"you've got to be carefully taught"

[niyad]

thought about this song a few days ago, and, tonight, great performances is showing "south pacific".

You've Got to Be Carefully Taught
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

"You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" (sometimes "You've Got to Be Taught" or "Carefully Taught") is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific.

South Pacific received scrutiny for its commentary regarding relationships between different races and ethnic groups. In particular, "You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught" was subject to widespread criticism, judged by some to be too controversial or downright inappropriate for the musical stage.<1> Sung by the character Lieutenant Cable, the song is preceded by a lyric saying racism is "not born in you! It happens after you’re born..."

Rodgers and Hammerstein risked the entire South Pacific venture in light of legislative challenges to its decency or supposed Communist agenda. While on a tour of the Southern United States, lawmakers in Georgia introduced a bill outlawing entertainment containing "an underlying philosophy inspired by Moscow."<2> One legislator said that "a song justifying interracial marriage was implicitly a threat to the American way of life."<2> Rodgers and Hammerstein defended their work strongly. James Michener, upon whose stories South Pacific was based, recalled, "The authors replied stubbornly that this number represented why they had wanted to do this play, and that even if it meant the failure of the production, it was going to stay in."<2>
Lyrics

You've got to be taught To hate and fear, You've got to be taught From year to year, It's got to be drummed In your dear little ear You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid Of people whose eyes are oddly made, And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade, You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late, Before you are six or seven or eight, To hate all the people your relatives hate, You've got to be carefully taught."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27ve_Got_to_Be_Carefully_Taught



seems very appropriate.

[elleng]

1. Certainly appropriate.

Cried, as usual, seeing it tonight.

[sharesunited]

2. Never really grabbed me until the Lincoln Center production tonight on PBS.

Luther and Bloody Mary were exceptional!

[bobbolink]

3. Perfect! Thank you for bringing this back.

I had forgotten this song, and sometimes the oldies are the best.

Certainly fitting for today!

:hug:

[niyad]

4. you are welcome. this song has been running in my head again for several days now.

[bobbolink]

5. Some earworms are good. ^_^

Mine is "Can you hear the people sing..." from Les Miz.

The name of a certain online forum. :)

:hug:

[niyad]

6. agreed-- I had yours in my head for a very long time, and it still plays from time to time.

did you ever see the tenth anniversary special on Les Miz? had the jean valjeans from all over the world all come pouring onto the stage, singing. it was incredible.

[bobbolink]

7. I still have that one, and it still brings the tears to my eyes.

In the scene with the Bishop:

"He treated me like any other.....He called me 'brother' "

:cry:

If we had more actual interpersonal communications like that, we would have a more healthy society.

[niyad]

8. . . . .