Monday, January 31, 2011

'O Say Can You See': Some Folks Just Don't Get It

       I'm really beginning to wonder about some folks who live in the Midwest.
       Last summer, LeBron James went public with "The Decision" to leave Cleveland and bolt to the Miami Heat. A number of irate Cavaliers fans didn't take too kindly to that, so they became witnesses in torching LeBron's jersey.
       Fast forward a few months to Chicago. The Bears lose to the Packers in the NFC championship game and some loyal fans took out of their frustrations on the quarterback.  You recall that starting QB Jay Cutler left the game with an injured knee. These devoted followers of the "Monsters of the Midway" believed that in spite of the injury, Cutler could have and should have continued to play. They are forever convinced that Cutler quit on his team. The response? Not only did they burn Cutler's No. 6 jersey, they urinated on it too. How's that for class?
      But now here comes another strange turn of events. It's not directly related to sports. But it does center on a familiar tradition which takes place before the start of every athletic contest held in America -- the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. Or in this case, the singing of the national anthem in a way that some perceive as being non-traditional and disrespectful.
      Shai Warfield-Cross is a black teenager who attends Bloomington High School North in Bloomington, Indiana. For over a year, she has sung the national anthem at school events, and nobody ever had a problem with her style of singing. That changed recently when the 16-year old sang the anthem before the start of a basketball game at Martinsville, Indiana, a small, mostly-white community located near Indianapolis. When some folks from Martinsville complained to Warfield-Cross' principal, she was told she needed to modify her rendition so it would be recognizable to people attending school events. The people in Martinsville insisted that the national anthem they heard was not recognizable and did not show proper respect to past and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
      When you listen to the teen's rendition, you have to scratch your head. This sort of reaction to breaking tradition is nothing new. Jose Feliciano got mixed results back in the late '60s. There was a lot of negative feedback from war veterans after he performed his rendition at Yankee Stadium. As a result, a lot of radio stations quit playing his songs for a long time.
       Any reasonable person knows that when it comes to singing, different artists have different styles. Just because a style differs from the standard doesn't make it disrespectful in and of itself. Marvin Gaye wooed a capacity-filled arena with his version of the anthem before the start of an NBA All-Star game in the early '80s. I doubt if anybody in that building felt dishonored in any way.
       The Star-Spangled Banner is not just any song. And the way someone sings it, should reflect their love and respect for America. That's what should count more than anything else. Personally, I think that if any version should raise some eyebrows, it's the rendition performed by Christina Aguilera. Her version has drum beats in it, and she delivers some minor riffs and few "uh, uhs" to add a touch of hip-hop flavor.
       This whole episode with Shai Warfield-Cross is messy. This sounds more like differences in race and culture, as opposed to respect for our nation or the lack of it. Keep in mind that the words "land of the free" are part of the national anthem. As a friend of mine mentioned, "freedom of expression applies to whom?” As far as I'm concerned, Shai's rendition is hardly non-traditional. Had no trouble figuring out what song the young lady was singing. I spent a few years in the Air Force and it's AOK with me.
       Better still, you decide. Check it out by clicking on this link http://bit.ly/fQMfdz
     

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