On Saturday, The Western Journal posted an article about a journalist who was offended by the fact that a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., opened with the playing of the Star Spangled Banner.
The article reports:
Jamie Stiehm, who has contributed to several corporate media outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, wrote for The Capital Times on Thursday that though the “Star-Spangled Banner” might be appropriate for “ballparks and stadiums,” it is “dissonant” to play before a classical music concert in today’s political climate.
Stiehm said that classical music transcends international boundaries, but the national anthem pulls the arts back into the orbit of President Donald Trump’s influence.
Television stations used to sign on and off the air with the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner. The song has nothing to do with President Trump other than at this time he is the President of America. Is that what is actually bothering her?
The article notes:
After attending a symphony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the columnist opined about the National Symphony now reportedly playing the national anthem ahead of performances, under Trump’s leadership.
“Readers, President Donald Trump’s new regime at the beloved center decreed the National Symphony Orchestra must stand and play the national anthem before every concert. How dissonant,” Stiehm wrote.
The article concludes:
“Seeking spiritual solace, I washed ashore at the John F. Kennedy Center’s concert hall,” the columnist wrote.
“Yes, I loved the crashing chords of the ‘Organ Symphony’ by Saint-Saens and the lyrical light notes of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
“‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ not so much.”
Stiehm then concluded the piece by paraphrasing someone else who attended.
“These times reminded her of her German girlhood,” Stiehm said, adding that this person was a young girl during World War II.
The columnist told the DCNF that the article clearly articulates her stance on the national anthem being played before classical music concerts.
I am sorry that being patriotic is so offensive to some Americans. That is sad.