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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1404 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 7, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

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Baffling choice of song for a national anthem. The entire point of them is that they're meant to be sung by masses of people, many of whom have no musical training.

Its military content and somewhat bombastic tune made it popular among military and marching bands, cementing it as the unofficial anthem long before Congress made it official in the 30's.

I'm sure it slaps when performed by a marching band made up of talented musicians. But as a national anthem, a song meant to be sung by masses of people, most of whom aren't professional musicians? Very peculiar choice.

It's not really meant to be a sing-along though, and most people don't. It's an anthem, not a hymn.

I agree. IMO a much better anthem would be "The Maine Stein Song", slowed down and with more appropriate lyrics.

Chopping and screwing is an American tradition.

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