What Should I Do - Looking For Opinions

I am in-process with redesigning and improving the Stamp Smarter website. As a part of the improvement I am updating the 'Stamps by Year' in the 1847usa section. This includes adding new details for each year to give the users a better understanding of the era.

So besides adding things like images of the current President and postmaster I am also adding a sound track for a popular song from that particular year as shown above. (Users can listen to the song as they read, giving a good feel for the era.) Included is also the cover page of the sheet music of the title.

Here is my question. Obviously times were different and many of the popular songs and sheet music cover pages reflect those times. I have tried to avoid using an racially insensitive material but for some years it is difficult. On the other hand it is important to capture history accurately even if it may be harsh or ugly.

So do I capture and include this racist material and assume that the users will understand?

Should I include some kind of note/warning that some of the material may be insensitive but for historical reasons it is included?

Or can I safely assume that the vast majority will understand the historical context and not worry?

Thanks in advance for any feedback on this topic.
Don

Don, when I watch a documentary about WWII on TV I still listen to the Nazi music that is being played as part of the overall experience. I see no problem with it as long as it stays objective.
I would answer your three questions with yes, yes and no.
Hope this helps a little bit?

Peter

Don unfortunately in this PC day and age some people are offended by everything even slightly suggestive of sensitive material without thought of the context. I would leave the sound track out (or choose another one) to ensure that you don't cause unintentional distress to anyone.

If you plan to include music that people might find offensive because it is racist, it would be important to include some kind of note about it and put it in the context of the time you are describing. There are still some deep wounds regarding this issue and unfortunately it is still something people experience today and still causes people pain.

Otherwise, I think the format you are creating is a really cool idea that will help bring the time to life you are highlighting.

I'd avoid the music angle altogether, quite frankly. Seems superfluous to me.

From the early '20s, you can use blues records and improve your readers' taste.

Don,

If you are striving for historical accuracy, set your criteria, e.g. most popular song of X, and go with it. You can't, and in my humble opinion shouldn't, sanitize history.

An explanatory note about the process, the reasoning etc. would be helpful.

Listening to the music appears to be optional. The politically sensitive can just not click on the music.

Expect blowback however. Is it worth it?

Dan

I am not sure how much the music will enhance your story. Nonetheless, explaining why you selected a particular track will detract from your theme and thrust.

I suggest you include notes as to the political, social, and/or economic climate of the times and how these factors impacted on the stamp being issued. Conversely, you could highlight how the stamp amplifies or explains the "state of the union" at that particular time.

As so many others have said, "Expect blowback and dissenters." Only you can weigh the value of your efforts. Personally, I support them!

EasyOne

I heartily agree with the suggestion of using the blues; at least 30 years of greatness there.

Perhaps you are showing (y)our age, but the question of racially insensitive lyrics is dwarfed by the question of gender-typing lyrics. Groan.

Since so many stamps commemorate something tens or hundreds of years past, what does music (contemporary to the date of issue of the stamp) add to the stamp?

Lots of work ... nice touch but how about adding something easier, eg, links to the biggest news stories of that year? Or, to the subject of the stamp?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Thank you everyone for your input! Everyone has given me some things to think about.

This is development so things are in flux. Other additions that are in-process include things that also bring to life the period; advertising, political speeches, fashions, important historical events, newspaper clippings, popular toys, food fads, etc.
This section was already organized by year so it seems to lend itself well to this kind of presentation (note that this is only for one small section of the site). 'Autoplay' for any song/music on the page is, of course, disabled; users can decide if they want to play it or not. Part of the intent is to expand the audience to include even those who might not currently be deeply involved in the hobby (if at all).

Frankly I would sidestep the issue if I could find non-controversial material. I have made ever attempt to exhaust the options as far as song choice but I am using public domain songs and digging up recordings that can be freely reproduced sometimes force a hard choice. When I have a choice I lean towards a tune which seems to best capture that year and events; as time goes on this is something that will get dialed in a bit more. (If anyone has any specific song choices that they feel really captures an era/year please let me know.)

Building a philatelic website is a bit like building a stamp exhibit. Identifying your audience, keeping to the vision and objectives, etc. It is hard to have a very broad site that hits interest on all levels. And of course the shear amount of time suck and man-hours can also be daunting at times. It is important to 'come up for air' every now and then and get a reality check from you fine folks!
Thanks again,
Don

Heck I was happy just seeing the awesome work on the page--postmaster, president--oh look there's some music from the time frame-cool beans. Never Never thought someone would be offended. We were looking at stamps right?
Side note: awesome job on the lay out, I can see the amount of stamps Scott# 397-what? 200 million!
Don't sweat it-I think it rocks!

Include the racist stuff and hope the reader understands. Otherwise maybe write a note below explaining it

Don

I think it is really great that you are concerned about how your website will be viewed by a diverse audience.

I think part of your problem is trying to define a period of time by a single song, or a single image. If you were trying to sum up music today would you pick a Country song? A Hip Hop song? Maybe Jazz or Gospel? Though Alexander's Ragtime Band was a popular song in 1913, not everybody was listening to it.

What will upset people is not publishing the fact that you are showing racially insensitive material that was widely circulated at the time, but that is the only way your website depicts some members of our society. For example,(from Wikipedia) there was a diverse music scene in America in 1913:

*The word jazz is used in print for the first time, in San Francisco in reference to "speed and excitement" in a game of baseball.
Bill Johnson founds the Original Creole Orchestra featuring Freddie Keppard, who become the first African American dance band to make transcontinental tours, on the vaudeville circuit. This band carries the "jazz of New Orleans to the rest of the nation".

*Harry Pace and W.C. Handy found the first black-owned music publishing firm.

*Frances Densmore's research constitutes the most extensive description of traditional Ojibwe music, and the "largest collection ever published from one tribe".

If you show different ethnicities in a positive light, you will show your intentions in a far more powerful way than a footnote.

I also want to point out that the way you describe the stamps can make people feel excluded from your page. When you label Scott #400 "Discovery of San Francisco Bay" you render the Ohlone tribes, whose ancestors lived there before the Spanish arrived, invisible. Yes, I know that is what the caption on the stamp says. But instead of repeating the mistakes of the past, you could change your label to read, "Discovery of San Francisco Bay by the Spanish".

Joe

I'm in favor of confronting ugly parts of history head on, without flinching. I think it's important that we don't whitewash over things for fear of offending people, regardless of who they might be. Just be sure to add a note that you're not endorsing the viewpoints expressed, just showing them for the purposes of historical accuracy.

And keep in mind that if you're talking about 19th and early 20th century racism in the US, it may not be the victims of said racism (or their descendants) who take offense. It could also be the perpetrators (or their descendants) who would rather the world forget that those thing happened. As long as it's done tastefully and it's clear you're not endorsing the racism shown, you shouldn't have too much to worry about. Let the chips fall where they may.

Don,

I hate (really hate) to bow to the PC culture of today, but I agree with Jenny. Why open a Pandora's box?

Jack Kelley