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No more the Rose Garden...
Tim wrote:
"Jul. 29, 2003 Talking Race Over a Slice of Watermelon " My great-nephews like watermelon. I like watermelon. They do call me "Uncle Tim" and not "Uncle Tom" .. They must be racists. |
No more the Rose Garden...
On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:51:08 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:
"Tim" wrote in message ... "Jul. 29, 2003 Talking Race Over a Slice of Watermelon " My great-nephews like watermelon. I like watermelon. They do call me "Uncle Tim" and not "Uncle Tom" My father-in-law is 100% Italian. Hates watermelon. You know, I'll betcha if you showed the subject picture to 100 people under the age of 30, very few would understand it's significance or bigoted racial connotation. It's only us old farts that are hung up about it or about being "politically correct". I'm not hung up on it and honestly could care less. I don't have a prejudiced bone in my body. A couple of muscles here and there, but no bones. ~~ damn - the weather is great down here - NO SNOW!! ~~ Oh, saw your other post earlier - about the plow. Might I recommend the Curtis self hitch plow? Don't even have to get out of the truck. One of Chris's high school girlfriend's Uncles designed the thing - it's really a cool deal. |
No more the Rose Garden...
On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:44:11 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote: Tom Francis - SWSports wrote: Now tell me - is that offensive? I am offended by all of the above. I'm offended at you're being offended. Would you please pass me a slice of watermelon? What - I'm your melon boy now? Slice this, watermelon boy. |
No more the Rose Garden...
On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:56:59 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote: Tim wrote: "Jul. 29, 2003 Talking Race Over a Slice of Watermelon " My great-nephews like watermelon. I like watermelon. They do call me "Uncle Tim" and not "Uncle Tom" They must be racists. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suqWNk1vi0o |
No more the Rose Garden...
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No more the Rose Garden...
On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:24:00 -0500, Boater wrote:
Tom Francis - SWSports wrote: On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:17:29 -0600, wrote: On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:22:46 -0500, Boater wrote: I found it offensive. It is the sort of "humor" one expects from insensitive white Republican racists. Surely you are not one of those. Geez Harry, it's music to my ears. The dying gasps of an increasingly marginalized population. White Republican or Democrat, for that matter, racists, let them rot. Hmmm - this begs some discussion and being all by my lonesome while wife and children are out "shopping", I shall indulge myself in some philosophy. Why would that be considered a "racist" image? Why is it that watermelons are "racist" in concept? I've heard it said that watermelons, as referenced to African Americans, represent the slavery era - that the horizontally sliced watermelons represent the grin of African Americans and how content they were - the watermelon slice representing the backward, hopelessly inept, incompetant and dedicated to their master's "darkies". How did white folk eat watermelons? Knife and fork? What did they do with the seeds - eat them, pick them out or use a spitoon? Why is the nexus of watermelon and black folk a "racist" image? Why, and this is the bigger question, did the noble watermelon, a delicious herb (the watermelon is a type of herb), come to be associated with African Americans? Could it possibly be that as a non-native plant species are associated with black America because, in fact, they are native to Africa and not the American South? And then there is the curious objectivication of the watermelon. I know this for a fact - the Vietnamese use watermelon as part of the Vietnamese New Year's holiday, Tet, because it is considered a lucky colour. They also roast and salt the seeds for snacks. I've heard that other cultures, like Egyptian, Syrian and Lebonese venerate the watermelon during certain times of the year - kind of like our holiday fruit cakes kind of thing. Interesting Science Content: Watermelon is a known stimulator of nitric oxide through interaction with the amino acid citrulline which occurs in watermelon in reasonably high concentrations. Oddly enough, nitrious oxide is a known muscle relaxant and affects people in an interesting way - as an aphrodisiac. So, all this begs the question - why is this a "racist" or "negative stereotype" when in fact, other cultures view the herbal fruit as something special? Hell - it's the state vegetable of Oklahoma I think - which is a misnomer as the watermelon is a herbal fruit, not a vegetable. I just think we're being overly sensitive - it was funny in a funny once kind of way. There is much commentary about the connection between watermelons and racism. Here is just one excerpt from a longer piece: Jul. 29, 2003 Talking Race Over a Slice of Watermelon The watermelons seemed like a good idea at the time. Rain had dampened the celebration at Campbell Park, and the photojournalist, trying to salvage a story, searched for a picture that would say, "rained out." She found the watermelons, stacked two-high and dripping in the drizzle, symbols of all the fun that had been washed away that day. She didn't see the controversy coming... *****Since the earliest days of plantation slavery, the caricature of the dark-skinned black child, his too-red lips stretched to grotesque extremes as they opened to chomp down on watermelon, was a staple of racism's diet. Over time, the watermelon became a symbol of the broader denigration of black people. It became part of the image perpetuated by a white culture bent upon bolstering the myth of superiority by depicting the inferior race as lazy, simple-minded pickaninnies interested only in such mindless pleasures as a slice of sweet watermelon.***** *****Like all racial and ethnic stereotypes, this one's destructive properties have, through the decades, stretched far beyond mere insult. It has helped poison self-esteem, pushing some people to avoid doing anything that seemed too "black," lest they be lumped into the company of Uncle Remus, Aunt Jemima, or some other relative of racism.***** As we talked, I told the group how my own life had been poisoned by the stereotype. Just a few days earlier, I told them, I'd found myself in a familiar internal debate over whether to take a slice of watermelon from a luncheon fruit tray. In the pause before my fork stabbed a couple of slices, I worried anew that white people looking on would follow the crooked path of bigoted logic that says if one stereotype is validated, all the others must be true. We wrestled with the issue a little longer. It was the sort of conversation we'd envisioned when the faculty leading the program put the check-ins on the schedule. It was the sort of conversation that should happen in all newsrooms whenever journalism reaches the ethical intersection where truth meets racial stereotype. There are rarely clear-cut answers to such dilemmas. But our discussion suggested some guidelines for getting the • Know the stereotype. There's no reason today, with information just a mouse-click away, why anyone should tromp blindly into the briar patch of racial stigma. Anticipate the existence of stereotypes each time you delve into a culture different from your own. Read up on them. • Listen to trusted voices. Bring into the conversation those who know history and can articulate why something might be insulting. Then ask, "Who feels differently?" Listen to that point of view, too. Remember that you're not looking for someone to whom you'll cede decision-making power. Your independence, a cornerstone of ethical journalism, is heightened by knowledge, and that's what you're after. • Consider context. How central to the story or package is the stereotypical image? If the watermelon picture were the only photo or the primary image from the Juneteenth event, it would take on greater significance. In this case, it was part of a multi-photo essay, and the other images might signal to readers that the journalists were telling a full story, not seizing upon a familiar stereotype. *****I imagine that the closer the image gets to its racist ancestor, the redder the red flag. A photo of a dark-skinned black child sitting cross-legged, smiling broadly and holding a piece of watermelon with two hands –- the prototype for somebody's Sambo -– would be hard to take no matter how true it was to the story.***** http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=58&aid=42722 Harry, is it racist for us white folks to like watermelon? How about cantaloupe? -- John Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year! |
No more the Rose Garden...
On Dec 22, 6:54*pm, Tom Francis - SWSports
wrote: On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:43:15 -0500, Salmonbait wrote: I had to hold it in. My wife will want to know what's so friggin' funny. I had a very nice mouthful of homemade latte. Now I have a mess. Kewl!!! *Coffee snot!! He should be lucky it wasn't Mountain Dew. |
No more the Rose Garden...
On Dec 22, 6:56*pm, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote: Tim wrote: "Jul. 29, 2003 Talking Race Over a Slice of Watermelon " My great-nephews like watermelon. I like watermelon. They do call me "Uncle Tim" and not "Uncle Tom" . They must be racists. No, they['re like me, they can't spielll. |
No more the Rose Garden...
Tim wrote:
On Dec 22, 6:56 pm, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote: Tim wrote: "Jul. 29, 2003 Talking Race Over a Slice of Watermelon " My great-nephews like watermelon. I like watermelon. They do call me "Uncle Tim" and not "Uncle Tom" . They must be racists. No, they['re like me, they can't spielll. Now that sounds racist. ;) |
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