Can We Be Judged by What We Read?

Recently Bob Gale, the chair of the Niagara Regional government, suddenly resigned after becoming embroiled in a bit of controversy.  His faux-pas?  Owning a copy of Mein Kampf, the book which Adolf Hitler wrote as he languished in Landsberg Prison, having been convicted of high treason, and which laid out his political ideology and his plans for assuming power within the German political system of the time.  To make matters worse, this particular copy of the book was apparently signed by "Der Führer" himself.

A lot of people were, no doubt, shocked and appalled to learn that an apparent Nazi sympathizer had somehow managed to get appointed to the position of regional chair.  Good thing he was found out before he had the chance to do any serious damage.  Dodged a bullet there!

Or did we?  Just because a man owns a book doesn't necessarily mean that he sympathizes with its author or its contents.  Perhaps he was simply intellectually curious to read about how a megalomaniac thinks and reasons.  Or perhaps he wanted to know just how accurately Hitler's plans reflected his actual rise to power.  Perhaps he wanted to compare Hitler's ramblings with those of Donald Trump.  Or perhaps Gale is just a collector.  A signed copy of Mein Kampf would certainly be something of a rarity, and likely valuable as well.  If the book was signed by Hitler, it was likely printed in German.  Can Bob Gale even read German?

The Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association and Justice 4 Black Lives Niagara condemned Gale for owning the book, demanding that he provide both a public explanation and an apology.  For what?  As far as I've been able to determine, Bob Gale has never made any racist or anti-semetic remarks, nor has he belonged to or sympathized with any racist, fascist or anti-semetic persons or organizations. He just owns a book whose author isn't well liked.

Gale did offer a statement without either confirming or denying that he owns a copy of Mein Kampf.  He wrote, "As everyone knows, I am a passionate historian with a broad collection of historical art and artifacts.  My collection includes an 1859 letter from anti-slavery advocate John Brown, a letter from George Washington, a letter from Winston Churchill and Vatican archives.  I also have a signed copy of the first book in 1685 about Niagara Falls by Father Hennepin."  

Okay, so Bob Gale seemingly has a lot more money than I do to put toward his collection of written works, but his statement does seem to support my argument.  He went on to say that "Today, a member of the communist party circulated a dated document that listed my name as the owner of a historical book found in many libraries."  He makes a valid point.  Mein Kampf can be found in many libraries and book collections.  There's no law against owning a copy.

To me, this is a clear example of how quick people can be to judge others based on appearances without really understanding the situation or their motives.   We start down a slippery and dangerous slope when we begin to judge people based on what they read or collect.  Bob Gale's collection of historical books and documents has nothing to do with his public service as regional chair of Niagara and he should not have had to resign because of it. As the old adage says, judge not lest ye be judged.

Musical Artists Cave to Cancel Culture

I read recently that, according to Rolling Stone magazine, certain musical artists, including Cher, Joni Mitchell and The Rolling Stones themselves, have started censoring their own work by excluding songs or artwork that may be seen as being politically incorrect.

Cher chose to omit her 1973 hit, Half-breed, from her soon-to-be-released anthology, entitled Forever.

Joni Mitchell recently released a boxed set of her albums from the seventies, including one entitled Don Juan's Reckless Daughter.  Although the album was included, the cover art, which originally showed Mitchell wearing blackface makeup, was completely replaced with a new image of Mitchell hiding behind a wolf.

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter: Original Cover Artwork vs Revised Woke Artwork

 

Let me just state here that it wasn't even clear to me, just looking at the original cover art, that Mitchell was even wearing blackface.  She looks, to me, as white as the child to the right of her.  If Rolling Stone magazine hadn't said that she wore blackface, I'd have never known.  If I were to criticize the album cover for depicting a racial stereotype, it would be the black guy dressed as a pimp that I would single out.

 

As for the Rolling Stones, they removed their classic hit, Brown Sugar, from their concert play list back in 2021.

 

I've written before on this blog about radio stations removing Dire Straits' 1985 hit, Money for Nothing, from their play lists because a handful of woke malcontents took exception to the line, "That little faggot with the earring and the makeup".  While this may, at first, seem different, given that it wasn't the artists themselves who pulled the song, front man Mark Knopfler has since taken to substituting other words, such as "trucker", for the word "faggot" when he performs the song live. 

At risk of digressing, I'm sure that, for a while, after all the outrage on social media, YouTube posted an edited version of the Money for Nothing video with the offending verse edited out.  Since then, however, they seem to have restored the full original video.  Good for them!

While I respect the right of any musician or group to revise or even eliminate their own work from the public domain (after all, they own it), it's disappointing that they have decided to prioritize political correctness over the message that they were attempting to convey.

It seems we're neglecting to take context into account when evaluating artistic content.  If you listen carefully to Cher's Half-breed, it's a song about a despondent young girl whose only crime was to be conceived by a native American mother and a white father, and who was never accepted by either race as a result.  The song not only illustrates the emotional harm that racism can do, but it also points out that racism is a two-way street.  Even those belonging to a minority race can be guilty of racist attitudes toward the majority.  Here are the full lyrics for that song:

My father married a pure Cherokee
My mother's people were ashamed of me
The Indians said that I was white by law
The White Man always called me "Indian Squaw"

 

Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, she's no good they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born

 

We never settled, went from town to town
When you're not welcome you don't hang around
The other children always laughed at me
"Give her a feather, she's a Cherokee"
 

Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, she's no good they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born

 

We weren't accepted and I felt ashamed
Nineteen I left them, tell me who's to blame
My life since then has been from man to man
But I can't run away from what I am

 

Half-breed, that's all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, she's no good they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born

Now do we see the context?  The racial slur, "half-breed" isn't used maliciously or frivolously.  The song makes it clear that the epithet hurts the singer and it condemns not only the white race for using it, but the Cherokee race as well, for doing the same.  

As for the Stones' Brown Sugar, Keith Richards is the one band member who says that the song is about the horrors of slavery and hopes to some day reintroduce it to their concert line-up (assuming the Stones do any more concerts).  I have to admit, the condemnation of slavery isn't as obvious to me when I read these lyrics.  I can see where they might be misconstrued as a celebration of same (the repeated "Yeah, yeah, yeah, woo's might be a bit misleading).  But Keith Richard said "horrors" and, being one of the song's co-writers, he aught to know.  To save space (and some copy-pasting on my part), I'll just provide a link to the lyrics, rather than repeating them here, so that you can read them or even sing them and decide for yourself.

And, finally, at risk of repeating myself (and I am) the word "faggot" in Dire Straits' Money for Nothing is not being used maliciously or even directly by the singer, but is merely being quoted as having been spoken by a delivery guy who, by his manner of speech, doesn't come across as being the sharpest knife in the drawer, exactly.  In my opinion, the song is ridiculing the speaker for using the term.  It's like front man Mark Knopfler is winking at his audience and saying "Okay, folks, I think it's clear what sort of mentality it is that we're dealing with here."  I'm going to paste in the full lyrics, rather than just a link, because I particularly like this song.  So, here they are and, if they offended you before, keep in mind as you read them that the whole song is merely quoting this nameless delivery grunt and that, far from glorifying him or even agreeing with him, is depicting him as the under-educated, ignorant fool that he is.  Oh, and feel free to sing the words out and play air guitar while you do so.  I know I will!  

 

Remember, context is important.

Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free

 

Now that ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya, them guys ain't dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a blister on your thumb

 

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we got to move these color TVs

 

That little faggot with the earring and the make up
Yeah, buddy, that's his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot, he's a millionaire

 

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color TVs

 

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we got to move these color TVs
 

Looky here, look out

I shoulda learned to play the guitar
I shoulda learned to play them drums
Look at that mama, she got it stickin' in the camera man
We could have some fun

 

And who's up there, what's that?
Hawaiian noises?
He's bangin' on the bongos like a chimpanzee
No that ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Get your money for nothin', get your chicks for free

 

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color TVs

 

Listen here
Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Money for nothin', chicks for free
Get your money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Ooh, money for nothin', chicks for free
Money for nothin', chicks for free (money, money, money)
Money for nothin', chicks for free
Get your money for nothin', get your chicks for free
Get your money for nothin' and the chicks for free
Get your money for nothin' and the chicks for free

Look at that, look at that
Get your money for nothin' (I want my, I want my)
Chicks for free (I want my MTV)
Money for nothin', chicks for free (I want my, I want my, I want my MTV)
Get your money for nothin' (I want my, I want my)
And the chicks for free (I want my MTV)
Get your money for nothin' (I want my, I want my)
And the chicks for free (I want my MTV)
Easy, easy money for nothin' (I want my, I want my)
Easy, easy chicks for free (I want my MTV)
Easy, easy money for nothin' (I want my, I want my)
Chicks for free (I want my MTV)
That ain't workin'

Money for nothing, chicks for free
Money for nothing, chicks for free