I am in favor of immediately removing the Marx Bros version of God Bless America from Flyers games.

 

[Alphalion75]

History will not be kind to this moment in time.

 

[interrobang]

I am in favor of immediately removing the Mark Bros version of God Bless America from flyers games.

actually they should just ban the retroactively offensive song from being played instead of pulling political correctness stunts

 

[demlion]

actually they should just ban the retroactively offensive song from being played instead of pulling political correctness stunts

Or, YOU could stop being so butthurt about everything which you suspect might make a white person feel less superior.

 

[Nitwit97]

The rational question most people ask - who is doing this research to find these types of things? The song was recorded 88 years ago. So it has been okay up until today?

On the other hand, kudos to the Flyers for being so “woke”. How hard can I roll my eyes at this non-story “story”. By this time next week, it will be forgotten.

 

[NewEra 2014]

These people are out of their cotton pickin minds.

 

[interrobang]

It's not who finds the things. It's who gets their jollies over being "offended" by such things.

 

[PSU Mike]

How many contracts did those organizations extend to certain groups in the 1930’s? I want to keep score here.

 

[interrobang]

Or, YOU could stop being so butthurt about everything which you suspect might make a white person feel less superior.

I bet a lot of black people sang along to God Bless America at Yankees games. I guess that means they're racist. I mean that's the only logical conclusion if Kate Smith is now racist since she sang a popular song.

 

[Nitwit97]

So is Wayne Simmonds. He stood by for years listening to that racist Kate Smith and did nothing about it. (Insert eye roll here).

To a previous post - it’s a little of both. The people who dig the shit up and the people who are offended are equally responsible.

 

[Obliviax]

Pfft. How racist could her songs be?

*Reads Article*

JFC, I had no idea. Having been around for a while, I am quite aware things change but I've never heard stuff like that even when I was a child.

 

[PSUHusky]

As a Flyers fan, I applaud the team's swift reaction in light of this news.

If you sing the lyrics, “Someone had to pick the cotton. … That’s why darkies were born," you get what you deserve.

Regardless, Lauren Hart is better.

 

[NittPicker]

The third stanza of The Star Spangled Banner is below. Discuss.....

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

 

[mrmk5110]

I mean, the lyrics are pretty bad. I don't care what era or whatever you want to call it is, it doesn't make it right. Lots of things happened in the past that were considered normal that we look back now and wondered what the hell were we thinking as a human species. I personally don't think we need to play any national anthem before sporting events anyway but to each his own.

Lauren Hart is a great singer and can carry the song on her own.

All that being said, how did this suddenly come up as an issue now? It's not like these were unreleased songs or anything like that that we suddenly just discovered.

 

[step.eng69]

These people are out of their cotton pickin minds.

I see what you did there. Slim Pickens 'movies should also be banned. That was a favorite line of Slim's

 

[interrobang]

The third stanza of The Star Spangled Banner is below. Discuss.....

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

"Hireling and slave" referred simply to those soliders in it for the money and those basically drafted (by force) into the British military. The term "slave" at that time was a very generic term, not specific a black plantation slave.

 

[delcoLion]

Does this mean I have to delete all my Bing Crosby Christmas songs?

 

[060802]

The third stanza of The Star Spangled Banner is below. Discuss.....

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The discussion is that you are an ignorant buffoon. As the above poster stated, the line is a reference to the British soldiers attacking Baltimore.

 

[razpsu]

It is absolutely the dumbest thing I have ever heard. What the hell is wrong with people. If they are miserable can’t they just keep that to themselves. Really really stupid. They started playing it after 9/11. I was in New York at that time and to see them Implement that was awesome. Who are the idiots that gave grief anyway. Can they please crawl back In their hole.

 

[Obliviax]

one does have to wonder how history will see artists who have terms like "the n-word", "ho" and the rest.

 

[poker1]

Yeah, this is racist by any standard (except no doubt a few racists on this board) but I have no idea what it has to do with "God Bless America":


OTH, this song recorded by Smith was satirical and also recorded by the great black singer Paul Robeson (who was BTW class valedictorian and an All-American fb player at Rutgers):

 

[NittPicker]

The discussion is that you are an ignorant buffoon. As the above poster stated, the line is a reference to the British soldiers attacking Baltimore.

Back at ya amigo. I didn't make any claim as to what the third stanza may or may not have meant. Thus the word "discuss". It's interesting to me how simply requesting a discussion leads to childish name calling on your part. That tells us all where your head is.

 

[demlion]

There is a ridiculous notion in this thread that "nobody" was offended by the hideous racist drivel she sang back in the day. Yes, people were offended by those songs, just like people were offended by slavery before the Civil War. Those people back then found it morally repugnant.
That they were more enlightened then than you are now, should not be cause for feelings of superiority by you. Quite the opposite.

 

[poker1]

There is a ridiculous notion in this thread that "nobody" was offended by the hideous racist drivel she sang back in the day. Yes, people were offended by those songs, just like people were offended by slavery before the Civil War. Those people back then found it morally repugnant.
That they were more enlightened then than you are now, should not be cause for feelings of superiority by you. Quite the opposite.

At least some people for sure were ALWAYS offended by it: The targets of the racism.
No doubt a lot of posters on this board still aren't offended by it.
Still, it's not clear to me what this has to do with "God Bless America".

 

[demlion]

At least some people for sure were ALWAYS offended by it: The targets of the racism.
No doubt a lot of posters on this board still aren't offended by it.
Still, it's not clear to me what this has to do with "God Bless America".

It has nothing to do with GBA. They did not ban the song, they banned the singer. All these patriotic songs are egregious horsesh!t, anyway./

 

[Glen]

I think I read that Paul Robeson also recorded one of the songs in question. Is he banned also?

 

[Kiber]

So if we can go back in time when anyone said or did anything racist in any way we can remove them from history??

I believe there are tapes on Lyndon Johnson and beloved John F. Kennedy discussing civil rights and they used very derogatory terms in referencing African Americans....... so if JFK used terminology back in the 60's to describe African Americans that is now considered derogatory ... then should JFK be taken off of schools, stadiums, roads, bridges and buildings?????

 

[EPC FAN]

See the link below. From the article:

"(CNN) -- For years, baseball's New York Yankees and hockey's Philadelphia Flyers have played singer Kate Smith's famous rendition of "God Bless America" during games.

But those long-time traditions have been halted over allegations that other songs performed by Smith -- one of America's biggest singing stars during the early 20th century -- are racist.

Smith is closely tied to the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers because she performed "God Bless America" before Flyers games in the 1970s. A year after her 1986 death, the team erected a statue in her honor outside of its arena.

Now the team won't play her version of the song during games and will cover up her statue.

"We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization," the Flyers said in a statement to CNN.

"As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith's recording of 'God Bless America' from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena."

The Yankees said the team also was no longer playing Smith's iconic 1939 version of the song because she sang at least two songs during the 1930s that are now considered racist."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/19/us/k...od-bless-america-song-dropped-trnd/index.html

Not a surprising decision in today's sensitive climate.

Paul Robeson singing the same song

 

[MJG-90]

Seeing that the "racist" songs are 80 years old, aren't the Yankees and Flyers racist too for playing her song in the first place?

The Yankees should ban themselves since they were racists up until they allowed the first player of color onto their roster. Or at least erase all of their history prior to that season.

 

[EPC FAN]

Paul Robeson singing the same song

View embedded media

Now Kate Smith

 

[Alphalion75]

Ridiculous! The Flyers management should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[Obliviax]

So if we can go back in time when anyone said or did anything racist in any way we can remove them from history??

I believe there are tapes on Lyndon Johnson and beloved John F. Kennedy discussing civil rights and they used very derogatory terms in referencing African Americans....... so if JFK used terminology back in the 60's to describe African Americans that is now considered derogatory ... then should JFK be taken off of schools, stadiums, roads, bridges and buildings?????

During his famous debates with Sen. Stephen Douglas, (Abraham) Lincoln explained to the crowd: “I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races … I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races from living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be a position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”
​

So you make an interesting point about any comments ever made being used to destroy your reputation. Especially when you cannot defend yourself. Times change, people and norms do as well. Having said that, I agree with the teams. They are in the entertainment business. This is why I supported putting a muzzle on Colin Kap (while agreeing with his underlying sentiment). These teams cannot allow any semblance or picking sides.

 

[poker1]

To me the song is no big deal, though in general, I do agree about the faux patriotism invoked in sports, especially football.
For example, it always bugged me that the NFL got paid (in taxpayer dollars) for promoting the military while making sure their players avoided service. Of course they always piously trot out the outliers like Rocky Bleier and Pat Tilman. But that's another story.
Meanwhile, I will continue to watch Woody Allen movies, those produced by Harvey Weinstein and the funny detective flicks with OJ.

 

[interrobang]

I think I read that Paul Robeson also recorded one of the songs in question. Is he banned also?

Such thick irony.