Folk etymology claims the term originated either from their cracking, or pounding, of corn rather than taking it to mill, or from their use of whips to drive cattle. White people jokes great jokes about white people and. You dont see white people goin up to eachotha sayin. Apparently too enlightened to take ten seconds to read the definition of cracker as a term for white people, used especially against poor rural whites in the southern united states never including the idea of racism, she told her firstgeneration white southern resident. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a sometimes pejorative expression for white people, especially poor rural whites in the southern united states. However, volunteering at a historical place in florida i was informed, with pride, that a cracker was a native floridian, especially those who herded cattle. What do you call 200 white men chasing a black man. This idiom has its origins in slavery white people were called crackers because of the sound of a slaveowners whip. Why did the white guy go to the black guys yard sale. Some people use it as a derogatory term, while others simply use it as a name for people from georgia without any negative connotation. A white person calling a black person by the nword is undoubtedly worse than a black person calling a white person cracker because of the history and connotations of the words. I remember the first time i heard the term cracker. With a single phrase, rachel jeantel, that friend of trayvon martins, may have lit a fuse in the trial of his accused killer.
A corollary of this fact is the fact that white people who complain loudly about racial slurs like cracker are pussies. Euphemizing cracker as the cword indexes cracker as a racist slur, and by extension discursively constructs the phenomenon of reverse racism. It implies a person who lives in the utmost worst conditions and a person who no one really cares about. The epithet cracker has been applied in a derogatory way, like redneck, to rural, nonelite white southerners, more specifically to those of south georgia and north florida. In reference to a native of florida or georgia, however, it is sometimes used in a neutral or positive context or selfdescriptively with pride see florida cracker and georgia cracker. Cracker has also been used as a proud or jocular selfdescription in the past.
Various theories exists regarding this term s application to poor white southerners. The name caught on among adults who eventually tried to put a racist edge on it. Where does the term cracker come from, and how disparaging. Frederick law olmsted, a prominent landscape architect from. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a derogatory term for white people, especially poor rural whites in the southern united states. I asked him what that meant, he said it was the n word for white people. It originated as a term for farmers living in the appalachian mountains. Sense of computer cracker, crack, cracking, were promoted in the 1980s as an alternative to hacker, by programmers concerned about negative public associations of hack, hacking creative computer coding. Deny a white person a seat near the front of a bus. The latter explanation makes sense, because in piney.
So a white person saying nigger should not be offensive, they are not the ones that created the idea that blacks werent people, in fact, they are the ones that stopped that from being the case. Claire said that by the 1940s, the term began to take on yet another meaning in american inner cities in particular. Janet jackson also made an album called rhythm nation for people with rhythm not white people. In this context, cracker is a word that refers to the oppressor. I dont think most white people find the term cracker to be offensive. Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates cnn. One is that cracker originated in the southern states, when white cattlemen carried long leather whips to keep their longhorn cattle in line. White cracker unknown a stereotypical term used for white people, as their described as being caucasian people omg, look at that guy at starbucks s, hes such a white cracker by oof man march 10, 2018. Or even hillbilly, except that the crackers came from the georgia plains. Its use in blacksploitation films cemented it and the term cracker even fell out of style for a while, referring to whip cracker dating back to slavery days.
In reference to a native of florida or georgia, however, it is sometimes used in a neutral or positive context and is. I need some slangnames for white people, i only have cracker. Today, cracker is often used as a derogatory term for a white person for obvious reasons. Weve all heard the terms cracker, white trash and redneck in reference to poor white people living in america. Cracker as a pejorative term originated in the southern states for the poorest white whip crackers. A term in southeastern united states english to describe poor white trash, derived from the scottish meaning of the verb to crack, which, in this sense. Its believed that term referred to what white people did with whips, cracking them on the bodies of livestock and slaves.
I was wondering what some equivalent terms were that other cultures use, to refer to caucasians in the same way. Trayvon martins use of the term cracker doesnt make him a racist. Historically, cracker has never been spat at white people who get their fingers cut off because they tried to. Cracker is not a derogatory term for white people and you. They did not use barb wire to control the cattle and relied on the crack of the whip. Most white people would be more offended if you called them a honkey, boiled prawn, a milkworm, a bino short for albino. A white, englishspeaking person wanting to use a racist slur against another culture might use words like nigger, coon, spic, kyke, etc. Prior to living in florida, i thought it was a derogatory term for white people.
Good ol boy rural people, especially white, powerful people and their networks. Cracker, the old standby of anglo insults was first noted in the mid 18th century, making it older than the united states itself. One theory holds that it originated with disadvantaged corn and wheat farmers. In reality, you should be offended at cracker or nigger, because the intention is to be insulting, not because of the word. The original meaning for cracker was white people who, in the south, that would crack corn for fermentation. Do white people actually find the term cracker offensive. Cracker, sometimes white cracker, is a contemptuous term used for white people, used especially against poor rural whites in the southern united states. I thought it was because some people have skin the color of white crackers. Cracker derogatory term for whites, particularly from the american south. How did the slang term cracker come about to mean white. Various theories exists regarding this terms application to poor white southerners.
It has been taken as an offensive and derogatory term to people of caucasian or european descent and is largely considered a slur in modern usage. Cracker term cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a term for white people, used especially for poor rural whites in the southern united states. Cracker means something entirely different in florida. From a white person to a black person the nword is derogatory, and refers whether intentionally or otherwise to a time when black people suffered and were enslaved. What derogatory names do other races use for white people. In reference to a native of florida or georgia, however, it is sometimes used in a neutral or positive context. Remember that slave owner who was yelling the nword while beating that slave. Tanehisi coates embarrassed us all when he became the 12,740th black person to politely and eloquently explain why white people cant even sing the words nigger or. White people arent raised with the belief that its a horrid offense we learn that at some random oh my god thats the dumbest thing point in life. Corn cracker definition, a contemptuous term used to refer to a member of a class of poor white people in the southern u. Will you white crackers please stop whining for the love. I was called a cracker by an african american woman, while i was working with my african american friend. Too poor to own slaves themselves, these white people were used as slave drivers cracking the whip to keep the slaves in line.
Redneck, cracker and white trash are all terms created, or, in the case of white trash, popularized by wealthy white people to dehumanize white people living in poverty, particularly. Afaik, the term cracker, while maybe in current use by some as a direct slur towards white folk, is more kin to calling someone a redneck, hick, or white trash. Its short for whip cracker and it refers to the days of slavery when poor white people without skills could find work overseeing slaves. To consider cracker a racist term is insulting to all those who are of scots, irish, or scotchirish descent as well as all the native born citizens of florida and georgia. Here in the midwest i know the term as derogatory to white people from african americans. Cracker has also been used as a proud or jocular selfdescription. Cracker honkey trailer trash white trash white boy can be offensive in certain instances haole is a hawaiian word that refers to nonpolynesians, esp. Honky is considered old school or even outdated now. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a usually derogatory andor offensive term for white people, especially. Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates. White cracker unknown a stereotypical term used for white people, as their described as being caucasian people omg, look at that guy at starbucks s, hes such a white cracker by oof man march. I dont know anyone whod respond with anything but a laugh if they were called a cracker.
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