| re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface |
| Posted by: Chromolume 09:06 pm EDT 08/19/20 |
| In reply to: re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface - Michael_Portantiere 07:40 pm EDT 08/19/20 |
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I once had a very odd but interesting conversation about "Carefully Taught" with a small group of high school students I was teaching. Some of them were saying they felt the song was racist, and I realize that they were hearing the lyric in the opposite way that it was intended, It makes me wonder how many other people have misconstrued the meaning of the song.
It all comes down to syntax. Is the lyric "you've GOT to be taught" or is it "you've got to be TAUGHT"? Obviously in context, Hammerstein was going for the latter choice - that racism is taught. But the kids were hearing the "got" as an imperative - as if Cable were advocating being taught that way (you've GOT to be taught to do this). It was the first time I realized the lyric could indeed be heard that way. |
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re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface - Michael_Portantiere 07:40 pm EDT 08/19/20 |
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re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface - Michael_Portantiere 11:42 am EDT 08/20/20 |
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