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"Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
You cannot hold people from that era to today's standards about socially acceptable speech on race.
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to the dictionary. Darkey/darkie is a term of contempt. Thats what I mean by unconscious racism. Its so ingrained in whites it didnt even register to you that it was racist."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
You cannot hold people from that era to today's standards about socially acceptable speech on race.
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
According to the dictionary. Darkey/darkie is a term of contempt. Thats what I mean by unconscious racism. Its so ingrained in whites it didnt even register to you that it was racist."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
You cannot hold people from that era to today's standards about socially acceptable speech on race.
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
The same thing it means now. I dont need all those things you say I need. All I need is an understanding of the word as handed down to me by my ancestors. They were called darkies by whites in the south and it was definitely racist. What makes you think I'm going to ignore what was taught to me by the people that experienced it?According to the dictionary. Darkey/darkie is a term of contempt. Thats what I mean by unconscious racism. Its so ingrained in whites it didnt even register to you that it was racist."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
You cannot hold people from that era to today's standards about socially acceptable speech on race.
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
That's interesting. Now read the question I actually asked ---- what did it mean in 1852 when it was written?
The same thing it means now.According to the dictionary. Darkey/darkie is a term of contempt. Thats what I mean by unconscious racism. Its so ingrained in whites it didnt even register to you that it was racist."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
That's interesting. Now read the question I actually asked ---- what did it mean in 1852 when it was written?
Never heard of either song but the titles suggest both are steeped in racism if not outright virulently racist..
My Old Kentucky Home is the theme song of Kentucky. Here is the part of the lyrics that "cry racism" (according to some....)
The irony is that it's classified as an "anti-slavery" song written by Stephen Foster.
"The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home.
'Tis summer, the darkies [→people] are gay,
The corn top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom....."
Song of the South is actually a Disney movie. I'm sure taken off the market for some time.... maybe not however, I honestly don't know to be truthful....
I agree to an extent."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
You cannot hold people from that era to today's standards about socially acceptable speech on race.
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
We arent talking about Negro and Black. We are talking about the term darkey/darkie. It was always a racist and condescending term. Who told you it wasnt?The same thing it means now.According to the dictionary. Darkey/darkie is a term of contempt. Thats what I mean by unconscious racism. Its so ingrained in whites it didnt even register to you that it was racist."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
That's interesting. Now read the question I actually asked ---- what did it mean in 1852 when it was written?
No I doubt that very much.
Common vernacular terms, especially emotional ones, change rapidly. The words "Negro" and "black" have radically changed in my own lifetime, and I'm not 163 years old as this song is. These are terms closely associated with race relations and sensitivity. Their definitions are going to be volatile.
Want Abe Lincoln known for singing that song?Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
The economic power they displayed in losing the war?Probably. He only freed the slaves in the south to take away the souths economic power.Want Abe Lincoln known for singing that song?Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
I agree.We arent talking about Negro and Black. We are talking about the term darkey/darkie. It was always a racist and condescending term. Who told you it wasnt?The same thing it means now.According to the dictionary. Darkey/darkie is a term of contempt. Thats what I mean by unconscious racism. Its so ingrained in whites it didnt even register to you that it was racist.According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
That's interesting. Now read the question I actually asked ---- what did it mean in 1852 when it was written?
No I doubt that very much.
Common vernacular terms, especially emotional ones, change rapidly. The words "Negro" and "black" have radically changed in my own lifetime, and I'm not 163 years old as this song is. These are terms closely associated with race relations and sensitivity. Their definitions are going to be volatile.
A portion of Kentucky and to some extent Tenn was anti slavery and fought for the UnionMy Old Kentucky Home - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"My Old Kentucky Home" is an anti-slavery ballad[1] written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852.[2]
Foster likely composed the song after having been inspired by the narrative of popular anti-slavery novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," while likely referencing imagery witnessed on his visits to the Bardstown, Kentucky farm called Federal Hill.[5] Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist, wrote in his 1855 autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom that the song awakens "the sympathies for the slave, in which antislavery principles take root, grow, and flourish."[6][7]
Within the first verse, "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-night!" describes the natural beauty and joyous feelings associated with a Kentucky farm landscape. The chorus of the song that begins, "weep no more, my lady" acknowledges absence from this environment and a longing by the narrator to return.
In its entirety, which contains three verses and one chorus, "My Old Kentucky Home" divulges the narrative of an enslaved servant that compares the relative joys of life on a Kentucky farm with what they envision their new life to be after having been sold to a sugar plantation in the coastal region of the south. The lyric repeated in the first, second, and third verses, "By'n by hard times comes a knocking at the door, then My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" references that the Kentucky farm on which the narrator has lived is experiencing financial difficulties that have been solved by the selling-off of its enslaved servants. The narrator reveals that the majority of his peers have been sold from the Kentucky farm leaving only few behind. It is revealed in later verses,"A few more days till we totter on the road" that the narrator has also been sold to a plantation further south, where it is suggested that labor is more intense and there is little regard for the slave's personal health or happiness. The narrator suggests that he will likely perish as a result of being sold-south, and is acknowledging the days until his departure from his beloved Kentucky home.
West Virginia is the only state in the US formed as a result of the civil war. What stands out to me is that anti slavery as a political position in no way means you are not a racist.A portion of Kentucky and to some extent Tenn was anti slavery and fought for the UnionMy Old Kentucky Home - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"My Old Kentucky Home" is an anti-slavery ballad[1] written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852.[2]
Foster likely composed the song after having been inspired by the narrative of popular anti-slavery novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," while likely referencing imagery witnessed on his visits to the Bardstown, Kentucky farm called Federal Hill.[5] Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist, wrote in his 1855 autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom that the song awakens "the sympathies for the slave, in which antislavery principles take root, grow, and flourish."[6][7]
Within the first verse, "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-night!" describes the natural beauty and joyous feelings associated with a Kentucky farm landscape. The chorus of the song that begins, "weep no more, my lady" acknowledges absence from this environment and a longing by the narrator to return.
In its entirety, which contains three verses and one chorus, "My Old Kentucky Home" divulges the narrative of an enslaved servant that compares the relative joys of life on a Kentucky farm with what they envision their new life to be after having been sold to a sugar plantation in the coastal region of the south. The lyric repeated in the first, second, and third verses, "By'n by hard times comes a knocking at the door, then My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" references that the Kentucky farm on which the narrator has lived is experiencing financial difficulties that have been solved by the selling-off of its enslaved servants. The narrator reveals that the majority of his peers have been sold from the Kentucky farm leaving only few behind. It is revealed in later verses,"A few more days till we totter on the road" that the narrator has also been sold to a plantation further south, where it is suggested that labor is more intense and there is little regard for the slave's personal health or happiness. The narrator suggests that he will likely perish as a result of being sold-south, and is acknowledging the days until his departure from his beloved Kentucky home.
I agree to an extent."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
You cannot hold people from that era to today's standards about socially acceptable speech on race.
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
The term African American wasn't around back then, and it's hard to gauge the racism that may, or may not have been present, at that time within the utterance of the term.
But once again, in 1853, almost nobody, anywhere in America held the belief that blacks weren't inferior. Including most blacks
The use of the term "darkie" was racist. Was it KKK level virulent racism? Probably not but it was always racist especially back in 1852.I agree to an extent."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
You cannot hold people from that era to today's standards about socially acceptable speech on race.
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
The term African American wasn't around back then, and it's hard to gauge the racism that may, or may not have been present, at that time within the utterance of the term.
But once again, in 1853, almost nobody, anywhere in America held the belief that blacks weren't inferior. Including most blacks
Largely true, although the Underground Railroad and the Abolitionist Movement were going on at the time so it might be a stretch to say "almost nobody".
But the point remains, in the context of this song lyric there's no such sentiment expressed, no wish of ill upon "darkies", etc. If there were, it would count as racism. So the only question remaining is whether the term "darky" -- in itself, standing alone -- was a term of disparagement, or whether it was simply neutral, in 1852.
I disagree most Blacks felt inferior. They were simply outnumbered and had no legal recourse. Most Blacks thought whites were inferior and dumb.I agree to an extent."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Just looked up the lyrics to Old kentucky home and yes its racist.
"They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!"
The Hidden Racial History of 'My Old Kentucky Home'
Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
You cannot hold people from that era to today's standards about socially acceptable speech on race.
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
The term African American wasn't around back then, and it's hard to gauge the racism that may, or may not have been present, at that time within the utterance of the term.
But once again, in 1853, almost nobody, anywhere in America held the belief that blacks weren't inferior. Including most blacks
In the 1800's....almost everyone thought blacks were inferior to whites....
...as a result, any term used to identify a black person included racism. Just the thought of blacks included racism.
The use of the term "darkie" was racist. Was it KKK level virulent racism? Probably not but it was always racist especially back in 1852.I agree to an extent."Darkie" certainly was not meant to be a consideration of equality. It's use was inherent unconscious racism.Sorry, that ain't racism. Actual racism requires a value judgment that "race X is superior to race Y". Without that value judgment it doesn't qualify as racism. Using common vernacular terms of the time doesn't either.
I mean get a grip here. "Darkie"? Really? What does that say in terms of a value judgment?
Precisely. Everyone lives within their own era, not in ours. And Stephen Foster lived in the first half of the 19th century.
According to what? All it has is a reference to skin color. In itself it makes no statement about what that skin color might mean, and the song doesn't spell that out either (after all it's not the focus).
What exactly was the emotional baggage of the term "darky" in 1852 when it was written? I don't know a source to find that out but I'd be fascinated to see one.
The term African American wasn't around back then, and it's hard to gauge the racism that may, or may not have been present, at that time within the utterance of the term.
But once again, in 1853, almost nobody, anywhere in America held the belief that blacks weren't inferior. Including most blacks
Largely true, although the Underground Railroad and the Abolitionist Movement were going on at the time so it might be a stretch to say "almost nobody".
But the point remains, in the context of this song lyric there's no such sentiment expressed, no wish of ill upon "darkies", etc. If there were, it would count as racism. So the only question remaining is whether the term "darky" -- in itself, standing alone -- was a term of disparagement, or whether it was simply neutral, in 1852.
