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Man, so much unpack here. I've genuinely enjoyed this thread. I will start by saying I don't like the song because I don't like the song, and I don't like fabricated traditions. That being said, kudos to demiveeman and 58-56 for the backstory. It is enlightening. And it reinforces my dislike of it being played. It would be like playing Neil Young's "Southern Man." Not a flattering take on us.

I will give a critique on a couple of posts- don't censor primary sources. If what you're quoting uses "the N word," then quote it. Let it hit as it was intended, good or bad. And talking to blazers9911- you say "There is no separate meaning. There is no excuse." That's a terrible way to look at all this. I don't mean to pick on you, as others shared your sentiment, and I mean no disrespect. But sometimes there is excuse, and reason. A perfect example is in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are people who want that book banned in schools, or at least censored, because it uses "the N word." To do that takes the meaning of the book away. Harper Lee wrote that as an indictment of the people portrayed in it, or at least a lot of them, and by extension real life people they represented. You censor that, or cancel it, and what she was trying to say is lost. This idea that a word can't be heard- how do we learn that way?

Which leads me back to Randy Newman. If what has been said about the background of the song is true, and I have no reason to believe it isn't, then anyone who is being sober minded and thoughtful about this can't say he's a bigot just because of the language he used. Satire really is becoming a lost art, and people are getting too soft about "feeling comfortable." After all, I imagine that's what the song was all about. Making people feel uncomfortable with an eye toward causing a change in peoples' thoughts and behaviors.

All that being said, I still don't like the song. I don't believe Randy Newman is a racist. The DJ plays too much. Our band doesn't play enough. And we looked a lot better on the field. Go Blazers.