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Administrator
High school bans 'outdated and racially offensive' national anthem from rallies
Student leaders at a high school in the San Francisco Bay Area have decided that the national anthem is racist and outdated and have banned it from school rallies.
According to multiple area news outlets, the Associated Student Body at California High School in San Ramon made that decision based on a phrase in the rarely-played third verse.
"It was brought to our attention that the national anthem's third verse is outdated and racially offensive," Ariyana Kermanizadeh wrote in an open letter. "We had nothing but good intentions by removing the song so that we could be fully inclusive to our student body."
She said the decision was made when students learned about the third verse, which includes the line "No refuge could save the hireling and slave / From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave," during planning for the winter rally. It applies for the rest of the school year.
Ms. Kermanizadeh said the fact that the third verse is practically never played, and very few Americans even know the lyrics doesn't matter — the entire song is tainted.
"We understand that this third verse is not included when the anthem is performed, but still, what does this tell us?" she said.
She noted that "this song was written in 1814. That was written 204 years ago. Imagine all the traditions and laws that have changed ... [and] so must our traditions."
Reaction ranged from bemusement among other students to disbelief among outsiders.
"It comes from a very disrespectful place," Amir Udler, a senior at the school, told the Californian, the student newspaper that first broke the story last week. The decision "is disenfranchising the vast majority of the school who loves the country."
Fox News opinion columnist Todd Starnes asked rhetorically, "Where are the grownups in charge of this public school?" and admonished his listeners to contact the school board.
"The Star Spangled Banner may have survived the bombs bursting in air, but it may not be able to withstand the rampaging mob of politically correct inclusivists," he wrote.
Senior Dennis Fiorentinos was interviewed on Mr. Starnes radio show Tuesday and said there had been "a lot of pushback on the removal of the anthem – and not just from conservatives."
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...-racist-natio/
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Senior Member
I never knew about the third verse until adulthood because we never sang it; and I still don’t know the lyrics. This is beyond lunacy.
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Administrator
Originally Posted by
Valiant Woman
I never knew about the third verse until adulthood because we never sang it; and I still don’t know the lyrics. This is beyond lunacy.
I bet you couldn't fine one student that knows the lyrics to the third verse. Or 99% of the population for that matter. I looked at the third verse and it mentions 'slave' in it but I couldn't tell you what the line even means after reading it.
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
fuego
I bet you couldn't fine one student that knows the lyrics to the third verse. Or 99% of the population for that matter. I looked at the third verse and it mentions 'slave' in it but I couldn't tell you what the line even means after reading it.
Neither could I!
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Senior Member
I think "hireling and slave" alludes to the OT where they had fewer rights than sons of the household and Israeli citizens, respectively. It does probably involve a racist's application of such verses from the OT, where the Biblical allusion makes it sound more "right".
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Senior Member
I seriously don't recognize my country anymore. I guess this is what it is like to get old. I'm getting to the point where I don't care anymore. Sing Barney's Theme and call it the national anthem for all I care!
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
fuego
I bet you couldn't find one student that knows the lyrics to the third verse...
I'll take it a step farther and say, I bet you can barely find a student who knows all the words to the first verse!!!
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Senior Member
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Senior Member
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flower planter
Originally Posted by
Susan
Originally Posted by
Valiant Woman
You know the music to Barney's song is the same theme to.
This old Man, He played one, he played nick nack on my thumb
what a nick nack paddy wack give a dog a bone this old man came rolling home
Of all the times I've heard that song I don't think I ever realized that!
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