Too far?
Lyndsey Parker, the editor-in-chief of Yahoo Music, published a piece this week titled, "Why it might be time to finally replace 'The Star-Spangled Banner' with a new national anthem."
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the article's reasoning is that Francis Scott Key, the composer of the "The Star-Spangled Banner," was a slave owner who once said that African Americans were “a distinct and inferior race of people, which all experience proves to be the greatest evil that afflicts a community.”
While attention has been drawn to multiple references deemed celebratory of the Confederacy and culturally insensitive to Black people (i.e., Aunt Jemima changed its name, as did country bands Lady Antebellum and the Dixie Chicks), some people are responding that taking it to the National Anthem is too far and that you have to draw the line somewhere.
Here's what Twitter had to say:
do y’all not see the problem with removing/renaming everything with a slaveholder’s name on it? why can we suddenly not separate art from the artist? #NationalAnthem
— olivia has opinions™️ (@IHaveOpinionsTM) June 26, 2020
#NationalAnthem #LGBT #Flag #Truth
— 🐅TigerDol🐬 (@TigerDol) June 23, 2020
We don't need to tear down America to reimagine it into something else. We need to vanquish the fear & hatred. Building a "new America" based on what one is fighting is the definition of insanity. pic.twitter.com/ihHD3N3Iv3
“This Land Is Your Land” is better than both. Don’t @ me.
— Mountain Epicurean Traveler 🌊🌊🍀🥃🛫🍣🥙🌮🍺 (@EpicureanTrave1) June 25, 2020
Since we are being facetious I officially nominate @KidRock “American Bad Ass” as the new #NationalAnthem 🇺🇸😆 pic.twitter.com/XxxvsLWTRY
— Necessary Force (@NYMilitant) June 25, 2020
Since we're taking suggestions on potential songs we could use instead ...
Our #NationalAnthem should be fair to all and also happens to be my favorite, #AmericaTheBeautiful
— Woman (@tayl8kr) June 24, 2020
If there should be a change in the #NationalAnthem I'd like to submit Take Me Home, Country Roads.
— Chris Rembert (@ChrisRembert2) June 25, 2020
I found a perfect replacement for #StarSpangledBanner
— Josh (@FamilyCrazyLife) June 26, 2020
Oh Horn of Plenty
One Horn of Plenty for us all
And when you raise the cry
The brave shall heed the call
And we should never falter
One Horn of Plenty for us all
I mean. It fits with where we're going
Other ideas that have been floated include “Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is commonly considered the anthem for Black America.
Happy Juneteenth ✊🏾🖤❤️💚
— “MAYBE : MISS SAVANNAH” (@BRIyondoriginal) June 19, 2020
Let’s let Beyoncé open this special day with Lift Every Voice and Sing 😩🙌🏾#JUNETEENTH2020 pic.twitter.com/gmubvSft47
So what do you think? Should we change the National Anthem? And if so, what's your suggestion for a replacement? Tell us in the comments!
