Is It Racist To Sing...

[Togo]

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot? The England RU fans are now accused of an ignorant appropriation of "slave lyrics" by an American "academic". Josephine Wright, a professor of music and black studies at the College of Wooster in Ohio. Sigh.

[Togo]

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/rugby-union/england-rugby-anthem-swing-low-sweet-chariot-is-an-ignorant-expropriation-of-slave-lyrics-say-american-academics/ar-AAo2qCw?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=spartanntp

[jackthehat]

She didn't say that it was racist; she said that she views it as a 'cultural misappropriation' and a misunderstanding of the history and meaning of the song.

She may well have a point but I can't see that's any good reason for it to stop being sung...

[Jackdaw33]

Bet she doesn't know the actions to it, as we did in the RAF and at university.

[hc4361]

I never understood why rugby supporters chose that song.

[vulcan42]

The 'College of Wooster' explains a lot, Jeeves will have a solution.

[ToraToraTora]

what a load of old pony, it was written by a native American I believe.

[mikey4444]

What a load of utter rot !

[hc4361]

It is believed to be written by an enslaved African American, Wallis Willis.

[Jackdaw33]

Cultural misappropriation? Que?

[Ellipsis]

The reason rugby fans adopted it was that it has the word "coming" in it, a lot, which makes it really funny. Especially with hand actions.

[Togo]

//"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" has been sung by rugby players and fans for some decades, and there are associated gestures, sometimes used in a drinking game, which requires those who wrongly perform the gestures to buy a round of drinks. It became associated with the English national side, in particular, in 1988. Coming into the last match of the 1988 season, against Ireland at Twickenham, England had lost 15 of their previous 23 matches in the Five Nations Championship. The Twickenham crowd had only seen one solitary England try in the previous two years and at half time against Ireland they were 0–3 down. However, during the second half England scored six tries to give them a 35–3 win. Three of the tries came in quick succession from Chris Oti making his Twickenham debut. A group of boys from the Benedictine school Douai following a tradition at their school games sang "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" whenever a try was scored. When Oti scored his second try, amused spectators standing close to the boys joined in, and when Oti scored his hat-trick the song was heard around the ground. The song is still regularly sung at matches by English supporters.//

Wiki.

[Togo]

Wallis Willis was a Choctaw "freedman" hc. Not African American........... so perhaps the song was "misappropriated" by them?

[TWR]

Another one trying to stir up trouble.

[anotheoldgit]

Oh dear you just could not make it up could you?

So what, it is an African-American spiritual song about the horrors of slavery, so one would think that even if the Rugby fans were aware of this fact, the more airing the song got the better, all in the awareness of the evils of slavery, you understand?

But on a more controversial point of view, it is about time this Afro-Slavery was returned to the history books, instead of it being constantly used as a tool against those 'pesky white folk'.

There is much slavery going on in this 21st century, that could do with much more attention shown against it.

[Togo]

//She didn't say that it was racist; she said that she views it as a 'cultural misappropriation' and a misunderstanding of the history and meaning of the song.//

Jack the term 'cultural misappropriation' is from the same lexicon of terms, as Racist, used by the Libz to take issue with, and on behalf of, all manner of fractious single issue organisations.

[Jackdaw33]

When I was a kid I had a Davy Crockett suit and a Red Indian headdress. I must have been culturally inappropriate.

[Togo]

Of course you weren't Jackdaw. You were being culturally diverse and inclusive of other communities. Now she could of course have taken that attitude about the English RU fans singing Swing Low........ but no virtue signal in that approach.

[hc4361]

Togo, Chockdaw Freedmen were African slaves enslaved to Native Indian tribes

[Togo]

I know hc, but they were not all black slaves some were slaves taken by the Choctaws from other native Indian tribes. Murky stuff.

[hc4361]

But the chap who is believed to have written the song was from Africa