Posted on 04/27/2010 9:15:44 PM PDT by SmithL
My last blog post, Calling a spade, a spade, has been altered in light of new information from a student, Paige Palmer, who was in attendance during the incident. Contrary to several news reports, the original score of Ol' Man River was not used and N-word was never used. The term "colored people" was substituted for the N-Word. The song was sung by a White student with a bass baritone voice. Paul Robeson was also a bass-baritone.
Unfortunately, a White person singing 'Ol Man River is a more touchy subject than the N-word. The complicated history of minstrel shows in the U.S. makes this a big can of worms. Therefore, I believe there is still much validity in my last post which is that race is the "elephant in the room," how we are so ready to freak over race and racial perceptions, and the complex double standard.
I apologize for any misinformation that I may have propagated.
PAIGE PALMER'S STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF LOUIS LEBHERZ
My name is Paige Palmer. I am a sophomore at St. Marys College in Moraga and was one of a handful of students in Louis Lebherz's musical theater voice class on March 4, 2010 when a [white]student sang a song from The Broadway award winning musical Show Boat. A black student in the class was offended and voiced his objections. The instructor apologized to the class for not giving the background about the song and the sensitive racial issues at the time it was written and a discussion followed.
After the class the student reported the incident as a racial attack to the school administrators who immediately investigated. The instructor was instructed to apologize to the student and take diversity training.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Political Correctness run amok!
That is insane.
We’re at about the same point we were with the Palmer Raids, or the Alien and Sedition Acts, except this time it’ll be innocents tarred with the accusation of “racism.” How sad and pathetic.
I don’t really understand why this black kid was offended?
I don’t know if it’s genetic or what, but lately it seems that black skin is exceptionally thin.
Here is the one of the most popular versions. This student has been brainwashed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTnw_MmVptQ
Good Lord. Ol Man River is a staple for basses around the world.
Get a life kid.
They better not even think of singing a spiritual. All he*l will break loose.
That’s great.
Wish I could find a youtube of Stephanie(Julia Duffy) when she sang Old Man River...guess that kid would’ve had a heart attack or something.
ping for later - this is great!
Great song, great voice, great musical.
One of my sweetest memories of childhood was my Dad coming home from a long day at the Pentagon in time to sing my brother and me to sleep. He’d walk up and down the hall outside of our bedrooms and sing all the songs of the old South - a lot of them spirituals. He always said he couldn’t sing, but he had a nice, clear untrained voice. Sheesh! Give it a break!
I was just thinking about using some of these songs at our Civil War reenactment in a couple of weeks, for the schools day. Maybe not....
Racial attack? Good grief! After I read yesterday's thread about the incident and responded to it, I called the student who was "offended" a whiner, I thought perhaps I was being too harsh, but now I am sure that my original impression that the complaining student was a thin skinned immature moron was correct. I now read that what caused the offense was not the use of the term "colored people" substituted for the "N" word in the original song, but the fact that a white student had the temerity to sing it! I suppose the school had no choice but to investigate, but that should have been the end of it.
Future employers and coworkers of Mr. Youngblood, the student in question, are in for a rough ride if he continues to see "racial" attacks in the most innocent of gestures or missteps. I have almost no doubt he will eventually feel so persecuted and put upon that he will find the need to seek some sort of legal solace. The brouhaha at St.Mary's might just be a prelude to that.
“Show Boat” is an anti-racist show. The student who complained is ignorant.
The n-word is not used in any version of “Ol’ Man River.” The word “darkies” is used, as well as “white folks.” The song is about racism.
The fact that this wasn’t dismissed instantly is an abomination.
of course my fav is Paul Robeson, who had a gift from God. Speaking of which this kid at St. Mary’s should recognize the fellow student singing also has a gift.
Colored FOLKS was the correct lyric.
Paul Robeson, great voice, lousy politics.
I’ve said for some time that modern [Fill in the blank] Studies programs have the effect of making people less employable because these programs tend to train people to be victims. Who needs to hire a lawsuit waiting to happen? I have to think this kid had been through some sort of class of that nature.
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