Is it okay to sing “Africa”at a HS soccer game?

[Unregistered]

When we ***** folks it's not racist at all....we just don't like 'em.

too funny, thanks. Figures - a lame song for a lame team.

[Unregistered]

CT reader. My daughter plays against their team and my husband and myself are alumni. Sadly, I'm not surprised this occurred. The culture at the school has definitely shifted from the Catholic, college preparatory school it once was. This never would have been tolerated. The investigation and resulting consequences would have been immediate.
St. Joes has never sang the song Africa in the years we've played them. We have not had an African American player on our team throughout those years.

STJ's star player is Hispanic, and a four-year starter on the team is African-American. A freshman on this year's squad also is African-American. While it may be true that STJ did not have minority players in the past, it has not been that way for several years.

Maybe the STJ kid who brought the boombox was inspired by a Newcastle, UK "Africa" sing-along, which had taken place just a week before:

Newcastle Upon-Tyne Sings AFRICA By Toto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErL5vVixOOw

Or the inspiration came from an "Africa" sing-along outside the White House in October:

Sing Africa Outside The White House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4mKXncAsr8

Until it can be proved (by video or audio tape) that one or more STJ students shouted racist chants - outside of the "Africa" song lyrics - there is no evidence of racist behavior. The song is sung at public events routinely, and should not be characterized as racist behavior simply because a kid played the song at a high school soccer game and sang along to it.

[Unregistered]

STJ's star player is Hispanic, and a four-year starter on the team is African-American. A freshman on this year's squad also is African-American. While it may be true that STJ did not have minority players in the past, it has not been that way for several years.

Maybe the STJ kid who brought the boombox was inspired by a Newcastle, UK "Africa" sing-along, which had taken place just a week before:

Newcastle Upon-Tyne Sings AFRICA By Toto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErL5vVixOOw

Or the inspiration came from an "Africa" sing-along outside the White House in October:

Sing Africa Outside The White House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4mKXncAsr8

Until it can be proved (by video or audio tape) that one or more STJ students shouted racist chants - outside of the "Africa" song lyrics - there is no evidence of racist behavior. The song is sung at public events routinely, and should not be characterized as racist behavior simply because a kid played the song at a high school soccer game and sang along to it.

You are a jerk with so many white people problems you will never know why everything you posted here is ridiculous.

[Unregistered]

What is going on these days is reminiscent of the French Revolution where every aggrieved party points a finger at someone they have a grudge against and the mob proceeds to chop their head off. All it does is bury the really big issues under a bunch really petty accusations that ultimately desensitize everyone to the real ugliness that should be the focus. Very sad indeed.

[Unregistered]

What is going on these days is reminiscent of the French Revolution where every aggrieved party points a finger at someone they have a grudge against and the mob proceeds to chop their head off. All it does is bury the really big issues under a bunch really petty accusations that ultimately desensitize everyone to the real ugliness that should be the focus. Very sad indeed.

Well, since real ugliness doesn't count for you, what do you count as real ugliness? How about some examples.

[Unregistered]

Well, since real ugliness doesn't count for you, what do you count as real ugliness? How about some examples.

Isn't that the problem these days, no one can seem to tell the difference between hard ugly racism and petty insensitivity. It sets up a lot of boy (sorry person) who cried wolf (sorry carnivorous animal) scenarios.

[Unregistered]

STJ's star player is Hispanic, and a four-year starter on the team is African-American. A freshman on this year's squad also is African-American. While it may be true that STJ did not have minority players in the past, it has not been that way for several years.

Maybe the STJ kid who brought the boombox was inspired by a Newcastle, UK "Africa" sing-along, which had taken place just a week before:

Newcastle Upon-Tyne Sings AFRICA By Toto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErL5vVixOOw

Or the inspiration came from an "Africa" sing-along outside the White House in October:

Sing Africa Outside The White House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4mKXncAsr8

Until it can be proved (by video or audio tape) that one or more STJ students shouted racist chants - outside of the "Africa" song lyrics - there is no evidence of racist behavior. The song is sung at public events routinely, and should not be characterized as racist behavior simply because a kid played the song at a high school soccer game and sang along to it.

Are you a parent from the school? Pretty strange for a MA poster to go to that much trouble to look all that up. From what I read it was the fans who chanted, nothing to do with the team. Do you really think predominantly white students know about the Newcastle or White House references? Give me a break. They also said racist things. This isn't just about the song.

[Unregistered]

Well, since real ugliness doesn't count for you, what do you count as real ugliness? How about some examples.

not the poster...

Think about it from the other team's perspective. First time making playoffs in something like 20 years. The coach said they were outgunned and they knew it going in. Was never going to be close so they're no arguing that they should have won. They had to have good reason to press the issue. I sometimes read the CT boards and there have been other high schools accused of racist chants. We have here too. Even a "little bit" racist is still racist. It's the white guys that don't see it that way and that's a big part of the problem in this country

[Unregistered]

Why punish the team for something the fans did?
That is 100% stupid

Because the "Fans" also represent the school and the student body.

[Unregistered]

Isn't that the problem these days, no one can seem to tell the difference between hard ugly racism and petty insensitivity. It sets up a lot of boy (sorry person) who cried wolf (sorry carnivorous animal) scenarios.

This kind of response is becoming so scripted, boring, and predictable, with the goal of maintaining a great wall of denial. Talk about microaggressions, snowflakes, etc, etc and then allege that every racist event and comment is merely a product of liberal bias. Black kids get the crap beat out of them when the police think no one is looking and of course they were asking for it and trying to steal something or mouthed off to the cops. Teenage women get assaulted and Trump stumps for Moore while putting a singular focus on Franken. NFL players express their civil rights which has nothing to do with disrespecting the country and suddenly the same people who excuse everything are conveniently now very concrete and literal. Goes on and on. The other team was being racially taunted. Full stop.

[Unregistered]

Because the "Fans" also represent the school and the student body.

True. The School should take responsibility for the actions of its students. Casting any punishment on the players, who by all accounts played no part, is shifting not shouldering responsibility. .

[Unregistered]

Are you a parent from the school? Pretty strange for a MA poster to go to that much trouble to look all that up. From what I read it was the fans who chanted, nothing to do with the team. Do you really think predominantly white students know about the Newcastle or White House references? Give me a break. They also said racist things. This isn't just about the song.

The only known fact as of now concerns the song. How do you know that the kid who played it meant to demean the other team? Maybe he just played the song because he wanted to lead a sing along like the NE Revs do.

As far as the alleged racist chants made at the end of the song, let's see the video that the offended parents took. Unfortunately, no one took any. The Windsor parents sat through a song that offended them, followed by alleged racist chants that offended them - but no one thought of taking cellphone video?

Just because a person says something happened a certain way does not make it true:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.718ed86a0edd

[Unregistered]

The only known fact as of now concerns the song. How do you know that the kid who played it meant to demean the other team? Maybe he just played the song because he wanted to lead a sing along like the NE Revs do.

As far as the alleged racist chants made at the end of the song, let's see the video that the offended parents took. Unfortunately, no one took any. The Windsor parents sat through a song that offended them, followed by alleged racist chants that offended them - but no one thought of taking cellphone video?

Just because a person says something happened a certain way does not make it true:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.718ed86a0edd

The song is not racists. The behavior of the crowd was at best bush league taunting and at worst racists.

Would a video really change your mind or would just move the goalposts? It is ok to call out bad behavior.

[Unregistered]

Well, since real ugliness doesn't count for you, what do you count as real ugliness? How about some examples.

How about real but fake ugliness?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.718ed86a0edd

"Kansas man said he defaced his own car with racist slurs"
http://www.kansas.com/news/state/article183090886.html

http://www.startribune.com/st-olaf-r...ted/421912763/

[Unregistered]

The song is not racists. The behavior of the crowd was at best bush league taunting and at worst racists.

Would a video really change your mind or would just move the goalposts? It is ok to call out bad behavior.

A video would prove that the alleged racist behavior happened. Yes - a video would change my mind.