Enough, already. If you're going to condemn Kate Smith for singing "racist songs" she neither wrote nor picked, but rather was paid to sing on an album and in a movie 80 yrs ago, then why are you NOT screaming about Trump and certain Senators still serving? Fred Trump was ARRESTED during a KKK rally in the 1930s. He held strong anti black views. His son was convicted of discrimination in housing in the 60s 70s and 80s. Yet he is PRESIDENT. AS President, he said their were many "fine people" in the Klan and white nationalist ON TV. He said people from African Nations were from "shit hole Countries!" Why do you ignore HIS outright racism, yet condemn a singer "paid" to sing a song that contained racist views 80 yrs ago? It was a different time and a different era. Most white folks; not "all", looked down on or "pitied" Black folks because they were "taught" they were beneath us or less than us. It took generations before attitudes and feelings and law changed it. While Kate and John Wayne Changed, The Trumps DIDNT. Steve King didn't. Steven Miller Didn't. David Duke Didn't.
We are "removing" God Bless America from being sung, because of a racist song sung 80 yrs ago, but Trump got African American players penalized for not Standing with their hands over
their hearts during the National Anthem? Really? An 80 yr old song by a dead female singer is more offensive than a white man ordering people of color to stand during the National anthem, knowing his racist views?
Its no wonder Democrats aren't Impeaching Trump! America is so fickle and emotions are so raw, they probably would be chastised for doing so.
When will it end? When will we quit condemning things from yesterday and start taking care of today and worrying about our tomorrows? When will we quit "digging" into the past to create villains who never knew they were villains and instead chastise the villains who hold some of the highest offices in the land today? When do we challenge their racism and bigotry? 80 yrs from now? When there dead and can't explain why they did or said or sang what they did?
I like Kate Smith. I like John Wayne. I will listen to "God bless America" and watch "The Green Berets" Not because i condone racism or bigotry, but because they are great and The Actor and The Singer did not consider themselves as racist during those times. They considered themselves average Americans. They were the epitome of average thinking Americans "at that time". It took generations and laws and pushes for equalization to start and change attitudes and beliefs.
Growing up 50yrs ago, I believed people of color were dirty, loved fried chicken and watermelon and carp. That they "loved doing menial work" and were not smart enough to do anything else. That was the "normal" at the time. It was what we "believed" Time taught us different. People taught us different. MLK made a big impact on my beliefs. My friends taught me I was wrong. I learned, grew and hope I became different from my parents and grandparents. They held many lingering eugenic, Klan and John Birch Society beliefs. They didn't have black friends or neighbors. They just believed what they had been taught to believe. They also did not believe they were racist or bigots either. It wasn't till the Klan, John Birch and eugenics was proven completely false and fake that they started changing their beliefs. 80 years later, who knows how much Kate Smith or John Wayne had changed their beliefs or thinking. But I'm supposed to ban them and their works? Really?
We must quit digging up past wrongs and start taking care of present wrongs and work at preventing future wrongs. The past is filled with enough evil. Hitler, Tojo, Mussolini, even Andrew Jackson and Richard Nixon. We don't need to keep seeking fault in the past when we have so much in front of our faces today!
Forget about Kate Smith. That was a different time and different beliefs and understandings. Name one member of Custer last stand, besides Custer. Charles Limburgh supported Nazis and Eugenics, yet we remember him for his flight and his sons death, not his racist beliefs.To him it appeared as "scientific proof" that looking down on certain races was "right and correct" because he "read" the "proof" and "believed" it. He didn't see his beliefs as racist or bigoted, as many millions didn't "then" either. It was just a "scientific fact" Sadly mental patients were castrated and sterilized for generations because of these so-called "scientific facts" too. Like Adolf Hitler they believed you could "stop" the traits by sterilizing it out of retarded communities and communities of color. All proven false and utterly evil today.
Time changes people. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes for the worst. But it does change. Pick your battles for today and tomorrow, not yesterday. You Can't change yesterday, but you can change today and tomorrow. Quit creating villains from our past and focus on the villains we have now to prevent ones in our futures. Quit ignoring the fights in front of us to concentrate on the fights already lost in the past. Fight for our tomorrows, not our yesterdays.
"God Bless America, Land that I love!" Not because of her imperfections but because we grow from her imperfections and learn to be better; at least we should be trying too, anyway.