Show of Hands

Does anyone sing the 5th verse?

isn't that the problem? the national anthem, statues honoring soldiers who fought for the south? were just brushing our dark past under the rug like it wasn't that big of a deal

I mean a lot of people know the patriotic herofication story of Francis Scott key as he sat prisoner on board a British ship and observed the banner still flying, but how many people know he was inspired by his hate as he watched freed slaves fight for their freedom?

OMG who cares? Why wasn’t this a problem until right now?

it's been a problem, its just now gaining traction... again it was swept under the rug like a lot of our dirty history, and a lot of people had no idea. which is why we still need things like black history month before all textbooks list black slaves as "African immigrants"

Or maybe you should stop being offended at everything.

So you're saying that removing the statues and changing the anthem would bring our history to the forefront? Because it seems to me that that is exactly how one would hide the fact that they ever did anything wrong: by destroying the evidence.

We should keep the statues because they remind us of where we were and how much we had to overcome to be the greatest nation on Earth. As for the anthem, the "fifth stanza" isn't even a part of the anthem. It was unofficially added by some guy for the civil war, and only ever appeared in song books during the civil war. The official anthem only has ever had four stanzas, none of which even talk about slaves.

The other three stanzas are pretty badass, I'm not gonna lie! Go check them out if you haven't already.

That verse discribes what the British offered slaves and any who would take arms against the Colonies, Sir Francis Scott Key spoke of the feelings and mood of the Colonists during the defense of Ft. McHenry, while being held captive by the British.....

This County did not enslave anyone, this Country freed those who were bound by chains forged by their own, and brought here by boats from across the seas, your complete distortion of history and truth is typical....your hate for this Country is clear and obvious.....

What sentinel said. It was the British who brought the slaves. As a country we inherited that. Granted, It took a bit to rid ourselves of it. But let's address you're starting argument. Who exactly today was enslaved that is now crying foul on the anthem? Which one of these SJW with a microphone fought for their freedom? You also say we just sweep it under the rug? It sounds like you just want to whitewash the whole thing.

lol it was the British who brought slaves over no biggie. no matter the fact we continued slavery for almost a century after outlawing the Atlantic slave trade, we should just focus on who started it lol. no one is enslaved today but that a weak ass straw man argument. it's not about if you were enslaved or not.. it that this country tries to sweep it under the rug when it's effects are still lasting to this day..

you're completely white washing the history of the slave trade..

Nice, whitewash bit..... however, then by your perception everyone is racist......

Slavery can be traced back to the earliest records, such as the Mesopotamian Code of Hammurabi (c. 1860 BC), which refers to it as an established institution, and it was common among ancient peoples.....

not at all. I just don't sit in blissful ignorance of my countries past. I love my country, but I aknowlege the atrocities it has committed

so do two wrongs make a right?

No one is sweeping it under the rug acting like it never existed, but if we continue to tear down these statues and replace the anthem, you are whitewashing history. They're examples to say "wow we came a far way as a country. People actually thought that was ok." You're acting like the song is our anthem because of the 5th verse. Sides, who even sings that verse. Most of the country can't even sing along at a baseball game.

I have no idea. The CA NAACP chapter is just looking for something to complain about.

There’s an entire verse about how they defeated the slaves fighting for freedom.

Does anyone sing that verse?

refer to my comment above

If we have to pretend something doesn’t exist because it’s racist prolly just best to change it.

Nobody sings that verse, idiot. LOL!

How does that make it better?

so if we don't the racism, it's not racist?

Slaves fighting for freedom? That's not pro-slavery that's Pro freedom

Maybe you guys need to stop looking for reasons to be offended.

The song talks about killing the slaves. The were fighting for Britain on the promise of their own freedom

No it doesnt

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:

This is why the left it shouldn't have been teaching people for so many years that slavery was abolished. ...

Slavery wasn’t abolished at that time. And the last two lines refer to killing slaves. I don’t understand what your trying to say.

It talks of slaves dying yes, but not killing slaves.

& and slavery has not been abolished

"if a foe from within strike a blow at her glory, down, down with the traitor that dares to defile... by the millions unchain'd who our birthright have gained"

he was literally watching freed slaves fight along with the British as he wrote this

Okay? So will killed an enemy who happened to be using slaves.

Still doesn't sound like pro-slavery to me...

Mudkip...Perhaps you should get over it.

And please for the love of God stop telling people that slavery is abolished when it's not.

If there was a song in Germany about how they killed Jews who fought for America do you think they would get over it. Or maybe change it?

What do you mean it’s not? Can you force free men to do labor for no wages? Are there portions of the population treated as subhuman under the law?

Yes but that's Germany they're super authoritarian if you like the way they do their laws move.

Oh by the way you don't have freedom of expression over there...

It’s not because of their laws it’s because they own the mistake they’ve made. You choose to continue to be blind to this injustice as a result of a deep ignorance inherited from your fore fathers.
And while were asking people to leave let’s ask the descendants of native Americans who should stay.

Can you legal for something upon somebody? No.
Can the goverment. yes

The amendment you think that abolishes slavery in fact gives the power to the federal government. If you're having a hard time understanding, the line is "except as punishment of a crime"

Yeah but criminals are not considered citizens. If you want to say slavery transformed rather than going away that’s fine.

That is completely incorrect. What would give you that notion that incarcerated fellows are not citizens?

ProudGA...If the anthem is so racist, then why does any black person sing it? I've been to several baseball games where the person singing the anthem was black, and plenty of black people in the crowd were standing with their right hands over their hearts. Maybe you should reevaluate your ridiculous claim.

How can you be a citizen when you are removed from society and are not afforded the rights of other citizens

If black face was so racist why did black people participate. There was a demand and they had to feed their family.

They could be ignorant of its origin. They could be racist themselves. They could not care. The fact that black people are participating makes no difference

If black people don't care, then yes it does make a difference because the only people who are offended are insane white liberals like you.

Is the NAACP white now? Or do those black people not count?

Oh, so a couple of far-left black whackos in California represent all black Americans now?

In the same way that a couple of black singers represents all black people.

I can tell you right now that the vast majority of black Americans don't care about this at all.

Considering 75% of black people support the nfl protest I think that represents a majority
www.google.com/amp/s/fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-do-americans-feel-about-the-nfl-protests-it-depends-on-how-you-ask/amp/

And you know this because the three black people you talked to said so.

I guess I can't eat another piece of fruit since slave owners used to eat fruit, too...

I want you to look at that comment and tell me now how that situation is different. That was an insult to your own intelligence

You're literally approaching that level of ridiculousness by saying that we need to change the national anthem because of one verse nobody sings.

Do I have to explain to you that killing slaves is more intrinsically racist than eating fruit.
And we’ve already discussed that not singing something horrible doesn’t make it better.

I bet you cried for hours after Trump was elected, didn't you?

Do the people you love know you degrade yourself with this level of vile discourse?

You have somehow defined yourself as a man to be the more you care about others the weaker you become. Someone has failed you

Lol they are citizens tjat have lost there right to. Simple and easy.

You do t loose citizenship just because youve been convicted, that just silly mate.

If you don’t have rights and you don live in the society how are you a citizen

ProudGA...You probably were depressed for a month after Clinton lost.

You probably were failed by an education system and as a result use ad hominem to support weak opinions.

And you are a histrionic loser who is offended by everything. Grow up, buttercup.

I have developed skills and understanding that has allowed me to network and navigate any culture. You are trying to be my life coach when you haven’t demonstrated the ability to form rigid thought.

"Trying to be your life coach" is what I'm doing? LOL. Thanks for the laugh!!!

Then strike the verse. My goodness everyone’s going on a witchhunt for every little thing they can.

They still have rights. So you are incorrect.

Immigrants have rights. Prisoners of war have rights. This not a good argument.

Lol. So you admit your defeat?

Are immigrants and POWs citizens. This is shit criteria on your part. Your time could be better spent by defining a citizen and then comparing that to a prisoner

Both could possibly be citizens yes.

Look at all this time, energy, and effort sucked into a hypothetical argument about something in which will not be changing anytime soon. Beautiful isn't it?

Hypotheticals are always intricate in the way we can judge each other's principles.

This conversation was very satisfying.