The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #146241   Message #3387037
Posted By: GUEST
07-Aug-12 - 03:57 AM
Thread Name: US Civil war songs - civil to sing them ?
Subject: RE: US Civil war songs - civil to sing them ?
"I just want everyone to be able to sing what they like. No PC censorship. I love Blackface Minstrelsy. I don't care about singing in clubs. I don't drink or smoke and I don't like being around it. So I stay away.If I want to put
on some greasepaint and burnt cork you can like it and stick around or you can go away.If you want to curse me, go ahead. I should be able to curse you back. It's called freedom of expression over here. Do you have freedom of speech and expression over there?"

Well if you're only singing songs to yourself at home, there's nothing really to talk about. Nobody around to hear the song, so "you can like it and stick around or you can go away" doesn't really apply, does it?

There isn't much "expression" there to be free about: defending freedom of expression is wholly unnecessary when there's not even anybody else around to get offended.

But were you to "put on some greasepaint and burnt cork" in public and start performing, you should be aware that "freedom of expression" cuts both ways. It does not simply mean anyone has the right to say anything and the other person should just put up with it or leave. It means the audience has the right to "stick around" and boo, heckle etc.