Singer John Legend Disrespects National Anthem in Worst Way Possible

Singer John Legend Disrespects National Anthem in Worst Way Possible

If you were concerned that Hollywood would take the side of the majority of Americans in calling out Colin Kaepernick’s disrespect of America and our National Anthem, worry no more. Singer John Legend has made his feelings very clear on the matter, even going so far as to brag about himself as a way to validate his crappy opinion.

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The singer took to Twitter to call the National Anthem “weak,” claiming that he is “one of the best” at singing the song and he still doesn’t like it.

No, I’m not kidding.

“For those defending the current anthem, do you really truly love that song?” Legend tweeted. “I don’t and I’m very good at singing it. Like, one of the best.”

“My vote is for America the Beautiful. Star spangled banner is a weak song anyway. And then you read this..”

Legend then linked to an article that claimed the lyrics of the national anthem “literally celebrate the murder of African-Americans.”

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Now, of course his ability to sing the National Anthem is not in question (though how “good” he is might be up for debate), his ability to understand it is.

He mentions the third verse of Francis Scott Key’s poem, which later was turned into the anthem for America.

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.

To the uneducated eye, the word “slave” would indicate the slaves owned in America before being freed. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, however, the meaning back then (when the poem was written) is quite different.

The third stanza is customarily omitted out of courtesy to the British.

Now why would they omit the stanza out of courtesy to the British if it’s supposedly about slaves? Could it be that the phrase wasn’t referring to blacks in America at all? Could it be that the “slaves” in question were the men who were being forced to fight or die for the British army?

That’s not possible, if you’re John Legend or anyone with a piss-poor grasp on history, but let’s be real; words and phrases used today don’t always mean what they meant 200-300 years ago. You can’t judge something written centuries ago by today’s standards, because that’s just intellectual dishonesty.

So to you, John Legend, I say this: Nobody is interested in your uneducated opinion on the National Anthem. Seconds of research could have turned up the same results that have been listed here. All you’re interested in is stirring the pot and getting some attention for yourself. Stick to what you’re good at and leave the thinking to those more qualified to do so.

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