"No, I think this thread is about whether traditional songs with racist meanings should be sung at all,"

Pick out my words as much as you like, Maggie. No sweat. But I don't agree with this. To couch it in different terms, you appear to be saying that there's a choice between banning the songs or not. That "no" sounds rather authoritarian to me. Well that's a bad choice. It's been well said by a number of posters here that there are many subjects in songs that could offend someone or other. Rebel Irish songs could whip up enough hate to threaten people, for example. But I'm a very simple man. So all I want to know is (a) who decides what songs shouldn't be sung at all, or (b) why we can't, in civilised and democratic countries, simply and tacitly police ourselves? See my earlier remark about the ethos of folk clubs...So, really, what's the issue? Much more to say but I'm getting fed up of repeating myself...