The ridiculous excesses of political correctness have now stretched all the way to Yankee Stadium and Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.
Both the Yankees and the NHL Flyers have banned Kate Smith’s famed 1943 recording of Irving Berlin’s classic “God Bless America.”
The Flyers — for whom the recording has long been a good-luck charm (Smith herself sang it live during the 1974 Stanley Cup final) — went even further: They’ve actually covered up a statue of the singer that stands outside the arena.
The Yankees have played the recording during the seventh-inning stretch ever since 9/11.
The problem? Two other songs Smith recorded during the 1930s contain lyrics and words that demean black people.
But the case isn’t clear-cut on one of the songs, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born.” Apart from the now-objectionable title, the lyrics — “Someone’s got to pick the cotton/Someone had to plant the corn” — can also be seen as an ironic and satirical comment on racism. That’s why noted African American singer and civil-rights activist Paul Robeson also recorded the song.
The other song Smith recorded, “Pickaninny Heaven,” clearly is demeaning. Sad to say, such songs once were all-too-commonly heard.
But they were also a product of their time and place. And if the nation bans everyone who ever sang such songs and pretends they never existed, it would have to wipe out pretty much the entire history of American film and music.
In pulling the Smith recording, the Yankees claimed to be “erring on the side of sensitivity.” They certainly erred — by caving to hysterical excess.