# Charlie Daniels? Please pick up the white courtesy clue phone. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 5, 2001, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598 "2001-11-05T14:04:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/1 "2001-11-05T14:04:43Z")
Lovely little [ditty](http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_863904,00.html) you’ve penned there Charlie… Opening line "This ain’t no rag, it’s a flag And we don’t wear it on our heads " Ummm nothing like not “getting” who the enemy is dipshit…broad swipes at an entire religion/ethnic culture make Baby Jesus™ kick your fucking fiddle up your ass. ---
**Author:** ![obidiah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@obidiah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obidiah)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/2 "2001-11-05T14:18:49Z")
WOW! Not only has Charlie demonstrated a amazing lack of understanding for the issues at hand, but he has also managed to write the dumbest lyrics of **ALL TIME**. “Let me give you some advice You can crawl back in your hole Like a dirty little mole” Riiiiggghhhtt. Now THAT is insightful music craft. ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/3 "2001-11-05T14:19:37Z")
I’m a little confused. The story you link to has an alternative hypothesis about the meaning of the lyrics, which is how I interpreted them (getting down on people wearing American flags as do-rags). Has anyone asked Charlie Daniels to clarify the meaning of his lyrics? ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/4 "2001-11-05T14:33:58Z")
IANAFOCM _(I am not a fan of country music)_ but the first thing I thought of when I saw the quoted lyric was that ol’ Charlie thought that stars and stripes bandanas worn as clothing or ‘doo-rags’ were disrespectful. Who is Zaynab Karnes to decide what the song writer’s actual meaning was? Daniels doesn’t clarify. Admittedly I’m saying this without hearing the tune: I’m imagining the song to be simply dreadful, but it would be far easier to convict Charlie of jingoistic opportunism than prejudice with the information given. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/5 "2001-11-05T14:37:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by THespos \* > \*\*I’m a little confused. The story you link to has an alternative hypothesis about the meaning of the lyrics, which is how I interpreted them (getting down on people wearing American flags as do-rags). Has anyone asked Charlie Daniels to clarify the meaning of his lyrics? \*\* If you look at the entire lyrics.[here](http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_863777,00.html)…it’s claer that the song is “addressed” to the people who perpetrated the Sept 11 events…ALL of the lyrics are aimed towards “them”…including the rag reference. So I don’t see how the first line can mean anything but a slap against Muslims in general, NOT a reference to red/white/blue bandanas. ---
**Author:** ![RainbowDragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6a8cbe/32.png) [@RainbowDragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RainbowDragon)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/6 "2001-11-05T14:55:32Z")
Oh please! You can’t name a single song that isn’t offensive to some group or another. Are people’s skins so thin they can’t take the least bit of criticism? Must we appease every single group in the country? If so, might I suggest we stop singing/playing the following: “God Bless America” – Very offensive and non-inclusive of Americans who do not worship God. “The Star Spangled Banner” – Mentions rockets and bombs. Very offensive because of its violent nature. Did you think Francis Scott Key was talking about fireworks? “America the Beautiful” – Mentions God. Also isn’t patriotic. Doesn’t mention the United States of America. Are they talking North America, South America, or both? Also mentions a lot of the landscape of America, very offensive to those corporations plundering and abusing err… utilizing our natural resources. “God Bless The USA” – Mentions God. Offensive to women: “And I won’t forget the men who died”… What about the women who died for this country too? ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/7 "2001-11-05T14:56:19Z")
Doo-rag my ass. He’s clearly making a “raghead” reference. Read the lyrics. What an asshole. Zette ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/8 "2001-11-05T15:17:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RainbowDragon \* > \*\*Oh please! > > You can’t name a single song that isn’t offensive to some group or another. Are people’s skins so thin they can’t take the least bit of criticism? Must we appease every single group in the country? > > \*\* Did you read my OP? My chief complaint is that CD doesn’t “get” who the enemy is…at least as I can gather from his lyrics. All the U.S. political leaders from Dubya on down are unified on the notion that we distinguish between the terrorist and Muslims in general. Chucky hasn’t done this. His lyrics, besides being offensive, show a real lack of ignorance about who the players are in this war. Apparently, in Charlies’ mind we are at war with all “rag heads”. This kind of idiocy ranks up there with Falwell blaming liberals and gays for Sept 11. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/9 "2001-11-05T15:33:59Z")
I saw Charlie Daniels interviewed a few days ago. He says that he only was talking about the people who attacked us, not all Muslims in general. I am not a fan of Daniels (what has he done, exactly? He’s barely on my musical radar screen) but I do tend to want to give the artist the benefit of the doubt in these sort of cases. I can see where it might be possible that he was directing his ire to only the evil men who did this deed, and no one else. \ One of my friends wrote an episode of the original “Star Trek” series. She got a lot of crank phone calls, with people telling her that her episode “meant this”, “was Communistic”, and so on. Which was utter bullshit. **I** was even tempted to argue with her on the meaning of her story! But I shut up. _She_ wrote it, _she_ ought to know what she meant by it. \ ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/10 "2001-11-05T15:56:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yosemitebabe \* > \*\* > One of my friends wrote an episode of the original “Star Trek” series. She got a lot of crank phone calls, with people telling her that her episode “meant this”, “was Communistic”, and so on. \*\* Which one? ---
**Author:** ![RainbowDragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6a8cbe/32.png) [@RainbowDragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RainbowDragon)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/11 "2001-11-05T15:58:46Z")
Charlie doesn’t need to “get” who the enemy is… Art doesn’t need to be accurate or inoffensive. They can be, but that is not a requirement. Art speaks from the artist’s heart and his/her beliefs. If you disagree with those concepts you are free not to patronize the art with your money or your senses. Technically, the flag of the Taliban is listed in the CIA World Fact Book as a plain white flag. Yeah, it’s going to be real fun to figure out when they are ready to surrender. Since OBL wears a white turban, technically he is wearing his flag on his head. One could definitely see that the flag of one’s enemy could be termed a rag. Yeah, it’s a jump, but a lot more plausible than the do-rag explanation. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/12 "2001-11-05T16:09:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cuautemhoc \* > Which one? Uh…could you be a bit more specific? “Which one” what? ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/13 "2001-11-05T16:24:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yosemitebabe \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by cuautemhoc \* > > Which one? > > Uh…could you be a bit more specific? “Which one” what? \*\* I’m going to go out on a limb and say that **cuautemhoc** was asking “Which episode?” (not “Which friend?”) since that was what I was wondering. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/14 "2001-11-05T16:27:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RainbowDragon \* > \*\*Charlie doesn’t need to “get” who the enemy is… > Art doesn’t need to be accurate or inoffensive. They can be, but that is not a requirement. Art speaks from the artist’s heart and his/her beliefs. If you disagree with those concepts you are free not to patronize the art with your money or your senses. Thanks for the art appreciation lesson. :rolleyes: Chucky has the “right” to act like an ass. I have the right to point out that he is acting like an ass. In addition to not buying his music…am I also “permitted” to criticize his beliefs…or are his beliefs above criticism? . \*\* [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/15 "2001-11-05T16:34:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*JeffB wrote:\*I’m going to go out on a limb and say that cuautemhoc was asking “Which episode?” (not “Which friend?”) since that was what I was wondering. I’d better not tell. _Anyone_ can see this. I don’t want the episode name posted. Nutjobs might be inspired to give her crank phone calls (she’d be easy to track down, once you know which episode it is). She’d never forgive me. If you are just inconsolable with curiosity, email me. However, if I am unfamiliar with you, I probably won’t tell. Not wanting to be coy - I’m just extra paranoid. Besides, it isn’t a huge deal. It’s a nice episode, but not one of the “big” ones, and my friend isn’t Harlan Ellison! (Though you probably figured that out already…) ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/16 "2001-11-05T16:50:25Z")
Thanks for the link to the complete lyrics, **beagledave**. The rag/flag thing totally doesn’t make sense to me. Disrespectful or not, we do have plenty of people in this country who wear the flag on their heads (do-rags, hats, whatnot). If I were ranting about these lyrics, I’d find plenty of other things to get upset about. I agree with the OP, but I suppose it’s the other crap in the lyrics that gets me really upset (blind patriotism for its own sake, the assumption that America is united around the idea of a full-scale retaliation, rallying the “turn the Middle East into glass” crowd, etc.). Oh, and for the person who asked about what else Charlie Daniels has done, he’s behind that classic “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” among other things. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/17 "2001-11-05T16:57:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by beagledave \* > \*\*This kind of idiocy ranks up there with Falwell blaming liberals and gays for Sept 11. \*\* Charlie Daniels [did the same thing](http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox/test/165.html). I’ll quote a bit, but there’s more on his Web site. > [@](#): > > Why has this happened? … We have allowed radical groups like the A.C.L.U. to all but remove the name and reverence for God from American society. We have murdered untold millions of unborn children and tolerated an immoral president in the name of a good economy. We have proclaimed that homosexuality is just another lifestyle when the Bible clearly states that it is an abomination to God. We have encouraged illegitimate birth, and condoned living together out of wedlock, practiced racial prejudice and child molestation, followed new age religions and harebrained spiritual leaders. Some of our music is fit for nothing but a garbage can, we are surrounded by greedy opportunists who would sink low enough to use this tragedy for an excuse to raise the price of gasoline to five dollars a gallon. ---
**Author:** ![stofsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@stofsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stofsky)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/18 "2001-11-05T17:07:19Z")
Funny how it’s OK to fly a plastic flag or four off your car, but not wear it as a do-rag. My guess is that any (caucasian) American can put a flag anywhere (including on the ass-pocket of his or her Wranglers or Levis [which would have gotten a big-ol-can-of-whoopass opened in the late-60s, early 70s]) and be “patriotic.” Anyone else listen to John Boy & Billy’s interview with CD? Amazing how the hippie-type who did “Uneasy Rider” could also do all the jingoistic crap (I can think of three offhand) he’s done since the Iran hostage crisis. Listen to the man talk–it ain’t about bikers with American flag head coverings, it’s about “them there Ay-Rabs.” ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/19 "2001-11-05T17:09:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elmwood \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by beagledave \* > > \*\*This kind of idiocy ranks up there with Falwell blaming liberals and gays for Sept 11. \*\* > > Charlie Daniels [did the same thing](http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox/test/165.html). I’ll quote a bit, but there’s more on his Web site. > > \*\* Wow. Thanks for the link elmwood. I was about ready to agree with yosemitebabe and chalk his lyrics up to sloppiness in his lyric writing. What a frickin moron. ---
**Author:** ![headshok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@headshok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/headshok)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598/20 "2001-11-05T17:15:23Z")
[Chandler Bing]Could there _be_ any more cliches in that song?[/Chandler Bing] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-please-pick-up-the-white-courtesy-clue-phone/91598.md?page=2)