# Did you know that "banana" was a slur to Asian Americans? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568 "2017-01-19T20:09:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/61 "2017-01-20T16:18:42Z")
Duplicate ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/62 "2017-01-20T16:20:47Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > What about white people who act black, white on the outside, black on the inside? I’ve never heard a food metaphor for that. Not a food metaphor, no. Though perhaps Vanilla Ice might qualify… ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/63 "2017-01-20T16:53:28Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > So, what exactly is “acting white”? It’s basically a complaint that you belong to the same ethnic group as the speaker but have different interests or mannerisms (“Um, we’re Korean, what are you doing listening to country?”), things they would be offended about if they were pointed out by someone outside the ethnic group (“What, you’re saying Asians can’t like country music? We can listen to what we want, racist! Leave her alone!”). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/64 "2017-01-20T17:46:53Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > What about white people who act black, white on the outside, black on the inside? I’ve never heard a food metaphor for that. Those folks are typically called wiggers, which is not a food term, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/65 "2017-01-20T17:54:35Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > It’s basically a complaint that you belong to the same ethnic group as the speaker but have different interests or mannerisms (“Um, we’re Korean, what are you doing listening to country?”), things they would be offended about if they were pointed out by someone outside the ethnic group (“What, you’re saying Asians can’t like country music? We can listen to what we want, racist! Leave her alone!”). I think the term means different things to different groups. SOME ethnic groups are THRILLED when their kids or their neighbors’ kids get straight A’s, win scholarships to college, and become doctors and lawyers. But SOME ethnic groups are suspicious of tribe members who are ambitious or well educated. There are some blacks and Mexicans who think that getting an education and moving up in the world means “I’m too good for this neighborhood, I’m too good for this family, I’m too big for my britches, and you guys are beneath me.” Seriously, my Mexican ex-wife had cousins who asked why she wanted to get an MBA, why being a secretary or a nurse wasn’t good enough for her. Those folks used “coconut” as a perjorative, as if a Mexican girl was arrogant if she aimed for a better life than her parents had. The FEW people I heard use the term “Twinkie” were Asian males, guys who resented Asian girls for dating white guys. The implication was something like, “What’s the matter, you’re too high and mighty to date a Chinese guy now? You think you’re hot stuff for going out with the quarterback, huh?” ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/66 "2017-01-20T18:25:23Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > What about white people who act black, white on the outside, black on the inside? I’ve never heard a food metaphor for that. I found a picture of one in [transition](http://just-add-sprinkles.com/2014/12/15/chocolate-covered-oreos/). They’re still white at the core. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/67 "2017-01-20T18:58:57Z")
I’m Japanese-American and have lived in minority-majority areas all my life. I’ve definitely heard it. I posted a photo of Hostess Banana Twinkies to Facebook a while back, to the great amusement of a dozen friends and family. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/68 "2017-01-20T20:17:08Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > :rolleyes: > Those are “white” things? How? Idiocy, of course. If I were \*really \*acting white, I’d have been leaving neighbourhood boys in unmarked graves, siring illegitimate kids on their sisters and spreading smallpox… ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/69 "2017-01-20T21:01:48Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Gipsy Danger was the best Jaeger. Would “Gipsy Danger” be OK with its slightly different spelling? I slogged through one too many internet rants about how racist “Gipsy Danger” was. As it turns out, the writer (Travis Beacham) named it in homage to the [De Havilland Gipsy Moth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_DH.60_Moth#Specifications_.28DH.60G_Gipsy_Moth.29), not to the ethnicity. However, once he learned about the controversy, he was dismayed and apologized for his ignorance on the matter. So apparently _he_ thinks he should’ve avoided it, regardless of the spelling difference. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/70 "2017-01-20T21:54:34Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I think the term means different things to different groups. SOME ethnic groups are THRILLED when their kids or their neighbors’ kids get straight A’s, win scholarships to college, and become doctors and lawyers. But SOME ethnic groups are suspicious of tribe members who are ambitious or well educated. There are some blacks and Mexicans who think that getting an education and moving up in the world means “I’m too good for this neighborhood, I’m too good for this family, I’m too big for my britches, and you guys are beneath me.” I think you can find members of every ethnic group who use it in different ways. For example, some blacks use it against other blacks who are educated, some use it against people who have different tastes in hobbies than expected. Then you have some people who get called oreo/twinkie/whatever because they’ve rejected every part of the culture they were raised in - they hate the music, the food, the traditions etc. and in some cases look down on anyone who doesn’t feel the way they do. In those cases, it’s less of a personal preference and more of an avoidance due to embarrassment or disdain. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/71 "2017-01-20T22:30:40Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > I found a picture of one in [transition](http://just-add-sprinkles.com/2014/12/15/chocolate-covered-oreos/). They’re still white at the core. Jeez, now I’m hungry for Oreos. I also didn’t know they sold Chewy Chips Ahoy with Oreo filling! [http://www.snackworks.com/products/product-detail.aspx?product=4400003628](http://www.snackworks.com/products/product-detail.aspx?product=4400003628) I’m struggling to figure out which group that would be, and feel vaguely uncomfortable about doing so!! ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/72 "2017-01-21T03:23:39Z")
I’ve heard that term and “twinkie” before since I was married to a Korean woman. I’ve never heard it said by a non-Asian to refer to an Asian. I’ve only ever heard it used by Asians against other Asians. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/73 "2017-01-21T11:44:18Z")
I said yes, in the sense that i know what a “banana” is, but really I see it as a metaphor, if an annoying one, not a word that is _generally_ rude outside that context. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/74 "2017-01-21T12:03:16Z")
Oh, and I consider the drive to stamp out “gypsy” as offensive itself, considering that “gypsy” is still used for a genre of music, and some Rroma people _call themselves gypsies._ In learning different languages, or in code-switching, you have to deal with words–or sequences of sound, or metaphors, or _just certain consonant sounds_–being offensive in one cultural context and not in another. Just because Chinese people don’t like it doesn’t mean I can get away with dropping the \θ\ sound in English or Greek. “Dikshit” is a perfectly respectable name in parts of South Asia. Animal metaphors are a minefield in translation. “Gift” is a present in English and poison in German. So too with words\* you \*think are offensive. They may be inoffensive to someone else. They may be important. They may be necessary. They may be someone’s _name,_ as Gypsy sometimes is. /rant [RIGHT]fool’s guinea, whose username\* is two slurs.\* (Although I’m named after the coin.)[/RIGHT] ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/75 "2017-01-21T21:08:56Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > :rolleyes: > Those are “white” things? How? They’re upper middle class suburban things, which has a connotation of white. I can’t imagine that’s actually a surprise to you. stuffwhitepeoplelike was a very popular blog for a while. > **[Full List of Stuff White People Like](https://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/)** > > \#136 My So Called Life #135 Roller Derby #134 The TED Conference #133 The World Cup #132 Picking Their Own Fruit #131 Conan O’Brien #130 Ray-Ban Wayfarers #129 Banksy #128 Camping #127 Where … In my experience it’s mostly tongue in cheek and friendly ribbing, not intended to denigrate. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/76 "2017-01-21T21:56:20Z")
I had no idea. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/77 "2017-01-21T22:14:44Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > What about white people who act black, white on the outside, black on the inside? I’ve never heard a food metaphor for that. I guess you\* could call them [“Zeros”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZERO_bar), which even sounds overtly derogatory. \*I mean, not _you_, but people who call other people silly derogatory food-based nicknames based on those other people not acting in accordance with perceived stereotypes of how people of a particular “race” ought to act. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/78 "2017-01-21T22:30:27Z")
For reverse Oreos, I thought of Pepperidge Farms’ “Milano” or “Monaco” (depending on the market) cookies, but that doesn’t work that well. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/79 "2017-01-21T22:37:10Z")
Serious question—is there a master list of all these terms somewhere? Both banana and apple are completely news to me. I was entirely unaware that they are derogatory terms when used in a particular context. I really, really simply can’t keep up this ‘PC-no-no-of the-week’ phenomenon that has imbued our culture. On top of that, I’m already pretty dense about these things and always have been. For example, I didn’t know until just a couple of years or so ago, until I read it here, that the expression “to sell somebody down the river” derived from American slave trade. I mean, seriously—what’s a person to do? I once wrote a paper on the subject of common inter-culture hostilities for a cultural awareness class. I focused on the two that were of most interest to me, which are the longstanding animousity between Armenians and Turks, and the hostility expressed by culturally Deaf people towards the practice of forced speechreading education, which was ubiquitous for the greater part of the twentieth century in the United States and Europe. When I got the paper back, the professor had written in the margin that saying “native speaker” (meaning a person whose language is the one they were raised speaking and writing) is no longer considered acceptable. I had absolutely no idea. I never asked her why, so I still don’t know the basis for it. Anybody know of a web page that lists all of the things which we’re not supposed to say, and why we’re not supposed to say them? I’ve searched my mind over and over again for any irrational prejudices that I have, any I can only think of two. So I’d be happy to play ball if doing so is necessary to avoid uncomfortable social interactions. But I was born with terminal foot-in-mouth disease and faux pas constantly, so any help I could get in this area would be much appreciated. Even if I find something in the list that seems completely arbitrary or nonsensical, I’ll still try to avoid using that term. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/80 "2017-01-21T23:26:42Z")
Yeah, we need an Urban Dictionary for these potentially-offensive terms. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568.md?page=5)