# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/101 "2017-01-25T17:43:40Z")
I’m white on the outside, and the surgeon who removed my gallbladder told me I’m red/brown/tan/wet/nasty on the inside. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/102 "2017-01-26T00:25:50Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > This astonishes many people, but some ethnic groups are offended by fellow ethnics who want to move up in the world. A Chinese or Jewish family is typically thrilled when their kids get admitted to elite colleges. A Mexican family often ISN’T. Abuelita (Grandma, the boss of a large Mexican family) is liable to shriek, “Harvard? You want to leave us and move 2000 miles away?” To give more context to this, for a Chinese, “acting white” (at least for Singapore, not sure how much of this applies to the US) includes not being filial and taking care of your parents, wanting to move out, not doing traditional things (like celebrating Chinese new year, death traditions, giving up the old religions etc) not knowing how to speak Chinese or speaking it poorly. It’s a different axis from the “know your place” type of derision. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/103 "2017-01-26T03:58:16Z")
I grew up with many Asian friends in the Los Angeles area in the 70s and 80s. The term “FOB” for “Fresh of the Boat” or “Fresh of the Banana Boat” was applied to certain Asians that had recently immigrated to the US or were not accustomed to American life. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/104 "2017-01-26T08:40:34Z")
I first heard this in an X-Men comic in the’90s – some other character used the term as an insult to [Jubilee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(comics)). It was part of the banter in a fight scene, complete with an explanation that it meant “yellow on the outside, white on the inside”. I thought it was really weird that the writer decided to just casually throw that in there – which is probably why I still remember that little snippet of dialogue after 20+ years. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/105 "2017-01-26T10:36:00Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Google images](https://www.google.com/search?q=fruit+black+inside&biw=1056&bih=518&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiimvqt-tDRAhUEw1QKHZPDAD8Q_AUIBigB) isn’t giving anything helpful, but I do wonder what kind of weird-ass person could be called a “dragonfruit.” I’m thinking Endora from “Bewitched.” ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568/106 "2017-01-27T15:58:14Z")
Considering the generally held belief that east Asians have small penises, I would have thought calling one a banana might be a compliment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-banana-was-a-slur-to-asian-americans/777568.md?page=5)