LAHS Bel Canto Choir should perform a song with blatant bigotry and glorified violence… We must do better
Alvin M. Keeling
2 min read
By VALERIE SHELLEY
Los Alamos
The Los Alamos High School (LAHS) Bel Canto Choir will sing the song “The Cell Block Tango” from the musical “Chicago” at their next performance on May 11. and possibly May 12 .
This song is about five murderesses and how they killed their victims. There are five verses and students will sing about being shot in the head, poisoning a victim, stabbing a person 10 times, and an indiVidual passes out and then wakes up to find two people dead with blood on their hands.
Surely, the many incidents of violence in schools across the country, including a fatal shooting in Albuquerque, should disqualify this song as suitable for presentation by the choir!
Additionally, the song also mocks and denigrates the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The song states that because a character in the song is “Mormon” (slang term for a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), he has six wives. The practice of polygamy was abolished by the Church in 1890, about 130 years ago.
The Los Alamos School District should give The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the same respect it gives to all religions. Our school should always encourage students in their schools to treat people of all different religions and backgrounds with respect. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who sing in the Bel Canto Choir are asked to mock their own religion while glorifying heinous murder.
I ask all members of this community who believe in respect for all religions and who believe that there is much uplifting music that can be taught and performed to contact school board members and LAHS administration to request that The Bel Canto choir cancels the choir’s performance of this song.
Our Los Alamos community is one where no student should be looked down upon or mocked because of their religion, and where students shouldn’t have to sing songs that shed light on murder.
