# Do you consider "cotton-picken" to be racist or offensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452 "2018-04-15T18:07:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/1 "2018-04-15T18:07:54Z")
During a recent Oklahoma City Thunder game, play-by-play announcer Brian Davis said that Russell Westbrook was “out of his cotton-picken mind”. He has been suspended for today’s game. He has apologized. From what I’ve read, no one believes that Davis is a racist. The “color” announcer during the game is black and didn’t say anything or react to the phrase. I have heard the phrase my whole life and have never considered it racist or offensive. Poll coming. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/2 "2018-04-15T18:18:09Z")
I say it some. Like " get out of my cotton pickin’ way", I don’t think it’s racist at all. In the south it’s a common enough phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/3 "2018-04-15T18:38:09Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I have heard the phrase my whole life and have never considered it racist or offensive. Same here. I really suspect that the literal meaning of the word is irrelevant, and it’s used as a sanitized version of the similar-sounding word that starts with m-f. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/4 "2018-04-15T18:43:58Z")
It never occurred to me that it was. Now that I think about it, I can see how it could be taken that way. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/5 "2018-04-15T18:44:05Z")
My first association with the phrase is Foghorn Leghorn, and if I heard anyone else using it, I’d probably assume that they got it from him, and thus wouldn’t assume that the speaker was racist. That said, on thinking about it, it probably is racist in origin, and so it would be a good idea to stop using it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/6 "2018-04-15T18:53:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > My first association with the phrase is Foghorn Leghorn, and if I heard anyone else using it, I’d probably assume that they got it from him, and thus wouldn’t assume that the speaker was racist. That said, on thinking about it, it probably is racist in origin, and so it would be a good idea to stop using it anyway. If [phrases.org](http://phrases.org) is to be believed, “cotton-pickin” should be distinguished from “cotton-picker”. The latter is supposedly racist in origin while the former is not. > **[Cotton-picking - Meaning & Origin Of The Phrase](https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cotton-picking.html)** > > What's the meaning and origin of the phrase 'Cotton-picking'? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/7 "2018-04-15T19:13:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > My first association with the phrase is Foghorn Leghorn, and if I heard anyone else using it, I’d probably assume that they got it from him, and thus wouldn’t assume that the speaker was racist. That said, on thinking about it, it probably is racist in origin, and so it would be a good idea to stop using it anyway. That was my thought. I heard the phrase all the time watching Warner Bros cartoons. In addition to Foghorn Leghorn, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam used it. I never associated it with racism. But that said, let’s face facts. The classic Warner Bros cartoons were made decades ago and they didn’t hesitate to include racist jokes. So it’s possible the phrase has racist origins and I was just unaware of it. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/8 "2018-04-15T19:22:35Z")
Not racist. Maybe a bit dated. I can’t imagine anyone who is a racist would want the job of broadcasting NBA games ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/9 "2018-04-15T19:37:58Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > It never occurred to me that it was. Now that I think about it, I can see how it could be taken that way. Same. I grew up hearing this on a daily basis from my grandfather (who, coincidentally, was black). It was a his generic substitution for basically any curse word. As I don’t recall EVER hearing anyone else say this outside of my family, the racial context would never have occurred to me prior to this thread. As others have mentioned, it makes sense to me that the phrase has its origins in less-than-polite contexts, and therefore maybe should be avoided. But I would not have thought, and still do not think, that this announcer had any bigoted intent. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/10 "2018-04-15T19:54:50Z")
All of my relatives who picked cotton by hand way back when were white. I am startled to think that anyone would consider it racist. Give me break. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/11 "2018-04-15T19:57:38Z")
It’s one of those things that upsets some people, so I figure it’s better and easier to just not say it. American English has no shortage of colorful turns of phrase. I can let that one go. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/12 "2018-04-15T19:58:07Z")
If “cotton pickin’” is racist, then I’d think designating someone as the “color” announcer would be racist. Especially if a person can designate a phrase as racist by simply proclaiming it to be so. Now, I’m OK with the notion that I, as a person who has never been marginalized because of my race, ethnicity, or other related factors, might not be the best person to make such a proclamation. But I’ll draw other folks’ attention to it and let them make the call. How dare they identify a sports announcer as the “color” announcer when historically it has sometimes been the case that the so-called “color” announcer is a person of color, and how likely is it that they’ve enjoyed the same status salary and privileges as the “play by play” announcer when the latter was white? C’mon, where’s the outrage? \*\* taps feet \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/13 "2018-04-15T20:01:34Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > How dare they identify a sports announcer as the “color” announcer when historically it has sometimes been the case that the so-called “color” announcer is a person of color, and how likely is it that they’ve enjoyed the same status salary and privileges as the “play by play” announcer when the latter was white? C’mon, where’s the outrage? How about we stay on the topic, which is based on a real world issue, rather than get diverted by a strawman? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/14 "2018-04-15T20:40:26Z")
It is racist and offensive to those who are determined to be offended no matter what. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/15 "2018-04-15T20:41:17Z")
People have forgotten how community standards work. 1. Develop a commonly-understood community standard that \ is the appropriate thing to say/innapropriate thing to say/way to behave etc 2. Encourage acceptance of the community standard to the point where most people know about it and agree with it 3. Penalise people who violate the community standard. Steps 1 and 2 are not actually optional on the way to step 3 ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/16 "2018-04-15T21:22:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > My first association with the phrase is Foghorn Leghorn, and if I heard anyone else using it, I’d probably assume that they got it from him, and thus wouldn’t assume that the speaker was racist. That said, on thinking about it, it probably is racist in origin, and so it would be a good idea to stop using it anyway. This is pretty much my view. I’ve never bothered to look up the origin of the phrase, but I figure it probably is racist. I’m sharp enough to come up with some other phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/17 "2018-04-15T21:45:24Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > It’s one of those things that upsets some people But that’s the thing: before this week, it would never have occurred to me that it _was_ “one of those things that upsets some people.” ---
**Author:** ![Majestic\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Majestic\_Lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Majestic_Lee)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/18 "2018-04-15T22:04:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > That was my thought. I heard the phrase all the time watching Warner Bros cartoons. In addition to Foghorn Leghorn, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam used it. I never associated it with racism. > > But that said, let’s face facts. The classic Warner Bros cartoons were made decades ago and they didn’t hesitate to include racist jokes. So it’s possible the phrase has racist origins and I was just unaware of it. I thought it was in the cartoon series “Deputy Dawg” I watched in the 1970s… ---
**Author:** ![romadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@romadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romadea)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/19 "2018-04-15T22:08:23Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But that’s the thing: before this week, it would never have occurred to me that it _was_ “one of those things that upsets some people.” …welcome to the age of social media? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452/20 "2018-04-15T22:14:38Z")
I don’t know if it is really all that racist, but it most certainly is classist. Not all the people picking cotton in the south were black, but they were all poor. It’s punching down, making fun of people who are not as well off as the people who didn’t have to pick cotton. The modern version I would say would be “burger flipper.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-cotton-picken-to-be-racist-or-offensive/812452.md?page=2)