Whaling songs non-pc? Sheesh... what is the world coming to?

As much as I do support the history vs. entertainment angle, if we throw out whaling songs and shanties used on whalers, then there go Doerflinger, Hugill and about 90% of the folkies I know.

Then again, I also know environmental activists who sing "Old Maui", "The Balaena" (sp?), "New Bedford Whalers" (Rant'n'Roar) and other sea gems. I'll have to ask them if they feel it's incorrect, but I'd imagine that for them, the shanties represent a golden period of the seafaring world, and that the songs themselves are not offensive - merely the overzealous whaling nearly wiping the animals off the earth...

I DO understand the racial issues though. Group I sing with on occasions did a cover of "In the Jailhouse Now". The lyrics we started with were from the Memphis Jug Band version, with the line "'stead of him stayin' at home, leavin' those white folks business alone"... you can bet THAT one changed fast... we decided to use "rich". THEM you can make fun of...

M