Playing “racially insensitive” songs for young children

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Roaring20s
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Re: Playing “racially insensitive” songs for young children

Post by Roaring20s »

Phono48 wrote:Just out of interest, I have a recording of Paul Robeson singing "My curly headed baby". One of the lines is "Your Daddy's in the cotton field, a'working for the coon". Does this indicate that this term was once applied to the (presumably) white plantation owner?
That is an interesting usage. I gave it a quick internet search and saw that someone asked the same question, without answer.
I also found two Robeson versions, one with and one without that line.

While searching I did find this interesting and informative information...
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/coon/

James.
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Phono48
Victor IV
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Re: Playing “racially insensitive” songs for young children

Post by Phono48 »

Thanks for that, James. Very informative article.

Barry
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NEFaurora
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Re: Playing “racially insensitive” songs for young children

Post by NEFaurora »

IMHO, History is History.... You have to take it with all it's bumps and bruises..

Past History should never try to be changed or omitted in current books, lectures, etc. To do that would be completely ignorant and a betrayal of History IMHO. If it is taught correctly with certain disclaimers, I see nothing wrong with it. Besides, It SHOULD be taught correctly, because young people today will appreciate more of what they have in today's society which was lacking many decades ago.

It's like telling people to not read stories by Mark Twain such as Huckleberry Finn just because it has some dated "period" language in it...for example.. but that is a fiction story by a great writer, not actual history.

Just my 2 cents...

:o)

Tony K.

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Lucius1958
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Re: Playing “racially insensitive” songs for young children

Post by Lucius1958 »

History, of course, is frequently changing, in the sense that, when we uncover more information, we ought to revise our vision of the past to include those discoveries.

We should not, however, erase the record of the past to obscure its darker side. I think we all agree with that.

Bill
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Re: Playing “racially insensitive” songs for young children

Post by ambrola »

One of my favorite cylinders is #588 on 4 minute wax, youse just a little [n****r] but youse mine all mine by Ada Jones. I love the melody, not the words particularly, but it is a part of our history. This cylinder is extremely hard to find but I have been fortunate to have found 2 in 25 years.
cusb-cyl1882d.mp3
(4.01 MiB) Downloaded 97 times
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