I have fond memories of two sweet lullabies being sung to me as a child, both of them qualifying as "coon" songs; and I never thought of them as being racist in particular, but rather of reflecting the times in which they were written. It depends then on whether you are singing it for an audience that can maintain that critical distinction.

It is wrong headed to rpomote racism or to incite violence, under most circumstances. But it is equally thick, to my point of view, to rewrite history and pretend we have not lived through racism and violence.

That said, I think Joe's approach is balanced and intelligent. I have no desire to step on sensitive feelings, but I think some folks leave their sensitive feelings spread all over the sidewalk...