interesting,,, why we square danced in PE class - because Henry Ford hated Jazz and Jewish people

[Demovictory9]

https://qz.com/1153516/americas-wholesome-square-dancing-tradition-is-a-tool-of-white-supremacy/amp/

If you live in the United States, chances are high that, growing up, you had to take square dancing in gym class. I myself spent a week at my Rochester, New York, high school learning to allemande left and right—skills I was highly unlikely to ever need again. At the time, although I thought it was odd, I was merely grateful for not having to change into my gym clothes.

As it turns out, there’s an unusual reason why so many American students spend their formative years learning to do-si-do. Twenty-eight out of 50 states have declared square dancing their official dance. This is part of a coordinated campaign—a dancespiracy, if you will—to make square dancing the official dance of the United States, in the hope that doing so “would give square dancing and its related activities more visibility and have a positive effect on recruiting new dancers.”

But the institutionalization of square dancing isn’t just about the joy of dance. It’s also about America’s legacy of racism and anti-Semitism—and the surprising tools that get used in the effort to uphold whiteness.

Henry Ford was scared of jazz
To understand how square dancing became a state-mandated means of celebrating Americana, it’s necessary to go back to Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Vehicles. Ford hated jazz; he hated the Charleston. He also really hated Jewish people, and believed that Jewish people invented jazz as part of a nefarious plot to corrupt the masses and take over the world—a theory that might come as a surprise to the black people who actually did invent it.

[Brother Buzz]

1. Screw you, Henry Ford, I'm going with Dave Brubeck's Unsquare Dance

[ChubbyStar]

8. Brilliant, of course it's Brubeck

Thank you for this clip!

[alphafemale]

18. Reminds me of tall awkward mating birds.

oh man

[Brother Buzz]

19. Reminds me of Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke....

doing a 'spunky' mating dance.

[Anon-C]

27. ...

[smirkymonkey]

2. I remember having to square dance. I hated it and I was terrible at it.

Well, it didn't rub off on me. I ended up being a Jazz loving liberal anyway.

Take this, you Nazi loving pig!

[llmart]

43. I love jazz!

Hell, I even have a jazz playing son.

I'm old enough to remember those stupid square dancing lessons in school. To be fair, they made us learn the waltz too, but I'm a boomer and as soon as the twist and monkey came out, most of us took to that like ducks to water, much to the dismay of the adults.

I've never once square danced after that. I honestly don't know anyone that does.

[llmart]

44. Love that song!

I think if anyone can sit still when that is being played, they have no musical appreciation whatsoever.

What was that movie where the family went underground to their fallout shelter and the mother (Sissy Spacek) taught her son how to dance. He finally goes above ground after years and goes to a club where they're playing this song, and he blows everyone away with his swing dancing skills? Can't remember the title.

[FuzzyRabbit]

52. "Blast from the Past"

[llmart]

59. Oh, yes. That's the one.

Thanks!

[BigmanPigman]

3. Square dancing started in England.

I have watched Jane Austin inspired films and they do line dancing in them which is similar to Square Dancing and that is where it came from. No one invented it in the US, it transformed from dances in England hundreds of years ago and wasn't "invented by the black people".

"Square dances were first documented in 16th-century England but were also quite common in France and throughout Europe. They came to North America with the European settlers and have undergone considerable development there. ... Nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance."

Wikipedia › wiki › Square_dance

[eppur_se_muova]

15. "invented by the black people" was a quite accurate reference to jazz, not square dancing. nt

[BigmanPigman]

16. Ah, I see that now. Thanks.

[marble falls]

4. We Lutherans also learned to do the Hora as well as other folk dancing, but we weren't ...

square dancing at the Lutheran parochial schools I went to in the 50's and early 60's.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

5. Here is something else about ol' Henry

[SunSeeker]

6. We had to square dance while wearing gym clothes! Worst of both worlds!

[customerserviceguy]

7. Interesting

I too was involved in learning square dancing back in grade school in Indiana, and I'm simply not coordinated enough to do any kind of dance that requires a set pattern of steps. My ex wanted us to go to learn ballroom dancing, that was a disaster for me.

But just because a man who died over seventy years ago hated Jewish and maybe black music pushed square dancing doesn't make it evil. When I lived in rural Washington State, we had lots of folks who were involved in square dancing clubs, even flying a little flag from their car radio antenna. They weren't doing so to diss Jewish people.

It's a part of American culture, and even though I still can't do the "Teton Mountain Stomp" at least I know what it is.

[ChubbyStar]

9. The OP never mentions that square dancing is evil

So why bring that into the conversation?

[customerserviceguy]

38. My response is

why bring up that Henry Ford's racism is connected to square dancing, if not to demonize it in some way?

[yardwork]

54. I think you're missing the point.

[Demovictory9]

71. Not demonizing square dancing. Article explains why it was so universal in schools

[marybourg]

76. We didn't do it in the NYC

public school I went to, although thanks to a Broadway dancer turned public school teacher, we did have elective ballet. Thanks, Miss Corba!

[LanternWaste]

31. Who is arguing that square dancing is inherently evil?

"But just because a man who died over seventy years ago hated Jewish and maybe black music pushed square dancing doesn't make it evil...."

I simply see additional context given to its past, not a call for denouncement. Seems to me that anyone who alleges "at least I know what it is..." would desire additional context rather than pretend it's a denial or criticism of it.

But I get it... if you're simply arguing against a point no one has made, good job. You've won.

[ProudLib72]

10. I did it a few times in the fifth grade

The girls all had really sweaty palms. Wonder why.

[misanthrope]

11. The creation of jazz wasn't that simple

While there is some argument as to whether it came from any one place, the most commonly accepted origin story has it springing from the blend of cultural elements found in New Orleans. The brass band traditions of Europe, European musical theory, blue notes and scales, gospel elements, ragtime syncopation, Caribbean tinges all came together and bubbled out of the Crescent City in the very early 20th century then proceeded to change further as it migrated up the Mississippi River.

That's what makes it such a uniquely American art form.

[Demovictory9]

14. Thank you misanthrope

[Anon-C]

28. Agreed.

[GulfCoast66]

39. Excellent summation. But the musicians who tied it all together,

In my home state of Louisiana, were by and large the talented black musicians in New Orleans.

And then taken to the world by black band leaders during WWI when Harlem Army musicians took France by storm. I saw a documentary on it not long ago. Very informative.

It is amazing that during this time period, in the same region of the South, Blues was being, if not born, at least first recorded. Occasionally I will break out a nice drink and listen to Bessie Smith. Magical.

And both taken North by the Black Diaspora bring both styles to white northerners.

[mulsh]

12. My teacher father declared rock & roll dancing square dancing and added that and soul music to

the grammar school play list I inherited all of his rock and soul LPs. He and the other teachers breezed through the square dancing in order to devote the proper time to more contemporary music and dance. I was lucky to have been in these classese during summer school when I'd be shipped off to his district to give my mom a break.

[ananda]

13. I guess this gives a whole other meaning to "buy American."

..

[Drahthaardogs]

17. I cannot stand jazz or square dancing

I guess Dixiekand jazz is okay. Smooth jazz makes me want to shove needles in my ears.

[SharonAnn]

24. Me, too. I have to leave places where it is played. It really makes me agitated.

[misanthrope]

36. Then you don't hate jazz

You just provided an exception but then equivocated the rest of jazz to a contemporary offshoot that has been divisive among admitted jazz fans. I know plenty of jazz fans who like some of its various sub-genres yet don't like smooth jazz.

[Codeine]

64. I once thought that was jazz.

Luckily I discovered otherwise in my thirties.

[robbob]

41. I'm a jazz piano player (or try to be!)

Last edited Wed Jul 24, 2019, 07:41 AM - Edit history (1)

...and I hate hate hate smooth jazz. As a matter of fact, pretty much any serious jazz musician hates smooth jazz. Check out Pat Methanys epic takedown of Kenny G after the latter overdubbed himself playing on top of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”:

http://spitballarmy.com/?p=269

[Drahthaardogs]

50. Oh, I hate scatting, noodling, and all the "free styling"

Jazz sounds like noise to me. I do however especially hate smooth jazz.

[RobinA]

20. Not Sure I Get

the link between Ford and learning square dancing in gym, but square dance was my favorite thing in all of gym. When it came to gym class, I LIVED for the week we square danced. It was fun, unlike all that volleyball and basketball stuff.

[Chiyo-chichi]

21. If you want to understand the link...

you might consider reading the article.

[lagomorph777]

22. I suffered through squaredancing not far from Rochester.

Now I know who to blame. Sheesh, in the 60s/70s, can you think of anything more the exact opposite of cool?

[NBachers]

58. Yup, we square danced in Spencerport, one mule-walk day west of Rochester on the Erie Canal.

[lagomorph777]

75. About 15 Miles...?

[NBachers]

78. Close - around 12 miles or so.

[Bettie]

23. Squre dancing is a part of the overall tradition of

folk dancing. I liked it in gym class, because I'm good at dancing and terrible at a lot of the other stuff we had to do throwing, catching...unless it was dodge ball, I was super good at 'catching' a ball to the face...went through four pairs of glasses one school year, after they broke from a ball to the face.

PE Teachers find it hilarious when the nerdy kid gets hurt. Or at least they did when I was in elementary school in the 70's. Eventually, they just told me to take my glasses off during gym class which did not improve my performance.

But the point is, I like dancing in many forms, so, whatever the reason, I'm glad there was a non-punitive segment in gym class!

[Demovictory9]

46. PE teachers thought bullying built character

[Codeine]

63. You're 100% correct. nt

[pecosbob]

25. Pretty much what the Nazis did in the thirties

Jazz was banned in occupied Europe. I remember that German organization for teenage girls featured in all those propaganda films of wholesome, fair-skinned young women doing calisthenics...they took them from their homes and shipped them off to retreats to breed them with other 'Aryan' German teenagers.

[maxsolomon]

26. THAT's why we had to do that stupid shit?

Fuck you, Henry Ford.

[Demovictory9]

45. lol

[alphafemale]

48. I hated square dancing too.

Only bit of it I like is that one Bugs Bunny cartoon with the hillbillies.

And I am a bonafide ridge runner myself, by the way.

[luvs2sing]

29. We square danced every year..

In both music and phys ed. We also did the hora, a Russian troika, and a few other folk dances I don’t remember. It was my favorite part of the school year. I still enjoy a good square dance if I get a chance.

[unblock]

30. Lol, and this was years before Neil dianond's remake of "the jazz singer"

[Afromania]

32. Oddly enough, as a kid I did want to know why we spent a month or so square dancing in gym.

When I was a kid I figured it was because it was because it was easy to do and the whole class could do it at once......Now I know it's because of white supremacy.

Why does it feel like somehow every decision made about anything in the last 150 years of this country was driven by some sort of crazy white culture protectionist scheme.

[RobinA]

35. Because Currently

it’s trending to blame every decision made on a supposed connection to a cozy white culture protectionist scheme. Sometimes, a square dance is just a square dance.

[Afromania]

37. It's a trend, but not one without it's roots in reality.

We've reached a point where The greater majority of white people are ok with a president that's insane because he's racist like them. Based on the history we know and our current situation. Ford trying to snuff out Jazz in favor of square dancing doesn't seem like a bridge too far.

[Codeine]

66. Our entire history is a "cozy white culture protectionist scheme."

Very few elements of our culture can be fairly described as lacking that taint, and we can’t be afraid or reluctant to examine these things.

[TlalocW]

33. So in a round-about way, I, a White male, was the victim of racism

We square-danced from first through fifth grade in my school system. Gym was mandatory until 9th grade, but the teacher was different at that level, and we didn't square dance except for once - the day before Winter Break they decided to give us kids, "a treat," and sent the entire school to the gym for square-dancing to the same scratchy records we had last heard in 5th grade! I tried to hide, but I can still recall Coach Justice yelling, "TlalocW! Get out there! That group needs one more guy." The physical memory for those songs was still there to the point that I knew what move was next and would be two to three beats ahead of everyone waiting to allemande to my corner.

TlalocW

[JCMach1]

34. One of the least damaging things he did... was actually kinda fun...

Plus, at my integrated school, the results would have probably pissed him off!

[Goodheart]

40. Let's be fair.... jazz sucks.

At least square dancing music has melodies.

[Codeine]

49. Jazz sucks?

Good lord, man. It’s one of the most sophisticated and groundbreaking musical styles ever conceived. Nobody has to like it, but it certainly doesn’t suck.

[sakabatou]

51. Seriously?

[Goodheart]

56. Why would I lie?

[sakabatou]

57. Okay, why do you think jazz sucks?

[Goodheart]

61. For me, random noises on instruments don't amount to listenable music.

[Codeine]

62. But. . . they really aren't random.

The chord progressions follow patterns and changes are constrained by existing melodic lines. The soloist is required to improvise a unique and creative solo within the confines of the music, and while being able to draw on more complex chords or progression patterns and modalities opens up the workspace for the musician, it still isn’t random.

Free jazz can be, theoretically, random but usually even it works within some structures. Even then, free jazz has always been niche and many (most?) jazz fans are lukewarm at best to the style.

[sakabatou]

70. You may not have been listening to the right artist then

[BannonsLiver]

83. +100000

An alley full of howling cats is easier on the ears.

[Goodheart]

84. Amen, brother!

[Xolodno]

42. To be fair, he did believe in a living wage....

....just so his workers could buy his cars.

But if we go into the past, a lot of historical people had some severe flaws...which were considered "norm" at the time. For example;

While at lunch discussing an investment into a project; "Let me go ask my Jew" - Walt Disney.

Forget which President (think it may have been Coolige, correct me if I'm wrong), but after one of the first movie screenings at the White House, which glorified the KKK as rescuers of a white women vs....well you know.... "Unfortunate, but true".

A cruel entrepreneur said this about another who was even more cruel than him; "He's Rock-a-fella" - Andrew Carnagie.

Abraham Lincoln thought most of the slaves should be deported back to Africa.

Abstract Art....invented by the CIA when they overheard Russians they were bugging laugh at the fact the USA didn't have anything significantly artistic and actually suppressed it to confine it with its own norms (yes, I know the irony here).

Bottom line, every historical person, event, etc. has some dark secrets. It doesn't make it right, like the beheading of King Louis of France or the hangings in wild west which were public gatherings and spectacles for the whole family, etc. Bottom line, learn from the good things they did.....and learn from the bad things as well.

[gladium et scutum]

77. Believe the President

was Woodrow Wilson. The movie was "Birth of a Nation"

[NewJeffCT]

47. I graduated high school in the mid 80s

in Connecticut and don't remember ever learning to square dance, or any kind of formal dance training.

[Codeine]

67. Lucky!

I’d have happily fumbled along in my embarrassing no-skills way at basketball or rope climbing or whatever other sports-related torture activity the Gym Nazis were wanking over that day but NOOOO!!!, we gotta play this goddamned hokey-pokey do-si-do swing your partner round and round hillbilly bullshit because it’s Wyoming and none of these slack-jawed yokels have got a fucking clue that it’s 197fucking9 and nobody squaredances anymore!!

Ahem. Still a bit bitter.

[Kurt V.]

53. OMF

[FakeNoose]

55. I'll bet ol' Henry would have REALLY hated rap music

[DavidDvorkin]

69. I'm with him on that

Although he would have had different reasons.

[shanti]

60. I do remember that!

I went to elementary school for a couple of years, in upstate NY, and we had square dancing lessons in 4th grade. As a very shy little girl, with few friends, it was awful! Nobody wanted to be my partner . I remember the look on the face of the one boy, Jesse, who was forced to dance with me. We practiced and practiced for a little show for the parents, but I was sick with the flu, so missed out.

It was many, many years before I got up the gumption to actually dance (not square dance) again.

[Codeine]

65. One of the worst memories of grade school

is that idiot square dancing nonsense. It was even more popular where I grew up because everyone around me was a gap-toothed backcountry shitkicker so we did it for weeks on end in the wintertime.

[ThoughtCriminal]

68. "Grab a fence post, Hold it tight..."

[Demovictory9]

73. that was great

[keithbvadu2]

72. There is also Contra Dancing, fast paced, similar to hot hash square dancing.

There is also Contra Dancing, fast paced, similar to hot hash square dancing.

[Azathoth]

74. Ethnonationalists have tainted so many worthwhile cultural symbols

Starting with the Nazis' adoption of the swastika.

Part of the wreckage they leave behind.

[PatrickforO]

81. Yes, the Fylfot Cross has some deep spiritual meaning.

But then Hitler stole it and made it a symbol of his hatred. It shall be tainted for many years yet to come.

[Blue_Tires]

79. Wait... Kids are doing SQUARE DANCING in P.E. class? In 2019??

[PatrickforO]

80. For the anti-Semites of Ford's day, pretty much everything could be

traced in some way back to the Jewish people.

I genuinely did not know this about square dancing.

[UniteFightBack]

82. I've never even heard of this square dancing requirement...wt actual f. nt