Belgian song "Down with America" going on the air

"Down with America" is the title of a recent song by the popular Belgian musician Raymond van het Groenewoud. Written in Dutch and published by EMI , "Weg met Amerika" ("Down with America") will be available in record shops as of next week, and was played on Belgian state radio last Thursday and Friday. Here is a quote from the lyrics of the song:

Hamburgers and coke, yes you already knew But do you also know the cause of the general decay? Short-sighted thinking, loud talking Sticking to one-liners forever Down with America! Down with the jerks from America Down with America! [...]

Down with American colonialism Down with that ugly, biting English All the Anglo-Saxon pretence, arrogance Yes, a hot pick up their ass And that is that [...]

I am from the Belgian, the European panel And I ask you: “Clear my channel! Clear my channel!” Megalomaniac unicellular idiots Kiss my ass, yes, kiss my balls

Incitement to hatred against people based on (i.a.) nationality is a crime in Belgium. In practice however, this law is only enforced when Arab, muslim or African minorities are criticized. Hate speech against the Americans or the British remains unsanctioned, as was recently shown when the leftist newspaper De Morgen published an article that complained about the British, "with their unique mixture of wantonness and arrogance, their pathetic addiction to drink, their bad taste, and actually just their ugliness and thickheaded presence".

In January 2003, the Flemish commercial radio station Q-Music was sanctioned by the Flemish Council for Disputes in Radio and Television, after a complaint from the Center for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (CEOOR). In their radio show, presenters Erwin Deckers and Sven Ornelis had described Venus and Serena Williams as 'monkeys'. The CEOOR decided that their way of reporting was "a gross insult to all our non-white citizens. The vulgar language [...] contributes to the banalization of racist speech. Hence, the program incited to hate based on race".

More and more, it seems that racist or semi-racist expressions are punished when they originate from popular culture or from right-wing politicians and are directed against muslims, Arabs or Africans, but that similar expressions remain unpunished when they come from 'progressive' artists and leftist intellectuals and are directed against the Americans, the British or the Dutch. In my opinion, the CEOOR and its policies are leading us to a less tolerant society, with more social irritation, distrust and friction. When the state tries to control the thoughts and minds of the people, it will only lose their respect.

Here's the original text with a pretty decent translation:

Hamburgers en cola, ja dat wist u al
Maar kent u ook de oorzaak van het algemeen verval?
Kortzichtig denken, luidruchtig spreken
Eeuwig in one-liners blijven steken
Weg met Amerika! Weg met die boeren van Amerika
Weg met Amerika!
Weg met het kolonialisme van Amerika
Weg met dat lelijke, knauwende Engels
Al die Angelsaksische pretentie, arrogantie
Ja, een gloeiende pook in hun gat
En dat is dat
Weg met die rappers en hun eeuwige "fuck"
Weg met de verheerlijking van de stompzinnigheid
Inderdaad, fucking assholes, krijg het slingerschijt
Leve Italië, leve de mafia,
Weg met na-apen van Amerika
Verenigde Naties, lammetjes die blaten
Het zijn allen vazallen van de Verenigde Staten
Weg met Amerika! Weg met die boeren van Amerika
Weg met Amerika!
Weg met het imperialisme van Amerika
Hun voorgekauwde kleutercultuur
Vol van genante voorspelbaarheid
En Hollywoodmonsters van oppervlakkigheid
Dan zit je in België, daar loop je gebukt
Onder al die stupide en ook nog eens mislukte
Imitaties van onnozele Amerika-producten
Weg met Amerika! Weg met die boeren van Amerika
Weg met Amerika en zijn professionaliteit
Maskerade voor de ledigheid
Democratie, ammehoela!
We worden geknecht lijk een tamme poema
Huh, lelijke opkopers, ook van de vrijheid
Hun opgefokte, opgedrongen, betekenisloze vrijheid
Weet u wat er scheelt, weet u wat er scheelt?
De dictatuur van 't Amerikaanse vrijheidsbeeld, ja
Dat is wat er scheelt
Die dwaze macho's, moh vent, moh vent,
Die spelen nu al zestig jaar politie-agent
Weg met Amerika! Weg met die boeren van Amerika
Hun chewing-gum-flinkheid, hun schietgeweren
Hun plastic blonde wijven met het Pepsodent-gebit
En hun belachelijke Terminator
Full of shit
Het is namelijk nooit gedaan
Daar kan je op aan
Weg met die cowboys van de CNN
Het land dat de complexiteit niet erkent
Waar het denken is gestremd
Zet die boeren in hun hemd
Weg met die cowboys, leven de indianen!
Hier spreekt de laatste der Mohikanen
Ik ben van het Belgische, het Europese panel
En ik verzoek u: "Clear my channel! Clear my channel!"
Megalomane eencellige idioten
Kiss my ass, ja, kus mijn kloten
Weg met Amerika! Weg met die boeren van Amerika
Weg met Amerika! Weg met die boeren van Amerika

Hamburgers and cola, yes that knew you already
But do you know also the cause of the general decline?
Short-sighted thinking, noisy speaking
Indefinitely in one-liners continue put
Gone with America! Gone with those farmers of America
Gone with America!
Gone with the colonialism of America
Gone with that ugly, gnawing English
All that Anglo-Saxon claim, arrogance
Yes, a glowing poker in their breach
And that is that
Gone with those rappers and their eternal "fuck"
Gone with the ?? of the ??
Indeed, fucking assholes, ???????
Leave Italy, lave the mafia,
Gone with the apron of America
United Nations, sucking lambs which bleat
They are all vassels of the United States
Gone with America! Gone with those farmers of America
Gone with America!
Gone with the imperialism of America
Their small, childish culture
Full of foreseeability
And Hollywoodmonsters of superficiality
Then you sit in Belgium, there run you stooped
Under all those stupid and also once more failed
Imitations of foolish American products
Gone with America! Gone with those farmers of America
Gone with America and its professionnalism
Masquerade for inoccupation
Democracy, ???
We are enslaved like a tame poem
Huh, ugly ????, also of freedom
Them bred, forced, losing freedom
What makes a difference there, What makes a difference there?
The dictatorship of American freedom picture, yes
That is what makes a difference there
Those foolish macho's, mohawk, mohawk,
That game now already sixty years police constable
Gone with America! Gone with those farmers of America
Their chewing gum valiancy, their ?????
Their plastic blonde women with pepsi soda teethings
And their ridiculous Terminator
Full or shit
It has been, as it happens, never done
Then you manage
Gone with those cowboys of the CNN
The country which does not recognise complexity
Where thinking has curdled
Put those farmers in their hemd
Gone with those cowboys, long live the Indians!
Here the last speaks of the Mohicans
I am of Belgian, the European panel
And I request you: Clear my channel! Clear my channel!
Megalomaniac, unicellular idiots
Kiss my ass, yes, kus my kloten
Down with America! Gone with those farmers of America!
Down with America! Gone with those farmers of America!

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