I am so sick of this!

[HYHYBT]

When I was approximately in high school, Mom and I cleaned out the garage. Boxes of stuff that hadn't been opened since the move, and in some cases long before that. One thing was a painting, maybe a foot long, that some relative or other had done; I thought it was cute (and unlike much of the stuff in those boxes, it wasn't water damaged). A cute, fuzzy animal curled up in a melon slice, holding the last bit in its paw about to eat it. It was reasonably well-done, and looked like an illustration out of a children's book. Mom threw it straight in the trash and told me it was racist. Since I'm sometimes slow to pick up on such things, she said what it was in just the right words: "a coon eating watermelon."

[IDrinkaRum]

One of my favorite writers is a Jewish man named Kinky Friedman. (Actually he's part of the Jews for Jesus sect). In the mystery novels he wrote (main character was a country singer turned private dick named Kinky Friedman), he would always, at least once a book, have either the main character or one of the other characters (but I'm reasonably sure it was the main character) use the term "Christian them down". I have to admit, it was quite a take on the whole "Jewing them down" and I always had a chuckle whenever that phrase would be used.

I have tried to use it with my in-laws. They never got the joke. However, my dad rolled his eyes so hard they almost fell out of his head. He understood the reference and said he didn't like either phrase.

[Ginger Tea]

"a coon eating watermelon."

I get that coon is a derogatory term but not being an American I am puzzled by this, I will google after posting.

If the image was just a racoon eating a watermelon then outside of your mother knowing the artist to be a raging racist, would it be a painting to everyone else who saw it, or would the meaning be clear to adults.

edit: totally blanked the OP's age and assumed it was from when he was younger so deleted paragraph.

[Aethian]

So seeing animals eating fruit just because they share a derogatory remark is now racist? Hell it's gotten to the point where I can't talk family with some people from down south cause he's my Uncle Tom. The ex had to point out that line of reasoning to me...

[fireheart17]

I get that coon is a derogatory term but not being an American I am puzzled by this, I will google after posting.

I believe it's a stereotype.

[anakhouri]

I am assuming the poster's mother knows something about the family/the artist that we don't.

If I saw such a picture now I wouldn't automatically assume racism, but if I knew that certain of my family members had painted it...

[Nekojin]

I get that coon is a derogatory term but not being an American I am puzzled by this, I will google after posting.

"Coon" is a deep-south slang term for black man. Stereotypically, blacks "like watermelon."

It's not hard to piece that together, but to assert that any depiction of a raccoon eating a watermelon is inherently racist is, to put it nicely, being over-sensitive.

[Ginger Tea]

Well I sadly already knew what coon meant, thankfully its not in heavy use over here, I think ive only heard it once in the UK and that was 10 years ago and still think Sambo, an all but dead term from the Blaxploitation era (wow I spelt that right and sadly it's also a valid word in windows dictionary ...) was a missed opportunity to have a Shaft type character called Samuel Bow.

In the UK it would probably be a monkey and a banana ...

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

I also used "gypped" regularly before I knew of its origins. I've only heard the term "jewed" used in real life once, working at the games store. It was uttered by a lady accusing us of screwing her somehow (I think she was trying to get a full cash refund on an opened game, which policy does not allow).

Reading this thread I can't help but be reminded of that Seinfeld episode where Jerry is dating a Native American woman and finds himself desperately trying to avoid using any terms that might be derogatory towards natives ("reservations", "scalper", "indian giver", etc.)

[Ginger Tea]

Yesterday I probably would not have understood this.

TBH I still don't as said by another poster "I like watermelon and fried chicken too" and I am white.

[Jester]

Stereotypically, blacks "like watermelon."

See, this is one I have never gotten. Ever. I grew up eating watermelon. My whole family did. I am white and of Jewish descent. As is, somewhat obviously, the rest of my family. My roommate LOVES watermelon, and eats it often. He is a Eastern European and whiter than most linen sales.

For the last year, I've made a point of eating a big bowl of fruit every morning for breakfast. As often as not, I'll bring said bowl-o-fruit to work and eat it while I am setting up the bar before we open. Many of my coworkers have made fun of me for this, giving me a little goodnatured ribbing. Including my one black coworker. Ad often, some or all of the fruit I'm eating is watermelon.

So....huh? Don't get it. Never have. Whatever.

[TheHuckster]

See, this is one I have never gotten. Ever.

From what I understand it dates back to slavery times when slave owners were told that the best way to keep slaves happy was to just give them watermelon. It would "tame even the most rebel slave" or something. At the time, I guess watermelon was among the cheapest fruits pound for pound, so it was cost effective.

That odd tip turned into a stereotype which exploded after emancipation and before long people believed African Americans had an unusual appetite for watermelon.

There is also a stereotype that African Americans enjoy fried chicken more than average. According to [Wikipedia, this is due to chickens being the only livestock that slaves were allowed to raise, and with the south being known for deep fried cuisine, I guess that's how that stereotype perpetuated. I never quite understood that stereotype even with that explanation. Whenever I think of fried chicken I think of the south in general, as I would with fried just-about-anything.

[Nekojin]

From what I understand it dates back to slavery times when slave owners were told that the best way to keep slaves happy was to just give them watermelon.<snip>

^ Nailed it. Plus, watermelons are cheap and easy to grow in relatively small plots of land, and like the sort of climate that you get in the Deep South.

Both of those can be simplified, though - both are foods common to the Deep South, slavery was highly concentrated in the Deep South. Correlation is assumed as causation, thus making a stereotype.