“Love It or Leave It” Has a Racist History. A Lot of America’s Language Does.
Dominick Sarazen / AP In 1970, country singer Ernest Tubb was pissed off. “Well, I’m getting mighty tired of seeing hippies run wild and burning down the schools and stepping on the flag,” he sorta-sings, mostly-rants. Tubb’s song crescendoes with the chorus: “It’s America—love it or leave it.” By then, Tubb’s song was an echo of a long-time…