The New York Daily News reporter who claimed he got PTSD after firing an AR-15 now says singing “God Bless America” should be banned.
[revad1]
Gersh Kuntzman, the NY Daily News reporter who said that firing an AR-15 “felt like a bazooka” and “sounded like a cannon” now says that the patriotic song “God Bless America,” is “as divisive as American politics,” and should not be sung at MLB baseball games because it “offends everyone.”
“It’s time for God to stop blessing America during the seventh-inning stretch,” Kuntzman wrote.
Kuntzman compared the iconic patriotic song to fascist rallies. “Part of my outrage stems from ponderous Mussolini-esque introduction of the song, when fans are asked to rise, remove their caps and place them over their hearts.”
“The only songs Americans should stand for are ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ and ‘Here Comes the Bride,'” Kuntzman wrote.
Kuntzman cited a 2013 study by Sheryl Kaskowitz for her book, “God Bless America: The Surprising History of an Iconic Song”:
Kaskowitz’s research found that 83.8% of people who described themselves as “very liberal” dislike the song, while only 20.5% of people who called themselves “very conservative” have a problem with it.
And more than 88% of atheists dislike the song, Kaskowitz found. (Quick aside: We atheists also hate having “In God we Trust” on the currency and in the courtrooms of a country whose Constitution bars the “establishment of religion” — but that’s a fight for another day.)
Kuntzman then created a list of the people that he says are offended by the song:
* Believers!: Charlie Pillsbury once ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate and one of his issues was his objection to “God Bless America.” “God shows no partiality towards nations,” he said. “God blesses the whole world.”
* Foreigners!: I once went to a Brooklyn Cyclones game with a British guy named James Silver, who smiled when “God Bless America” was being played. “It’s exactly what I expect from Americans,” he said. “The self-righteousness, the patriotism. It’s always nice to see my opinions confirmed.”
