Oh Macklemore, how could you have known what a stir your song would cause? “Same Love”, the song heard around the world, has once again made headlines. A school teacher has again been reprimanded for playing the song the North Carolina superintendent called “inappropriate.” No real reason as to why it was inappropriate was given.
If this sounds like dejavu, it is. The same thing happened in South Lyon, Michigan when another teacher played it and the teacher, Susan Johnson, got suspended. In that case, the ACLU, the media and public outcry got the better of the district. The teacher was reinstated and the suspension dropped.
It’s hard to place what is so offensive to people about “Same Love.” Yes, there is one swear word in the song when Macklemore sings the lyric, “Damn right I support it.” High school students have undoubtedly heard the word before. It’s not as if teachers are playing this in an elementary school setting. Even if they did, they could simply bleep out the one swear word. It seems to be a bigger issue.
It’s all about bigotry and anti-gay sentiment. There seems to be not one other possible reason the song that preaches love and tolerance could be considered “inappropriate.” What does this teach our kids? It teaches them that it’s “inappropriate” to talk about the truth. It teaches them that any time you feel uncomfortable about any issue, you just sweep it under the rug. It teaches them that censorship is alive and well in America.
Yet, we all know that, don’t we? Some students do not know that Columbus didn’t discover America. They don’t know that he got lost and accidentally stumbled across a country people were already living in. We rewrite history, and that’s okay…but talking about freedom to love who you want is wrong. Well, we think that’s wrong.
We agree with Macklemore. “No freedom ‘till we’re equal. Damn right I support it!”
A teacher’s personal views should not be present in a classroom that molds young minds. A song can convey a personal view. If our society is continually tolerant of everything than how can these young minds determine what is right or wrong? It creates an apathetic society.
I agree that students should be able to decide for themselves what they believe is right or wrong–and that teachers should not push beliefs on them. But is disallowing exposure to differing opinions the way to go? How can students decide how they feel if songs like “Same Love” are censored and called inappropriate? In this case, playing the song doesn’t tell students a teacher’s personal opinion (the song only says what the singer’s opinion is)–but it does open up a great avenue for discussion of a current issue.
On a side note, if we are censoring this song just because it talks about beliefs, then shouldn’t we be crossing off things like Christmas music because it expresses a religious belief/connection that all students might not relate to?
I certainly see where you are coming from, but these are just some thoughts to consider. While students won’t be able to decide how they feel if opinions are being pushed on them, they also won’t be able to decide how they feel if we are constantly holding our hands over their eyes.