# Can white people call other white people crackers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 22, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752 "2020-08-22T15:50:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/21 "2020-08-23T14:25:27Z")
Signed: George Jefferson. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2020, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/22 "2020-08-23T14:28:13Z")
Obligatory Mike Birbiglia link: [Cracka - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeAL5lva4eg) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/23 "2020-08-28T21:50:57Z")
No hard R? You mean ‘Cacker’? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/24 "2020-08-28T22:15:07Z")
The thing I’m having a hard time grasping is _why_ a white person would want to call another white person “cracka”. ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/25 "2020-08-28T23:37:43Z")
The white person doing it is wearing a FUBU shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/26 "2020-08-29T03:25:17Z")
Pass the Sun Chips, cracka. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2020, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/27 "2020-08-29T10:58:50Z")
Sometimes it’s done accidentally, if you verbally include a comma: Correct: “Pass a saltine cracker” Horribly offensive: “Pass a saltine \ cracker” ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/28 "2020-08-30T20:10:00Z")
I believe the preferred term is Redneck. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/29 "2020-08-30T20:47:03Z")
In British slang “you’re crackers” (an adjective) means you’re barmy, you’re nuts, you’ve got a screw loose. “That’s a cracker” means that’s a very good [something]. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/30 "2020-08-30T20:50:20Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > means you’re barmy What the heck does “barmy” mean? If I didn’t know better, I would say you just made that up. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/31 "2020-08-30T20:50:39Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > What the heck does “barmy” mean? crackers ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/32 "2020-08-30T20:52:44Z")
**Riemann** : “crackers” Thanks for clearing that up. It all makes sense now. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/33 "2020-08-31T01:14:21Z")
I guess I’m the only one who has heard of white people calling themselves “crackers”? White folks who are native to Florida, specifically, tend to use this term in reference to themselves. [Florida cracker - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_cracker) Just to be a pedant: Black people do not just use “nigga” in reference to themselves. For those who use it, it’s often used like “bloke” or “guy” or “folks” is in other English dialects. Like how the Smurfs use “smurf” as a general verb, “nigga” is a general noun. “That nigga Trump is fucking up this country. Niggas are dying over here because of him.” In this sentence, “nigga” does not mean black person or even black people. It means whatever you want it to mean. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/34 "2020-08-31T02:06:08Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Just to be a pedant: Black people do not just use “nigga” in reference to themselves. For those who use it, it’s often used like “bloke” or “guy” or “folks” is in other English dialects. Like how the Smurfs use “smurf” as a general verb, “nigga” is a general noun. “That nigga Trump is fucking up this country. Niggas are dying over here because of him.” In this sentence, “nigga” does not mean black person or even black people. It means whatever you want it to mean. I’ve noticed recently (in Reddit videos and such, I wouldn’t be exposed to it otherwise) that some non-black youths now use it too as part of their vernacular, in just the way you describe. So far as I can discern there’s no racist intent, and when non-black youths use it in the company of black youths it seems to be accepted as normal, nobody gets upset. Is that impression correct? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/35 "2020-08-31T02:27:29Z")
I’m not a black youth, but there is such a thing as a “nigga pass” among young(er) people. You can say “nigga” around your black friend if they are OK with you saying it. But I don’t know anyone older than, say, 40, who follows this “rule”. Most black people my age who say “nigga” have a negative reaction when white people use it, no matter how close a friend the white person may be. It’s a generational thing, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752/36 "2020-08-31T14:27:07Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > …What the heck does “barmy” mean? If I didn’t know better, I would say you just made that up. There’s the crazy thing the kids these days are all calling “Google”: [british slang barmy - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=british+slang+barmy&rlz=1C1GCEB_enUS871US871&oq=british+slang+barmy&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.2470j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-white-people-call-other-white-people-crackers/918752.md?page=1)