Some fascinating responses. I even recorded some of those songs I listed. "The ballad Of Sherman Wu" was recorded by Pete Seeger on a Folkways LP.   It was about a student at Northwestern University in the 1950s who was kept out of Psi Upsilon frat because he was Chinese. It might've been the first BROADSIDE album on that label. It was meant to point out he wrongheadedness of what was going down. Some humorous lines fed on the stereotypes and many laughed in spite of the good intentions. It was a hard song to take seriously.

Maybe we need a thread on "Songs that are funny in spite of original serious intent!" --- How about "LIZZY LINDSAY" with ol' Ronald MacDonald showing up to woo Lizzy.

Ah, what ravages of fate the mere passing of time does to discredit an earlier generations sacred cows! It's like Al Grierson's great song about "Old Coyote"---the cosmic ultimate trickster had all four of his paws in these doings.------ Personally, I love those quirks of fate.
A hell hole of a place, a housing project in Chicago, CABRINI GREEN, was named for a nun----but it's hard to hear the name of that decent woman without thinking of the horrors endured by those unlucky enough to have lived in those buildings.

But I digress I guess. Sorry for creeping my own thread...

Art ;-)