Gwen Berry explained today why she reacted with such contempt for the National Anthem over the weekend and it’s absolutely ridiculous:
Olympian @MzBerryThrows: “If you know your history, you know the full song of the National Anthem. The third paragraph speaks to slaves in America, our blood being slang and piltered all over the floor. It’s disrespectful and it doesn’t speak for black Americans. It’s obvious" pic.twitter.com/NF0cV7YDgr
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 30, 2021
Berry claims that “If you know your history, you know the full song of the National Anthem. The third paragraph speaks to slaves in America, our blood being slang and piltered all over the floor. It’s disrespectful and it does not speak for black Americans. It’s obvious. There’s no question.”
I found this explanation unbelievable. But because I don’t know the verse, I went back and read it anyway:
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
So it turns out she’s an idiot. Yes, it uses the world ‘slave’, but it doesn’t remotely mean what she claims it means. It’s referring to the British, which is clear from the context. Not American slaves.
Erick Erickson provides us more insight here:
The idea that the National Anthem references slavery with the word "slave" is modern nonsense. It is a line referencing the American forces being all volunteer and the British had both paid sailors and men impressed against their will fighting on their side. https://t.co/nsFD3uIvzu
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) June 30, 2021
That makes perfect sense. But even without knowing that, it wasn’t hard to figure out who it was talking about. I wonder if Berry was told ‘what it means’, or if she ‘figured it out’ all on her own. Either way, she’s just wrong and people were quick to react to it:
Ok so she's a complete moron https://t.co/A9KZv0AMaW
— John (@John_Faker) June 30, 2021
This claim is 100% untrue – the third verse of the National Anthem has nothing to do with slave labor. She’s taking language out of context by using a modern day definition and applying it to a 17th century statement. https://t.co/gR0lNCfpAU
— Kenny Webster 🎙 (@KenWebsterII) June 30, 2021
I look forward to her losing in the Olympics. https://t.co/9MyxArAPH6
— RBe (@RBPundit) June 30, 2021
I will be cheering for anyone that competes against her. https://t.co/kgdsPJ2SnQ
— Max Q ⚡ (@Randy_Shannon) June 30, 2021
Oh, it's all about knowing your history – says the one who doesn't understand history. https://t.co/K09A2VMBCb
— thebritisher (@thebritishertwi) June 30, 2021