So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[Fading Fast]

My favorite national anthem is the Marseillaise, which, besides a great tune, has the wonderful line, "Their polluted blood shall water the furrows of our fields!" So civilized, those French.

Oddly, the German national anthem, "Deutschland Uber Alles," is one of the least bellicose. Read the lyrics sometime. It's literally about wine, women and song.

I'm ready to go out and fight for the French (and I have no French ancestors - that I'm aware of) every time I see the "Marseillaise" scene in "Casablanca."

Since I grumble enough about my Dad on this site, I'll give him a kudos on this one. We didn't wave flags, etc., but alway rose and were silent at the playing of the National Anthem as a way of saying, yes, I love my country, not blindly, but still I love it. Sure, and my Dad acknowledge it, it was silly that it was played before most games, but as he said, so what, a lot of silly cultural stuff happens, stand, be respectful and move on. And if someone doesn't stand, "ignore it, it's their business, not yours."

And that was it. We didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it, didn't discuss whether the song was good or not or each word in it or if there was a better way to handle it - it was, we stood, it finished, we sat and, then, watched the game.

Every country, every family, every culture, every religion, every group develops some, somewhat odd, somewhat inconsistent norms and rituals. In this country, the current norm is to be incredibly respectful and sensitive to any non-American cultural norm, any non-dominant-white-power group norm and, in almost every case, I agree with that view, but that same view should be applied to America's norms.

Our National Anthem and playing it before games is a quirk / silly / inconsistent / whatever - I respect it the same way I would respect the British playing God Save the Queen or a small tribe somewhere doing a dance I don't understand that pays respects to some important idea in its culture.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Meanwhile, on the trivial front, idiots who spit their disgusting chewing gum on the parking lot ought to be boiled alive in a kettle of raw chicle and then dunked in a refreshing spearmint candy coating. And then they should be forced to scrape the remnants of their repulsive cud off the sole of my shoe with their own teeth.

 

[2jakes]

^^^^^
Same treatment for the healots who dump disposable baby diapers in the parking lots.
In the summer heat, the odor is worse.
These offenders should be locked up in an outhouse.

You know that you are getting old if
you know what an outhouse is.

Soory...I digress.

 

[Fading Fast]

Yes and yes to the two above posts.

 

[Trenchfriend]

The spill of nut-nougatcream.

 

[dh66]

This......

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[LizzieMaine]

Whenever I've been "job shadowed" I've always been tempted to say something like "...don't tell nobody, but this room here is where we keep the guns, booze, and drugs..."

 

[swanson_eyes]

I guess mine for the day is children who scream so loud I can hear them several yards away. And they are inside their apartment. I have a headache now.

 

[2jakes]

I guess mine for the day is children who scream so loud I can hear them several yards away. And they are inside their apartment. I have a headache now.

Growing up with five sisters & a brother, you would've had a headache 24/7.


Lie down, close your eyes & place a cool cloth on your forehead & don’t think.
Just relax. Have someone rub the back of your neck . That helps.

Hope your headache goes away soon !

 

[swanson_eyes]

Have someone rub the back of your neck . That helps.

There's only me. Oh, and I went out to take my laundry to the washers and on the bottom stair was someone's stuff, including a big phone and a tablet. Sooooo tempted to OOPS! Oh, I stepped on your phone I didn't see! I wouldn't, but the temptation was great. It's a safety hazard to leave stuff on the stairs, and I don't even think the person actually lives here....

 

[2jakes]

There's only me. Oh, and I went out to take my laundry to the washers and on the bottom stair was someone's stuff, including a big phone and a tablet. Sooooo tempted to OOPS! Oh, I stepped on your phone I didn't see! I wouldn't, but the temptation was great. It's a safety hazard to leave stuff on the stairs, and I don't even think the person actually lives here....

Perhaps this person also had a headache from the loud children & forgot about
the phone and didn’t mean to do it on purpose.

Nevertheless, it is dangerous.
When I’m tired, walls or corners run into me.
So I take extra care.
My bad habit is leaving the kitchen when I have bread toasting in the stove (grill)

That stove senses the instant I leave the kitchen,
and automatically burns my toast.

I’m beginning to develop a taste for burnt toast.

 

[Stearmen]

My favorite national anthem is the Marseillaise, which, besides a great tune, has the wonderful line, "Their polluted blood shall water the furrows of our fields!" So civilized, those French.

Oddly, the German national anthem, "Deutschland Uber Alles," is one of the least bellicose. Read the lyrics sometime. It's literally about wine, women and song.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Speaking of anthems and anthem-like performances at ball games, the New York Daily News, a paper close to my own heart, says "enough already" to "God Bless America."

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The longest national anthem is probably the Mexican national anthem it just seems to go on and on. Some of the powerful radio stations from Tijuana that could be heard in L.A. would play it at the end of the day.

 

[2jakes]

Speaking of anthems and anthem-like performances at ball games, the New York Daily News, a paper close to my own heart, says "enough already" to "God Bless America."

Gosh,I would’ve never known that this deity doesn’t exist, at least that’s what the NYDN says.

 

[Hercule]

Given that 4th of July is on the near horizon, I am SOOOOO NOT looking forward to hearing at every turn "proud to be an American..." If ever a song will be played in hell, it'll be that one.

 

[LizzieMaine]

He's free to believe as he likes . But I strongly share his view on the non-existance of a god who takes a stand on petty nationalistic issues, or who can be influenced by meaningless rituals at a ball game.

 

[Fading Fast]

Last week, I went to the first professional baseball game I've gone to in four or five years and was surprised when "God Bless America" was played - and surprised to learn from Lizzie's link to the DN article that it was a post-9/11 add.

A few thoughts:

As an agnostic, I don't have any problem with "In God We Trust" on our currency or a few references to God here or there in some official gov't way as our country was founded by Christian men who still had the perspective to allow for religious freedom (no, they weren't perfect and, no, they didn't get it perfect - but they still did a good job based on the time they lived, IMHO), so I just take it as culturally respectful to go along (as I would be culturally respectful to other countries' and group's historically-based cultural preferences). If somebody forces me to go to a church or believe in a particular religion, then I'll man the parapets with all those opposing, but the nominal stuff we have to do as citizens today does not threaten my religious freedom. And if it's a slippery slope, it must not be too steep as we haven't slipped that far in well over 200 years.

It seems reasonable to me to stop - or not - playing "God Bless America" as the National Anthem covers the same ground - a patriotic moment. Maybe it was helpful to some after 9/11, but nothing wrong with reassessing now. And "Take Me Out to the Ballpark" is America - so, yes, let's play that. And anyone who dissects each word and phrase of these songs - written how long ago - and adduces it as insight into the National psyche is someone that gives too much thought to all of this - or wants to build a PHD level thesis to be published and never read - as most people don't know all the words, don't mindless believe them and see it as I do - a cultural moment that doesn't have to be overthought. But again, we sing the National Anthem, one patriotic song at a game seems enough to me.

Last thought: teams (in general, but not always) pander to their fans, hence, if there was enough pushback, I'd bet it would stop. And, to that point, it seems even within one city - NYC - different teams handle it differently. To me, that sounds very American, let the people decide or at least impact the decision and let different regions follow the prevailing sentiment for their region. My guess is Texas and Massachusetts will arrive at a different outcome.

 

[LizzieMaine]

My main issue is that there's just too damn much pink-hat nonsense at the ballpark nowadays. Leave that bombastic foolishness to pro football, a sport I am delighted to ignore. I just want to see a no-frills ballgame.

I also refuse to sing "Sweet Caroline" at Fenway Park. No good, no good, no good.

 

[2jakes]

^^^^^
There’s no doubt that we are all free to believe as we choose.
To print an article declaring that this deity does not exist
makes me wonder where he gets the knowledge to make
this statement.

And I agree, there is overkill at the ball game.