There are a great many songs which have terminology which implies or openly references that which would not be proper for many audiences these days, or could be interpreted as such. This is because I have a great love of old songs, songs of history, and yes, even songs by Stephen Foster. Shall we banish all Bluegrass because mayhem is a popular subject?   Should all policically incorrect lyrics be tossed aside? Or, is it possible that we can perform some of these songs and use them to help our audiences to understand our history? There are certainly venues such as senior centers where I will honor requests for some of these songs, as the songs can bring moments of happiness-not because of the specific word in question, but the memories of the happy times in their lives around the period in their lives when these songs were popular. Yet, I will refrain from performing some of those same songs for children & some adult audiences. There are times when I can help my audience to understand the songs from a historical perspective, and how today things are different. I believe that the difference is, as Azizi has helped us to understand, that when we realize the meanings of certain terms & phrases, & why they are considered disrespectful, we can learn to use restraint when needed, and, perhaps, help others to also understand.
While there will always be some people who will always find an argument, no matter what we sing or do not sing, we can learn to be respectful of the people in our audiences, and those of whom we sing.