People seem to be assuming that because a word is historically inoffensive, it should logically be inoffensive now, and people who "illogically" find it offensive should be ignored.

Language is only partly logical. It is also psychological. People who find the name "Zip Coon" offensive - and my impression is that there are millions and millions of them - find it so regardless of history.

The fact that the song was associated with blackface minstrelsy doesn't help.

Anyone (especially a white person) who wants to sing "Old Zip Coon" in a public performance should be prepared for harsh criticism - whether historically justified or not.

That's just the real world. People know what "coon" sometimes means, and that's enough for them to reject the word altogether.

When I was in college long ago, I knew people who would fly into a rage at the innocent phrase, "The jig's up!" They insisted (in spite of historical records to the contrary) that it refers to lynching.