DID KATE SMITH REALLY DO SOMETHING WRONG?

DID KATE SMITH REALLY DO SOMETHING WRONG?

Our world seems to be paranoid about comments by anyone that are racist, homophobic, or bigoted. Stories dealing with these sensitive perspectives seem to be injected into every newscast in a regular fashion. Most people believe that these behaviours are destructive and harmful, and the perpetrators should be admonished and punished. I would be a fool not to agree, but I also wonder about the most recent example that has made the news. 

Singer Kate Smith’s rendition of God Bless America was considered so beautiful and respectful that it was performed for years at all of the home games of the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Yankees, until recently. It was disclosed last week that two of the songs from the 1930s heyday of the Virginia-born Ms. Smith, who died in 1986 at age 79, contained racist imagery -- even in their title: 1931’s "That's Why Darkies Were Born" and 1933's "Pickaninny Heaven. Consequently, for 80 year old songs that are deemed inappropriate today, Ms Smith’s reputation has been called into question. Neither sport’s team will use her version of God Bless America anymore, and in fact, a statue that Philadelphia erected in her honour in 1987 has been torn down.

Accepted behaviours and practises that occurred in the past in many areas of society are now considered racist or prejudicial by today’s social and moral code. The songs in question are not appropriate today, but Ms Smith recorded them during a different era and time. 

Some other inappropriate comments have been attributed to a number of other well know people:

• Actor Mel Gibson, in July 2006 was recorded making anti-Semitic remarks to a policeman during a drunk-driving arrest in Malibu. “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world!” he explained. He has been subsequently blacklisted in Hollywood!
• Paula Dean, a television chef was fired by the Food Network after she admitted to using the "n" word and was accused by a former employee of racial harassment!
• Actor Liam Neeson admitted that he once "roamed the streets" in pursuit of the "black bastard" who assaulted someone very close to him, even though he had no idea who the man actually was. HIs reputation has certainly been tarnished.
• Milwaukee baseball pitcher, Josh Hader, at the juvenile age of 17, tweeted hateful remarks that included, “White power lol, and I hate gays.” He was admonished by his team and fans in general.
• Comedian Kevin Hart stepped down from hosting this year’s Oscars because of a number of his old tweets that used homophobic language ten years earlier. 

I can agree that the above five examples of conduct are unacceptable. In effect, the guilty have been appropriately “punished” either by losing a job or creating a tarnished image of themselves. But I still maintain that Kate Smith did not do anything wrong. She was not admonished nor prevented from performing the questionable songs 80 years ago, so why do we need to judge her by today’s standards? It’s wrong! If Kate is guilty of racism, then all of the work of Al Jolson that he did in black face, needs to be stricken from the movie and record archives as if it never happened. Destroying the past, does not change the present. 

Perhaps, instead of jumping with both feet on any comment we feel is racist or homophobic or prejudiced, we need to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident with a little more tolerance and understanding! How’s that for a novel idea?