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Yankees Drop Kate Smith's Version of 'God Bless America' Because People Were Racist in the 1930s
PJ Media ^ | 04/19/2019 | Stephen Kruiser

Posted on 04/19/2019 11:48:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

This is a tricky one, but is worth examining:

From The Washington Post:

The New York Yankees reportedly confirmed Thursday that they were no longer playing a Kate Smith version of “God Bless America” during the seventh inning of home games, after the team learned of a Depression-era song she’d recorded that raised questions of possible racism.

Two songs cited by the New York Daily News, which broke the story, included “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” a 1931 hit for Smith, and “Pickaninny Heaven.” Smith’s 1939 version of “God Bless America” had been in the rotation at Yankee Stadium since the team began regularly playing the song following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Are those song titles offensive?

Oh yeah.

Can they be excused merely because of context?

Not really.

Still, it isn't exactly a closely-guarded secret that America in the 1930s had a lot going on in regard to race that we now find horrifying. The Yankees have been playing this song since 2001 and no one was flooding their front office with complaints about Kate Smith's (who has been dead for over thirty years, by the way) racism.


I would wager that's because almost every American over the age of five in 2019 knows that the country has a most troubled past when it comes to race.


(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; US: New Jersey; US: New York; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: districtofcolumbia; flyers; godblessamerica; godblessmaerica; jeffbezos; katesmith; mlb; music; newjersey; newyork; newyorkcity; newyorkdailynews; pennsylvania; philadelphia; philadelphiaflyers; racism; richardcohen; ronaldreagan; skankees; sports; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost; wildwood; yankees
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1 posted on 04/19/2019 11:48:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Kate Smith when she sang the original version of "God Bless America"
2 posted on 04/19/2019 11:49:59 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
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To: SeekAndFind

I wish there was a list somewhere of stuff I am supposed to be offended by so I could keep up with it all.

I didn’t even know I was offended by this song but now I do.


3 posted on 04/19/2019 11:51:34 AM PDT by shelterguy
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To: SeekAndFind

Back door method to silence GOD BLESS AMERICA.


4 posted on 04/19/2019 11:52:06 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm ( 32:12))
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To: SeekAndFind

Woodrow Wilson was unavailable for comment....


5 posted on 04/19/2019 11:52:07 AM PDT by uranium penguin
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To: shelterguy

RE: I didn’t even know I was offended by this song but now I do.

I don’t think it is the song that offends these snowflakes, it’s the woman who first sang the song and made it a big hit that they’re offended with.


6 posted on 04/19/2019 11:53:26 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
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To: SeekAndFind

When are they going to start removing statutes and plaques of baseball heroes that might have been racist?


7 posted on 04/19/2019 11:53:40 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress (http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/BYTOPICS/tabid/335/Default.aspx D)
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To: SeekAndFind
And it was written by some Russian guy named Berlin, so it must be related to Nazi collusion or something. Well it was written in WWI, and he was Jewish, but let's not let facts get in the way, shall we?
8 posted on 04/19/2019 11:53:48 AM PDT by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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To: SeekAndFind

Mark Steyn, filling in for Limbaugh, said that even black singer and communist, Paul Robeson, sang “That’s Why Darkies Were Born”.


9 posted on 04/19/2019 11:53:49 AM PDT by Calvin Locke
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To: SeekAndFind

I used to be a huge Yankees fan 40 years ago. After MLB’s third strike, and then NYY’s departure from the erstwhile “new” Yankees stadium, I haven’t wanted to watch even post-season baseball anymore.


10 posted on 04/19/2019 11:54:16 AM PDT by treetopsandroofs
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It’s not the singer,it’s the song...


11 posted on 04/19/2019 11:54:40 AM PDT by Doogle (( USAF.68-73....8th TFW Ubon Thailand....never store a threat you should have eliminated)))
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To: SeekAndFind

This is getting more and more absurd every day....


12 posted on 04/19/2019 11:54:44 AM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: SeekAndFind
Disband the Democrat Party
13 posted on 04/19/2019 11:55:50 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here Of Citizen Parents_Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: SeekAndFind

I F’N HATE LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!


14 posted on 04/19/2019 12:02:24 PM PDT by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to says)
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To: Calvin Locke

“The past must now be punished, for not being the present.” - Mark Stein today. Rush’s best fill-in host!

“Woke” Amerika 2019… tear down statues, rename buildings and scrub history for daring not to conform to “woke”! In modern PeeCee world… we must live only in the constant NOW!

Fine print: All morality and standards are subject to change without notice! What was PeeCee yesterday maybe “bigotry” today… this “woke” thing is a moving target… pay attention or pay the mob!


15 posted on 04/19/2019 12:02:58 PM PDT by FiddlePig (The greatest threat to our sacred liberty is to not value it!)
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To: FiddlePig

They want to do a reboot like the Khmer Rouge and go to “Year Zero”.


16 posted on 04/19/2019 12:03:59 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: SeekAndFind

and robert bird a grand wizard in the KKK led the left and/or was a highly influential senator for how many years in congress?


17 posted on 04/19/2019 12:04:22 PM PDT by Bob434
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To: SeekAndFind
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” ― George Orwell, 1984..........................
18 posted on 04/19/2019 12:06:36 PM PDT by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: Pilgrim's Progress
When are they going to start removing statutes and plaques of baseball heroes that might have been racist?

What time is it now? Shortly after this post, then.

The documentary series by Ken Burns had one on wrongs against African Americans by baseball, then on Latinos, etc.

Summary: white racism flowed in gushes from Ty Cobb down to anti-Hank Aaron hate mail. All whites in the country are racists and baseball shows that.

That is one step from destruction of statues and placques. We'll be lucky to be allowed to have one token American flag in a ball park soon. It will be in an inferior position to a BLM,Black Panthers, Feminist and LGBTQ flag row above them.

19 posted on 04/19/2019 12:09:01 PM PDT by frank ballenger (End vote fraud,non-citizen voting & leftist media news censorship or we're finishid.)
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To: SeekAndFind

A TV news program (NJ) just said “temporarily suspending”. I wonder what’s going on behind the scenes.


20 posted on 04/19/2019 12:10:31 PM PDT by Exit148 ( (Loose Change Club founder) Put yours aside for the next Freepathon!)
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