It seems that with every passing day, a new story dealing with racism emerges. We have all read about the words that came out of the mouth of L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling as well as rancher Cliven Bundy, and during the past week a new story developed about a New Hampshire police commissioner calling the president the “n” word.

Here in New Jersey, the township of Teaneck (home of WFDU-FM) recently observed the 50th anniversary of becoming the first district in the nation to voluntarily integrate their schools, but the celebration was nearly overshadowed by the arrest of dozens of Teaneck high school students, mostly African-American, for annual high school seniors prank that involved a break in at the school. Police reported acts of vandalism and students urinating in the halls, an incident that questioning parents say were “overly exaggerated” by the local police. The school administration also vehemently denied the police reports about urination and said there was no serious damage and only took a few hours to clean up overturned desks, remove streamers and scrawls from water-based markers. Tensions are still high, and clearly there is work to be done.

Two other stories were reported this week, both dealing with music, racism and radio.

First, a BBC broadcaster with 32 years of experience found himself out of a job when he played a song with a racist word on his golden oldies show. David Lowe aired a 1932 recording of a song called “The Sun Has Got His Hat On,” which contained the “n” word. The song, written by Noel Gay and Ralph Butler and recorded by Ambrose & His Orchestra contained the line “He’s been tanning n****** out in Timbuktu, now he’s coming back to do the same to you.”

Lowe later said that he played the song several times over the years on his “Singers and Swingers” radio program, but said that he was unaware of the lyric. It took only a SINGLE listener to complain to the BBC for them to take action. Lowe offered to either apologize on air or “fall on my sword” and resign, and the BBC chose the latter. After Lowe resigned, there was an outcry from fans and colleagues about the firing and it was reported that the BBC offered the show back to Lowe, which he declined citing the incident caused a “stress-related” condition to flare up. Incidentally, Lowe said that he chose to play the song after declining a listener request for another song that contained references to the Prophet Muhammad, which Lowe felt would offend some of his listeners.

The other story hit closer to home as an American folk tune has been put under the microscope. In his NPR’s Code Switch blog, writer Theodore R. Johnson III discusses the roots of what he refers to as “the ice cream truck song,” a tune that most folk music fans will recognize as “Turkey in the Straw.” This old-time American fiddle tune dates back to the early 19th century and actually can be traced to an old ballad called “My Grandmother Lived in Yonder Little Green,” which itself comes from a tune that can be found in England, Scotland and Ireland called “The Old Rose Tree.” Nothing racist about those roots, but as Johnson points out in his story, the tune became popular in this country with the advent of blackface minstrel shows starting in the 1820’s. The first published lyrics to be found for the tune was a song called “Zip Coon,” a song mocking free black men who were trying to assimilate to white high society of the era and it contained a chorus which we can trace to the Disney song “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

Over the years you can find various sets of lyrics that were set to the tune, often in dialect and often distasteful by modern standards. Thompson dug up the penultimate racist use of the tune in an incredibly offensive song recorded on Columbia Records in 1916. (Should you be really curious about this offensive song, you can read the original NPR blog entry, but be prepared – as Thompson warns, do not read if you wish “to avoid racist imagery and slurs.”)

In his blog entry, Johnson reminds us of the popularity of the minstrel shows in the 19th century. For several decades the variety shows traveled the country featuring almost exclusively white performers made up in blackface creating characters that ridiculed African Americans and fostered stereotypes that continue to plague us to this day. The shows also utilized stereotypes of other ethnic groups that were immigrating to the U.S. in the 1800s, notably the Irish and Germans. The minstrel shows were also known to be quite sexist to boot. They traveled the country, offering exaggerated depictions of the lives of slaves in the days before emancipation and continuing to distort images in the years after. It is interesting to note that the rise of the minstrel shows coincided with the rise of the abolitionist movement and while the shows would continue before dying out at the turn of the 20th century, they were often the only entertainment brought into towns across the country.

Johnson correctly notes that many of the songs from the minstrel shows were also played in ice cream parlors that were popular in the 19th century. Of course, the minstrel songs were not the only tunes played in these parlors, nor is there evidence that they were singing racist verses while serving sundaes and shakes. Johnson also goes on to say that after WWII, these “minstrel” tunes were used on ice cream trucks that began selling their wares on the streets across the country. The tunes played on the trucks were to serve as a reminder of those ice cream parlors. Was I subliminally subjected to racism whenever I heard those bells and ran to the truck in my youth? (Okay, I admit that I still patronize the neighborhood ice cream truck from time to time. Shop local, right?)

Since Johnson’s blog was published, a number of media outlets across the country have reported on the story with attention grabbing headlines such as “That Ice Cream Truck Song from Your Childhood is Actually Racist”(Gawker), “Ice Cream Truck Song Has Appalling Racist Origins: ’Turkey in the Straw’ jingle has roots in offensive minstrel songs.”(Spin), “Ice Cream Song has Roots in Racism” (Minnesota Public Radio) to mention a few.

In his blog, Johnson writes, “there is simply no divorcing the song from the dozens of decades it was almost exclusively used for coming up with new ways to ridicule, and profit from, black people.”

My reactions were mixed upon reading Johnson’s blog. Yes, I certainly was appalled by the racist use of the tune that Johnson illustrated, yet “Turkey in the Straw” never had any apparent racist connection in any versions I’ve played of the fiddle tune. Johnson states that you cannot divorce the song from the past, but when it comes to marriage, divorce is an opportunity for two people to admit the mistake and move on. The past will always exist, but new futures and opportunities lie ahead.

I have to admit, while I had known the tune had minstrel ties, I was unaware of the depth. It took a visit to another blog to find further links to the songs history. Azizi Powell is an African American who has spent over 40 years collecting, studying and sharing West African stories with audiences in Pennsylvania. She has two blogs where she raises awareness and explores African American culture, and she has previously shared her notes about “Turkey in the Straw.” It appears that Johnson just scratched the surface in his article as Powell goes much deeper and gives greater perspective by sharing examples of the tune put to racist lyrics as well as its usage as a dance and children’s tune. Among her samples, she sites how “Turkey in the Straw” was used as a children’s song with nonsense lyrics, and also lyrics that may have come from the African American community. It is not a simple history.

We cannot hide the history of how this tune was usurped into the minstrel tradition, but we must also recognize that prior to minstrel shows and after the demise of minstrel shows, fiddlers of all races have played those notes without invoking racist connotations.

The study of folk music is a study of history, culture and people. Musicologists and folklorists have always examined how songs were used and passed on in the societies from which they were found. Since the folk revival, folk singers have shared what they have learned with their audiences, placing the songs in the context with their history. Contemporary audiences appreciate the history, but there is still an entertainment value in the music that makes these racial issues stand out.

If you spend time watching old movies from the silent film days through the 1940s and beyond, you will often see images that will make your head spin. How did Hollywood allow stereotyping to thrive? Why would composers such as Noel Gay and Ralph Butler feel compelled to use the “n” word when they wrote “The Sun Has Got His Hat on,” and why would minstrel shows “borrow” a harmless tune and add such demeaning lyrics?

The answer can be found in the norms of the society at the time. While abolitionists and early civil rights campaigns were trying to change attitudes, they were battling prevailing opinions which we now see were also fueled by the arts. Racist images were perpetuated in books, music and later film. In 2014 we can look back in horror, but we also have to examine just where we are today.

It will be interesting to see how, and if, this furor over “Turkey in the Straw” develops as more people discover the history. Perception creates reality. Will there be enough of an outcry to prevent people from playing the tune? Johnson concludes his blog by saying that he will continue to buy ice cream for his daughters from the truck and save their history lesson for another day.

I’m reminded of two comedians – Mel Brooks and Lenny Bruce. When questioned as to why he would choose to use one of the most evil dictators in recorded history as the subject of “The Producers,” Brooks replied “the only real way I could get even with Hitler and company was to bring them down with laughter.” Lenny Bruce had a famous routine about the use of the “n” word in which he advocated using the word over and over until it no longer had meaning, “then you could never make some six-year-old black kid cry because somebody called him a n***** at school.”

As a radio host, I certainly do NOT intend to follow Lenny Bruce’s advice literally. Certain words and phrases do not have a place on radio, at least on my show. Yet, if I play the fiddle tune that most of us recognize, am I filling Mel Brook’s reasoning by helping to defeat the racist past?

The two incidents I described reveal that words can and do hurt . Broadcasting them in such a manner, even with an explanation of the history, is very difficult in this age where radio audiences look primarily for entertainment and accept any education subliminally. It can become a thin line between reminding people about the past and giving the appearance that you are celebrating that past.

I am sure that former BBC host David Lowe had no intention of hurting anyone when he played the unfortunate lyric. There are still comedians who use the “n” word and race as a subject of comedy, and there are numerous rap songs that use such hateful words. When these songs show up on the public airwaves, the songs are edited, however it often is easy to figure out what is being said. I was appalled when I visited a local high school and heard students using the word to each other. I don’t think this means Lenny Bruce was right, but rather the issue has become deeper.

It is interesting to note that the Federal Communications does not have regulations concerning racism. The FCC does have regulations concerning obscene, indecent and profane broadcasts (subjects to discuss in a future post), but racism – as foul as it is – does not meet the criteria established by federal broadcast law in the United States. It becomes an issue of how we wish to be perceived.

Words can be misconstrued, and hopefully it opens dialogues – but there are words that you cannot deny their hurtful effect. I choose not to share those words. It is not a question about being denied free speech; I exercise my right when I create my playlist. (In case you were wondering, the right to free speech is held by the license holder of the radio station, not the individual host or artist whose songs are played.)

Will I play “Turkey in the Straw?” Most likely, but NOT in a way that would offend. Folk music is a living process, and songs adapt. In the original version of “Alice’s Restaurant,” Arlo Guthrie used a word that is now recognized as an offensive term, not only by the gay community but by any educated person. Happily, Arlo does not sing that word anymore, although there are still some radio stations that air it – unedited. Likewise, the late Pete Seeger recognized that the final verse to “Union Maid” was rather sexist and he altered the verse in later years to reflect changing attitudes. With a few subtle changes (the folk process?) these songs have been made palatable for contemporary audiences. It doesn’t change the history or the overall message, but it points out how we learn and are open to change.

Now don’t try to tell me this is all a case of being overly “politically correct.” It is a matter of placing yourself in the shoes of another and gaining perspective to guide us. Changing our attitudes is not a crime or an avoidance of the issue, it is recognizing a problem that needs to be addressed.

We cannot hide from the past, and I applaud writers like Theodore Johnson and Azizi Powell for educating the public about where we have been. It is important that we share these backgrounds behind our music. It is unfortunate that racism will forever be part of our history but hopefully we can learn from the tragedies of the past.

I’ve had the opportunity to share songs on the radio about many subjects over the years, often political and sometimes controversial. Those of us who have the privilege of hosting folk music radio shows have what I see as a duty to challenge our audiences, but not hurt. When I choose songs for my radio program, I intend to educate and entertain, but I certainly do not wish to offend. I realize one radio show is not going to change public opinion, and whether or not I play “Turkey in the Straw” or other songs with suspect verbiage is not really at question – the issue is HOW the songs are used. As Gandhi said, I can only try to be part of the change I wish to see in the world.