Yes, I know, Bono is a bit of a twat, but he is right in what he says about protest songs.
The Irish pop star Bono has been criticised for apparently endorsing a song which includes the lyric: “Shoot the Boer”.
The U2 frontman said the song, which was sung during the fight against apartheid, had its place, like music supporting the Irish Republican Army.
Naturally, the professionally aggrieved have decided that it is hate speech.
But callers to local radio stations said the song was designed to stir up racial hatred.
“That’s hate speech. They don’t know our history at all,” said one caller to a South African radio talk show.
The song has been at the centre of a political storm in South Africa, with the controversial leader of the African National Congress’s youth league, Julius Malema, locked in a legal battle with a white lobby group over whether it should be banned as hate speech.
I suspect that when it comes to victimhood poker, the Boer is likely to be on a loser. All that said, Bono is correct, protest music that extols violence against the enemy has its place in the culture and why should people forget it? I am not offended by Irish music that condemns the Brits, just as I was not offended when I walked into an Irish pub some years back to see the calendar on the wall open at Easter 1916. It was as if time had stood still. Now you might say that dwelling on one issue that happened nearly one hundred years ago is a bit, well, sad, but if that’s what they want to do, that’s fine by me. It is a part of their history after all. Just as the struggle against Apartheid is a part of the South African one. And, let’s not be coy here, it was a violent struggle, so the songs of the day would have involved violence. So what? Do we whitewash it all, or do we allow people to remember the struggle and sing the songs?
South Africa’s highest court is currently considering whether the song violates the rights of Afrikaners.
Of course it doesn’t. No one is making them listen.
Since apartheid was banned in 1994, more than 3,000 white farmers have been murdered.
Songs don’t do that, people do. Prosecute the people concerned, don’t start invoking thoughtcrime.
Of course when Brits C 1900 said “Shoot the Boer” Mr. Bonobo’s equivalents in the republican and socialist movements of the time were outraged. Funny how times change.
Hmm. On the same basis presumable its OK for the Little Black Sambo books to be made available in schools, as its a purely historical look at British attitudes to the Empire?
In fact any discriminatory literature from the past can be published now because it was ‘OK’ when it was written?
Times change. What was OK in the past may not be now. This applies particularly in this case, as there has supposed to have been a process of conciliation between the sections of society that existed in apartheid South Africa. Its not very conciliatory to be still singing about killing ones opponents, even if it is merely historical. In the light of the numbers of farmers being murdered it doesn’t even seem to be that, but a very up to date incitement to kill people.
That is not the same thing as there being a law banning it, though. And, no, there should not be such a law.
See above đ
See above.
And even if so, banning it helps how, exactly? Will it change the thoughts of those singing the songs? Will it stop them singing the songs where they won’t be heard by the authorities? And how can you be sure that those singing the songs actually want to go out and act upon them? That is the crime and it is that which should be prosecuted, not the singing of protest songs, no matter how distasteful.
I’m in favour of free speech: I think ‘bono’ is a disgusting little creep, that is my opinion. However he is entitled to his point of view, in my opinion, and to be able to express his point of view.
Whether it is spoken, chanted or sang, we should all be able to express our opinions. No-one has the right to not be offended and legal restrains on free speech should be removed. Not that that effects ‘bono’ who has celebrity immunity anyway.
Shoot the Boer sounds a good policy in a war with Boers.
British National Anthem….
“Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.”
British National Anthem….
“Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.”
“In fact any discriminatory literature from the past can be published now because it was âOKâ when it was written?”
Yes, of course. We avoid the mistakes of the past by knowing what they were. Not by attempting to erase them from memory.
Richard – hic
Julia, quite.
I guess this is not going to go down well either…but then irony and censorship are rarely found in the same place.
A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice lyrics (Flanders and Swann)
The English, the English, the English are best:
I wouldn’t give tuppence for all of the rest!
The rottenest bits of these islands of ours,
We’ve left in the hands of three unfriendly powers,
Examine the Irishman, Welshman or Scot,
you’ll find he’s a stinker or not.
The Scotsman is mean, as we ‘re all well aware,
And bony and blotchy and covered with hair,
He eats salted porridge, he works all the day,
And he hasn’t got bishops to show him the way.
So you won’t be signing my petition to ban ‘The Battle of New Orleans’, then Longrider? It’s a shocking glorification of killing us English, and even involves cruelty to an alligator.
Note to self:
Buy original copy of “Tom Sawyer” before some twat gets it banned.
PTB – Ah, yes, Flanders and Swann, wonderfully witty wordplay. They understood irony and humour alright. And, yes, we do have them in our record collection.
You assume correctly. đ
Better be quick, they’ve already made a start on Huckleberry Finn.
Whither Bono had the lyric read, “Shoot the kaffer.”?
I expect somebody is making a point and rightly so. Had they been shooting Kaffer not Boers in the song, it would never have made it onto the airwaves in the first place.
Hate speech and hate crimes have removed the concept of equality before the law, as they do not intend all will be protected just the worthy causes determined by a self-selected elite.
In fact they are intended to be a form of oppression and punishment against the “bad” group to rectify perceived past wrongs – positive descrimination.
The naughty people, you all know who you are, Whites, males, heterosexual, non-Muslim are expected to bend over and take your punishment and say, “Thank you SIR: please may I have another one”.
It is for your own good.