a peek inside the fishbowl

1 | Bob LeDrew

May 27th, 2008 at 12:06 pm

Not so sure that it’s that we’ve collectively lost a sense of humour or that people are more and more in search of a hook on which to hang a sense of outrage.

So many boycotts, protests, etc. now seem to me to be contrived. The latest example is one against Subway in the US over a slight against home-schoolers.

It’s as if there’s a race for someone to declare themselves offended first and claim the prize.

2 | andrea

May 27th, 2008 at 1:11 pm

Bob: I’m offended that you’re offended that I’m offended. ;)

3 | Karen

May 27th, 2008 at 1:48 pm

I would not have been offended at all. I would have laughed. Hard.

4 | anne turner

May 27th, 2008 at 2:05 pm

I am not so intimate with the song at all, but I don’t mind the substitution of chiquita (banana) with tequila (alcohol). The kids probably have more of an experience with bananas than tequila, it probably means more to them. It is also a silly word and is a good substitute if one is to substitute.

Drinking is a problem with young people (probably not THIS young, but in a few years) – best not to make it sound fun or silly. I would have a problem with the kids singing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, because they wouldn’t have to know what that stands for, but how do you feel about songs with references to smoking or heroin use?

I wouldn’t have called in to complain about Tequila, but I think that chiquita is a perfectly good substitute there: harmless.

5 | anne turner

May 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm

Or I meant, substitution of tequila with chiquita.

6 | porter

May 27th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

I WOULDN’T BE OFFENDED!!!!!!!!!!

I think our society is so sensitive to everything these days and I’m really, really tired of it. Mind you, I’m the parent who lets my kids enjoy all things from my childhood….like Looney Tunes.

7 | anon

May 27th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

How about not being allowed to say Merry Christmas anymore? We are becoming far too politically correct.

8 | Sharon

May 27th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

You what strikes me as Funny After hearing the kids sing this I would have thought..>Man I’m such a ditz I thought for years they were singing Tequila and now I learn it Chiquita!

You know like Arrowsmiths Song Dude looks like a lady? I thought it was something else for YEARS! I’m still embrassed by that one!!!

But to the point. They shouldn’t change it. It’s just a song of the times and you know it hurt no one. I for one hate Tequila anyways and I don’t know many kids who would like it either.

;)

9 | anne turner

May 27th, 2008 at 5:13 pm

True that they’ve set up a high standard for themselves as alcohol is referred to in a number of great classic songs that are fun to sing. I’m wondering what they would replace whiskey and rye with in American Pie. I imagine someone in a backroom trying to make all these songs acceptable- quite a challenge. I think chiquita in that place is quite a good substitute as far as sound and absurdity.

It’s not that people can’t say Merry Christmas, it’s that some people took offense when some people didn’t say Merry Christmas and said Happy Holidays instead, or something. Frankly, a number of holidays fall that time of year, and happy holidays covers them all. Being offended that someone wishes you one thing when you want to hear something else, that sounds tyrannical to me.

I recall hearing a more recent version of a song the original was “drink it like a man”. I heard the song again a few years ago and it had been changed to “drink it from a can”. There was also a song we learned about “two Chinese, sitting on a fence, trying to make a dollar out of eighty-five cents”. It’s surprising to hear these songs changed, only because I learned them differently, but there’s no need to perpetuate poor taste.

10 | Lex

May 27th, 2008 at 7:01 pm

I think my reaction would be mild surprise, mild confusion, mild disbelief, mild exasperation and then mild amusement as I started to think of all the ways “Chiquita” could be contested as well.

I’ll bet there are more than a few people who could explain, in great detail, how misogynistic that term is… and another set who would be up in arms that children were being taught to sing about a corporate brand which done some pretty nasty things.

Then I’d forget the entire incident as the kids moved onto “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing”

11 | andrea

May 27th, 2008 at 7:06 pm

Lex: Wasn’t that a Coke commercial? ;)

12 | LO

May 27th, 2008 at 7:34 pm

I wouldn’t be upset! I’d start looking around for the bar queue (a new twist on school fundraising perhaps?).’ SEriously though, as a writer and creative being, I am against censorship and for deciding individually when and where something is introduced. We’ve gone overboard with political ‘correctedness’ (yes, play on words there) with things like this.
Idea for next discussion-the lack of fostering healthy competition at school. When I was in grade, they didn’t give everyone a red ribbon so no one would feel bad. Those that earned the red received it and the others were acknowledged in another way. Our children are going to have a hard time when they enter the ‘real’ world as they are always told everything is good and perfect. Fortunately we practice the ‘real’ world at home and it’s all good!
Okay, sorry for my tangent!
Lo

13 | Shan

May 27th, 2008 at 8:05 pm

I probably wouldn’t even have given it a second thought.

14 | anne turner

May 27th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

Well, the schools need to tread as if on eggshells because parents may not be ready to discuss something with their kid. So they let the parents teach their kids the original version. Having taken my child to a church preschool because there wasn’t much else available – there were loads of things raised there that I had problems with and wasn’t particulary ready to discuss with my preschooler. I would have liked him protected from the fact that people crucified people and threw them to the lions, etc.

I think it’s kind of sweet that they – the school, the teacher, put in this effort into being extra-sensitive. You can discuss it with your kids, this way, IF you want to, and IF you catch it, or not. It may be censorship or it could be considered more of a tailoring in order to be appropriate.

Humor, things passed off as funny or humorous, can hide sexism and racism and a bunch of things by skimming over them lightly and providing no basis or atmosphere to protest without seeming like you’re not being a sport. I appreciate what the school was doing/did.

(I so wish there was public preschool in the states.)

15 | words words

May 28th, 2008 at 6:35 am

Shouting out the word ‘Tequila!’ isn’t starting a discussion on drinking. It’s shouting the word ‘Tequila!’

Creating taboos is dangerous. Shouting ‘Tequila’ is fun.

16 | Katherine Tait

May 28th, 2008 at 7:58 am

Unfortunately, there’s a long tradition of people deciding what singers should sing and what audiences should hear. One of the most famous (infamous?) examples is Ed Sullivan requiring the Rolling Stones to sing “let’s spend some time together” instead of the real words of their 1967 hit. And Van Morrison actually censored himself when he re-recorded Brown Eyed Girl after becoming born again. So the hypothetical kids are being exposed to something they’ll encounter again and again. I think the greatest offence is that they are children. When they’re teenagers and older they will see through people’s attempts to censor their information. Without much in the way of critical thinking skills, children are vulnerable to all kinds of thought control… Yikes!

17 | Sam

May 28th, 2008 at 8:33 am

The problem really stems from past parents complaining about something similar and suing the school district. I am back at school earning my degree in English Educ. In my adolescent literature class- we spent more time talking about how to handle the text as to NOT piss off any parents- than we did on the actual literature. It is a real problem for the school- and the problem is really with the PARENTS- just a few of them- but they ruin it for everyone else.

That said- I am totally against censorship in that way- If the song was questionable- instead of altering the origonal – they should have just chosen a different song.

Just my thoughts.

18 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 8:50 am

I don’t think it’s particularly appropriate for kids to shout Tequila! in a school program. It doesn’t mean anything to kids particularly, but it sounds like Party! – and who knows what myriad things kids absorb that may influence their attitudes later.

I imagine Andrea didn’t learn this song at school when she learned it. Would you have preferred they picked another song, not learned that one at all rather than alter a word in it?

Does Chiquita! change the meaning much from Tequila! A silly word, that references bananas instead of alcohol? The kids got to sing it, and the school wasn’t condoning alcohol use. win/win.

19 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 8:56 am

There was a controlled study done recently that showed that people act drunk even when they are given alcohol placebos. Their behavior changes when they think they are drinking alcohol. This is related because Tequila! in this song may be setting out how people act – silly! when they drink alcohol.

20 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 9:11 am

And unfortunately some people feel that they can’t be silly or relax without the aid of alcohol. (I’m just trying to figure out what subtle or implied messages the song may send.)

21 | Mark

May 28th, 2008 at 9:23 am

A bit of background. The song “Tequila” was also on the hit list in 1958 which is likely where the reference comes from in Purple People Eater. There are a couple of pop culture references towards other songs in purple people eater (such as the short shorts reference). I guess it was the late 50’s version of sampling.

…and food for thought. Tequila is a city in Mexico. Who says that the line in the song it’s a reference to alcohol ?

…and lastly, I don’t think that the kids shouting the word “Tequila” is condoning alcohol use. That’s quite a stretch in my opinion. I drink beer and wine in front of my children. That is by far a greater influence on them than an obscure word in a song…and I drink responsibly. They will grow up. They will drink. The best thing we can do as parents is teach them to be responsible.

I also agree that censoring the word will give it more cachet. They will be far more curious about the word being omitted. My kids have the song on a record so they know it’s there and they would wonder about the change. Which they did…and we had to explain it to them.

22 | Mark

May 28th, 2008 at 9:38 am

I should also add that I understand though why they changed the word. There’s no question there would be parents who would be upset about the kids yelling the word. I don’t agree with the change but I “get” why they did it.

23 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 9:52 am

Do you really think that is what the writers of the song intended when they wrote it? The city in Mexico? It may be referencing the song Tequila, but that song is probably referencing the drink.

So, I’m asking, would you have preferred the song not be sung at all to having it been changed? Your kids are perhaps unusual in that they know the original and so it has made for conversation, what does Tequila mean, anyway? It seems this is simply explained.

There is the song, “Do your ears hang low” which I grew up singing differently. The way I sang it would not be able to be sung in a school program. Ears is maybe slightly less funny, but it’s a good compromise.

24 | Mark

May 28th, 2008 at 10:13 am

…and saying it’s a city in Mexico is a fair compromise as well. I’m not suggesting the intention of the song is to reference the city, I’m saying that as a compromise if you child asked you could say that it’s a city in Mexico. Which is not a lie and is certainly possible that’s what the song meant. I know otherwise but it provides an option.

25 | andrea

May 28th, 2008 at 10:19 am

I think it’s just a fun song that deserves to be sung as is, with all the words intact. And no, I wouldn’t have preferred they switch it out for something less offensive (if you consider that the kind of song to be offensive.)

When I was in elementary school we had a really great music teacher who taught us to sing all kinds of contemporary songs. We had no clear idea what we were singing about but loved them anyway, ie “Yesterday” by the Beatles and “The Logical Song” by Supertramp. Not exactly the kind of happy go-lucky songs that kids would normally sing, but I really enjoyed them.

We also sang a song for a school performance (I think it was his own composition) that was “down” on school.

I still remember it:

“To-day, to-day! I don’t wanna go to school to-day!
I said to-day, to-day, I think I’ll stay in bed today.
The teachers ain’t cool with all their rules, mamma won’t you let me stay home, to-day!”

*cue rockin’ piano solo*

Anyway, my point is that SOME might argue that there is no room for an anti-school song sung at a school performance, but, as a kid, I thought it was enormously fun. A touch rebellious, hair-shaking, rock n’ rolling fun.

Ah, those were the days, huh?

26 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 11:15 am

I think it would be misleading to explain that Tequila is a city in Mexico. A few nights ago we watched Coal Miner’s Daughter in which Doo, teases Loretta that balogna makes people horny, but wouldn’t tell her what it meant. She assumed it meant cutting up, made them goofy, and so during a radio interview she used horny, without having any idea that people understood something very different by it.

Yes, Andrea, I recall singing The Gambler in sixth grade, a catchy tune that I’m not particularly fond of. To my knowledge we didn’t switch out the words, which include whiskey and cigarettes. I heard it recently and wondered about the judgement of the teachers. We had fun singing it though. Maybe it has some redeeming ettiquette advice when with a tough crowd. I don’t know. Silly.

Maybe you should submit the anti-school song to them and see what they think. It seems like anti-school is at least something kids can relate to, and the school making fun of itself is maybe different. Do you think schools (or parents) would have a problem with that song these days?

27 | words words

May 28th, 2008 at 11:37 am

I grew up in a non-drinking family. Not only did my parents not drink, they considered it to be something only horrible people did. My dad was the family authority on alcohol because he “had that sip of wine that time.”

When I discovered drinking on my own, I specifically did it because it was BAD and EXCITING. Even though I never drank a crazy amount (‘cept that ONE night in Welland. Woa!), I never talked to my parents about it. Well into my twenties, it was a part of my life I completely hid from my parents.

Them: What’dya do last night?

Me: Uh.. prayed.

I, like Mark, drink responsibly in front of my kids. I hope that means when/if they start drinking, they don’t hide it from me. If they ask me when I started, I’ll tell them about that night in Welland (and what an idiot I was).

If my three-year-old starts yelling “Tequila!”, I’ll blame Andrea. And K-Tel.

28 | anon

May 28th, 2008 at 11:42 am

I certainly wouldn’t wish Merry Christmas to someone who obviously doesn’t celebrate the holiday. I take offence to the fact that wishing ANYONE Merry Christmas has become almost taboo. Last year, during their ‘holiday’ concert, my daughter’s class had to sing we wish you a happy holiday to the tune of we wish you a merry christmas. Why change the words? The song is meant to wish a Merry Christmas. Why are we changing the words to classic songs? Stupid.

29 | words words

May 28th, 2008 at 11:47 am

Rather than just a lengthy anecdote, I meant to say:

Taboo bad. Truth good. Censorship dangerous.

30 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

What is truth?

This has brought me to thinking about movies and books, and I feel strongly that these should not be censored, however, we should be careful what we expose our kids to. The ratings help with this a little. I recall my senior year, switching schools and catching up on the summer reading lists, reading things I hadn’t read before even though they were on the summer reading list of past years. The freshmen or sophomores had – now I’m blanking on the name of the book, about some kids shipwrecked on an island, establishing brutal governance of themselves… anyway, I was appalled and disturbed, and felt that I wasn’t old enough to read that as a senior and wondered at it being assigned to the freshman or sophomores. Maybe there would be talk about it, which might help to explain, mitigate some of the brutality depicted in it.

Lolita, Huck Finn, these things should not be censored, but they should be presented at an age when the kids (or young adults) can handle them and their more controversial bits should be discussed. It also needs to be placed in historical context as well.

Parents’ behavior probably matters the most. But there is plenty exposure to celebrates behaving badly, drinking irresponsibly.

Socrates suggested that poetry should be banned in the raising of children, which seemed to me it would make kids weaker if they were ever to be exposed to it. TV watching was banned in my house, or very controlled, and I felt like my tendency to not be able to block out a tv if it was playing, was maybe due to this lack of exposure/practice. The legal drinking age also sets up a problem, as it’s difficult to teach kids to drink responsibly, when they are generally away from home when they discover it. I much prefer what I’ve heard about the French way, where kids have tastes of wine and other alcoholic beverages that the grown-ups are partaking in at dinner, say. Though I think too this is something like the case in Belgium, and in England, where the legal drinking age is much lower, and alcohol is abused a great deal in those countries too. Soooo…. It’s hard to say or know what to do. But I appreciate the schools erring on the side of being overly-sensitive rather than not-sensitive enough.

31 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 1:42 pm

Lord of the Flies, that was the book.

32 | The Moffman

May 28th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

I agree that it’s an unnecessary change of the lyrics. If a child did wind up associating the word tequila with fun, based on one word from one song sung back in grade 4 (and I don’t believe for a minute that this could possibly ever happen), the first taste of that vile liquid would quickly disabuse them of the notion.

33 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

I quite like margaritas!

34 | tali

May 28th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

“…these things should not be censored, but they should be presented at an age when the kids (or young adults) can handle them and their more controversial bits should be discussed. It also needs to be placed in historical context as well.”

Who decides when kids are ready to read those things? You do realize that in the rest of the world, kids are exposed to death, disease, poverty etc. long before they are 13 years old; they are part of life. The books you’ve mentioned were all assigned to me in 7th or 8th grade, and it was great to be able to read challenging material that really made us think.

35 | anne turner

May 28th, 2008 at 9:12 pm

Great!

36 | Scattered Mom

May 30th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

I wouldn’t have even given it a passing glance. Maybe because I like the song!