Just because I wasn’t watching the showcase for the nation’s most unethical professional sports league doesn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention. The NFL truly is a blot on American culture, and its nauseating use of the so-called “black national anthem,” “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” is one more piece of evidence.
The NFL started its practice of using the song as a counterpoint to THE National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner in 2021, in craven grovelling to the George Floyd riots and Black Lives Matter, as well as sop to the NFL’s National Anthem protesters like Colin Kaepernick. It was a disgraceful suck-up to the large majority of black players in the league, and if 2021 were the only instance of it, the stunt could be forgiven. But now the song has been presented before three straight Super Bowls, and that means we are stuck with it forever, just like baseball is stuck with “God Bless America,” the redundant Irving Berlin song that stadiums started sticking into the Seventh Inning Stretch as a show of unity after the attacks of 9/11. But “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is even more beyond ending, and you know why as well as I do.Before the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs played Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, country music star Chris Stapleton sang the National Anthem. That should have ended the pre-game inspiration right there, but it was in a group including Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds singing “America the Beautiful,”the Sappy National Anthem Alternative for people who don’t know American history and can’t sing, and actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph’s rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
[Note: I originally wrote that the Star Spangled Banner was first in this line-up, based on the way the songs were listed in two sources. Now I have reason to believe that was incorrect. Fine: having the Anthem grouped with alternative songs, especially songs designated for a particular race, is disrespectful and diminishing.]
I wrote about what is wrong with having a “black national anthem” in October of 2020, when The George Floyd segment of The Great Stupid was irresistible, making “Lift Every Voice and Sing” mandatory fare for woke high school administrators to inflict on high school football game spectators:
If “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is the “black national anthem,” does that mean that African Americans don’t consider themselves included in the “Star Spangled Banner”? Does that not constitute a divisive, rather than a unifying statement? Doesn’t the term “black national anthem” inherently exclude whites?
Of course it does. The answer to those queries is “yes,” “yes,” and “Hell yes.” That was the whole point when “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was designated as the “black national anthem” in 1917 by the NAACP. The Ku Klux Klan was riding again, with the support of President Woodrow Wilson. Jim Crow was at its peak. The St. Saint Louis Race Riot took place in 1917, the worst of many incidents of racial violence during Whites indiscriminately killed 40 blacks, who were stabbed, clubbed and hanged. 6,000 were driven from their homes. No wonder the NAACP wanted to make a strong statement that their race did not feel like part of the same nation as the race that was killing them. That, however, is not the state of American society today. It is the condition that race-hucksters and anti-American zealots want African-Americans to believe exists today.
Police officer and podcast host Zeek Arkham tweeted in part, “My National Anthem never needed a color. Do they want racism to die, or do they want to keep finding ways to divide us all?”
Unfortunately, that is an easy question to answer.
Ethics Alarms 
That 2nd Amendment thingy might just be the most critical and profound of all.
It would have been nice if Zeek Arkham explained who he meant by “they.”
To build on this, everyone should be aware that when an occasion arises to play two national anthems, like a visit of a head of state or a baseball or hockey game between two nations’ teams, the visitor’s national anthem is always played first, and the host’s (i.e. the home team) second. I’ve been to many St. Paddy’s and Columbus Day events, and the Irish or Italian anthems always precede the Star-Spangled Banner. By placing the so-called black national anthem last, in effect we are saying that the blacks are the home team, and the rest of us the visitors.
Except apparently it did not happen that way. Possibly a correction will be forthcoming.
The only sources I saw said SPB first, “O beautiful” second, “and “Lift” third. Is that wrong? If so, I’ll certainly correct it, but it pisses me off that the copy was misleading.
Fixed it anyway. It’s not a key point.
It is obvious our National Anthem means little to a mass majority of people and businesses.
If people are genuinely offended by the lack of respect for our National Anthem, why do people continue to watch the game either on T.V. or attend the game in person?
(Fixed it…)
Why? Because they are not really offended?
Perhaps, our national national identity has been agnostisized by inexpensive consumption. Rather than being a nation of opportunity via liberty contrasted against other nations to leave which are largely prosperity via authority and power, here now most only mostily care about a preservation of their stability to consume their comforts – most could not care less if they were living under the CCP as long as their routine continued being funded.
Perhaps offense is as cheap, convenient, shallow and temporary as most of the junk people consume.
OhWhatFun,
You sound about as cynical as I am.
The fact that what you say is essentially accurate just reinforces said perspective.
No wonder nearly half our population suffers from obesity and its sequelae, not to mention the burden upon our health care system. An overweight, sleep walking, hypnotized population becomes easily enslaved with little need for violent coercion.
Pass the Cheetos please.
Keeping in mind that the Super Bowl is entertainment for a varied audience, then why not have music to entertain a varied audience?
Some consider “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as a kind of black national anthem, but certainly not all do. There is quite a bit of history behind it and it does appeal to a fairly large number of people.
Some consider the US National Anthem to be too militaristic (and racist) to be a proper anthem, but not all do. Some consider it a tribute to strength and freedom, so powerful that it even brings some to tears.
And, a pox on Fox for stealthily editing this video of the pre-game entertainment to make it appear that the National Anthem was the last musical piece before kick-off and not the opening act. It’s almost like they’re trying to undermine some of the comments here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sc-N4SKoqE
But the National Anthem isn’t entertainment, but a ritual representing unity and patriotism. The “some people” who think the nation needs separate anthems for the races are human termites in the foundation of the Republic, and should not be endorsed, encouraged or surrendered to.
And the Anthem is not “racist.” What crap. The allegedly racist verse is literally never sung, ergo it is not part of the National Anthem. And the line in that verse, “No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave” does not refer to black slaves, except to those who want it to so they can claim the APB is “racist.” “No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave” echoes many statements during the Revolution and the War of 1812 about how those who bowed to the King were virtual slaves.
It’s an old, bullshit, anti-anthem slur, debunked elsewhere on EA. And beneath you.
I did not say the National Anthem was entertainment, and for me it isn’t. It is a tribute to the nation, an imperfect tribute in my view.
Human termites? As a rebuttal to a different viewpoint? Really?
It literally is not true that the alleged racist verse is literally never sung. Seldom sung would be accurate. But, sung or not, it is a part of the Anthem, officially the National Anthem in the U.S. code.
I also did not say that the Anthem is racist, although I can see how some would think it is, in part. It is not beneath me to try to understand the views of others nor the relevance of those views to a particular issue.
As I was going back and forth in writing this I noticed the correction regarding the sequencing of the musical pieces, and the statement that it’s not a key point. Well, it sure seemed to be a key point when I first read the post, and one of those commenting here zeroed in on it.
And, I don’t think the Anthem was “grouped” with alternative songs, except in the sense that it took place during the same 30-minute pre-game time period. It followed closely the singing of America the Beautiful, but there were a lot of commercials and commentary separating it from “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” It was grouped closely with the presentation of the Colors, a military flyover, fireworks, and a lot of cheering, a highly appropriate grouping in my opinion.
1. You said, “Keeping in mind that the Super Bowl is entertainment for a varied audience, then why not have music to entertain a varied audience?” Since the context is the use of a second “national Anthem,” it’s disingenuous to say you weren’t saying the anthem was entertainment. Yes, we all know that music is used as entertainment at the SB—that’s what the half-time show is all about.
2. I am not using human termites as a rebuttal, and that should be clear. Cheap shot. Those who seek to exacerbate racial divisions are pulling on the threads that hold society together, and intentionally so. That endangers the whole fabric of society, or, if you like, the foundation. The termite analogy is apt. “Really?” Bite me.
3. Show me any event or concert where that verse has been sung. Just one. I’m sure it’s happened somewhere, but rarely enough that “never” is fair.
4. Strange that the “key point” could be so easily erased by changing half a sentence. If fact, it is crystal clear that the key point was detailed after “I wrote about what is wrong with having a “black national anthem” in October of 2020”, when I did not discuss the order of the songs in any way.
5. Any songs accompanying the Anthem in the pre-game ceremonies are grouped with it, and the message is that such songs belong there. Citing commercials and other aspects of the ceremony is ducking the issue. If they played the Mr. Ed theme at my father’s burial along with Taps, it wouldn’t change my disapproval of the symbolism because the 21 gun salute was wedged in between. The anthem is owed its own stage. Or why not pair the “black national anthem” with Dixie? Where’s the harm?
2.
Well, there is that sequence toward the end of the 1952 John Philip Sousa biopic “Stars and Stripes Forever” when a deathly dull carnival by the United Confederate Veterans is suddenly livened up by the appearance of Sousa and his brass band playing “Dixie.” After he announces several concerts where that song will be prominently featured, to thunderous cheers, the southern audience and organizers(one of whom strongly resembles Colonel Sanders) find the joke is on them as Sousa tells the story of how “Dixie” was played by a military band for Abraham Lincoln after the victory at Appomattox, and now they are here to return the favor, as the black choir of Stone Mountain Church joins them for a rousing rendition of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
“Dixie’s” a terrific, rousing song, like so many Stephen Foster songs (which “Dixie” isn’t) that have also become politically incorrect.
A couple of years ago they select a song and declare it to be a black national anthem, and that White people should accept it as such. And some Whites (those that already grovel) have. Besides, what this emphasizes is that blacks want divisiveness and will accept nothing less. Already there are venues around the country that are advertised as excluding Whites. They can keep Whites out of their events but demand they be included in White venues. Unity, or anything resembling it is in this country’s rear view mirror and will never return. DEI, crt, 1619, etc, have seen to that.
DEI, CRT, the 1619 Project and their ilk are part of what is essentially a black separatist movement. According to this unholy alliance, racism is intractable and can never be rooted out of American society. So, what’s the solution? I guess Liberia didn’t really work out to anyone’s satisfaction, but if you were to ask any of the people with three names, and if they were honest, they’d say in addition to reparations, a separate, exclusively black part of the U.S. needs to be given to black people as a separate, independent, black nation. Ironically, the two-state solution, loathed by lefty sympathizers with the Palestinians and Muslims generally, is the final solution. There’s simply no other logical outcome to their critique of the U.S.
OB,
Likely true for a certain percentage of non-white folks, whatever that means, and therein lies one huge obstacle to reparations and a separate state for non-whites.
What constitutes being black enough for reparations and inclusion in an independent black territory?
I would like to see a vote on the separate territory idea, but what constitutes being black enough to vote?
An ongoing national discussion about reparations might move things along one way or another.
It would certainly be educational.
Caped Crusader, as I’ve mentioned in other comments, the one drop rule is determinative of this. I’d say even the Rachel Dalzel Rule (If you think you’re black, you’re black.) may be adopted. But there will be no bar whatsoever to mixed race people and even recent arrivals from Africa or the Carribean participating in any reparations programs. Like Obama, Hannah Nicole-Jones is the child of a white mother. Beyonce is Creole. Are any of them going to be excluded? No.
Sally Hemings’ descendants? No.
As Luck Would Have It: A Hemings/Jefferson offspring (ESTON) made his way to the 77 Square Miles Surrounded By A Sea Of Reality and is interred at Forest Hill Cemetery.
As Luck Would Have It 2.0: That’s a mere 3 miles/4.83kms from our house; a few blocks further’ll get you’s to the posh digs of the inimitable Ann Althouse’s.
Road trip…?
Next time we go to visit sister-in-law no. 1, Paulie. You bet. Also want to go to Taliesin East, as it’s called out in these here parts. She’s in Appleton these days.
“Also want to go to Taliesin East”
Heck, who could blame you? A visit to Taliesin-FULL STOP (FLW’s WESconsin born-n-raised!), in breathtakingly beautiful Wyoming TWSP/Iowa County (atop a glacially carved hill in its eponymous Valley) would be entirely possible…matter-a-fact…damned likely!
My BIL has a place a mere 6.5 miles/10.5 kms west of there on CTH C, south of the WESconsin River, in Clyde TWSP.
And I know where he leaves the key…
Well OB, perhaps an ongoing national discussion about reparations will not move things along after all.
If non-whitey’s genuinely want to advance in all conceivable ways, simply stop voting against their best interests. Stop voting fascist Lefty proglibot, like they have been at rates of 90% for the last 50 years.