Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

Folks, I began this discussion as a simple question with no intention of creating a debate on gender terms. I simply wanted to know if the lyrics ,in the context of a traditional song, were going to cause offense to any contra dancers. I think I had my answer early on. If we choose to continue this conversation let's do it with respect for each other, but I believe conversations like this are best held in face to face round tables. Emails make it hard to feel the emotion of the writer, and to see that writer as a person, who too, deserves much respect. Without pontificating, I do want to say, in my few short years in the contra community, ALL the callers I have met have treated the dancers, and each other, with great respect. We have a lot more in common than we have as differences. We must remember traditions within dance communities vary. Our way is just one way. Now, as a caller who often calls singing squares, I find that changing the words of a popular song, changes the way dancers respond to that square They expect certain words and changing them leaves many feeling cheated or disappointed. Try changing the song Marianne to say "All day, all night, my Caroline" and you will know what I mean. IMHO, it is better not to use a song than to change the tag line significantly. (In MWSD the tag line is the lyric that is sung during the 16 step promenades, and it is most often the most common, or repeated lyric in the song.) Thanks for all your thoughtful responses. Rich Stafford, CT On Wed, Mar 28, 2018 at 1:12 PM, Dorcas Hand via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: