# Klan gets a taste of Karma. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 25, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265 "2003-11-25T21:57:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/41 "2003-11-27T17:32:15Z")
In ignorance I ask you all; in knowledge you do share: What is “cracker”? Where did it derive from as an insult? What does it refer to, or how / why is it considered offensive? Sorry to ask, but its sometimes best to know these things rather than risk offending someone at a later date. Is it solely in American usage? I have never heard it used as anything other than to refer to either: a savoury biscuit, a Christmas plaything or a very pretty girl. ---
**Author:** ![agiantdwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8c91f0/32.png) [@agiantdwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agiantdwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/42 "2003-11-27T17:56:16Z")
**Art Vandelay** , I apologize for misinterpreting your post. **Hamlet** , what the hell did you think “cracker” meant? In what context besides a negative and derogatory one have you heard the word “cracker”? ---
**Author:** ![green\_dragon\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/13edae/32.png) [@green\_dragon\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_dragon_1)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/43 "2003-11-27T17:59:09Z")
hey, **agiantdwarf** you thick or something? He didn’t know it was a racial slur (and incidentally, neither did I) and apologised for it; what he didn’t do was use the fact that he was white to justify using a racial slur. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/44 "2003-11-27T18:02:54Z")
Now here’s something I’m confused about. I really don’t like the word cracker, apparently more than I realized, but I thought it had a fairly specific meaning, a poor person Florida or Georgia generally. I wasn’t aware that it could apply broadly to all white people so Hamlet’s claim that he was prejudiced rather than racist seemed to make more sense to me. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![agiantdwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8c91f0/32.png) [@agiantdwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agiantdwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/45 "2003-11-27T18:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by green\_dragon \* > \*\*hey, **agiantdwarf** you thick or something? He didn’t know it was a racial slur (and incidentally, neither did I) and apologised for it; what he didn’t do was use the fact that he was white to justify using a racial slur. \*\* Are _you_ thick? “Did” is in the past tense. I’m wondering how he learned this word without realizing it was a racial slur. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/46 "2003-11-27T19:30:52Z")
Fight my ignorance. **Una Persson** : What kind of slur is “Wet Dog” ? I’ve heard Mexicans referred to as Wet Backs, of course. But Wet Dog is an new one on me. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/47 "2003-11-27T20:47:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by John Carter of Mars \* > \*\*Fight my ignorance. **Una Persson** : What kind of slur is “Wet Dog” ? I’ve heard Mexicans referred to as Wet Backs, of course. But Wet Dog is an new one on me. \*\* It implies that whites smell like wet dogs. (A truly disgusting smell, btw!) ---
**Author:** ![scule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@scule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scule)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/48 "2003-11-27T20:59:43Z")
Personally, even though I’m white, I love the word cracker. I think Chris Rock does it best. But then to be honest, I am a bit prejudiced against white people because we have no rhythm and wear goatees and shop at the GAP. (In case you didn’t realize, that was all a joke. Lighten up people) ---
**Author:** ![green\_dragon\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/13edae/32.png) [@green\_dragon\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_dragon_1)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/49 "2003-11-27T21:58:22Z")
I’m just saying, I didn’t know it was a racial slur and might just use it to deride someone in a lighthearted way e.g. “you silly cracker” totally innocently. Could be because we don’t have any connotations for that word in the UK though. **Cracker is a racial slur? Well, I had no idea** Chill man. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/50 "2003-11-27T23:07:48Z")
Once again we have white people sobbing about all the suffering and oppression which is caused by words like “cracker.” Grow the fuck up. You are not an oppressed minority. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/51 "2003-11-27T23:59:31Z")
Cracker is a racial slur? Plenty of people in Florida (not me, I’m not a native) take pride in using it to refer to their heritage. For example, [Cracker Trail Elementary School](http://www.highlands.k12.fl.us/~cte/) in Sebring. ---
**Author:** ![g8rguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/52 "2003-11-28T02:07:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* > \*\*Once again we have white people sobbing about all the suffering and oppression which is caused by words like “cracker.” Grow the fuck up. You are not an oppressed minority. \*\* I don’t suppose, **DtC** , that you mean to imply that racial slurs are perfectly okay things if they’re directed against white people? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/53 "2003-11-28T03:25:35Z")
What I infer from Diogenes’ post, and I may be wrong, is that no whites are oppressed and that whites should just shrug off any racial slur. No, I’m not an oppressed white person. But I know that there are whites who _ **are** _ marginalized because of poverty and culture. I assume that words like “cracker” and “hillbilly” refer specifically to such marginalized whites. If that is true, it is mean and divisive. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/54 "2003-11-28T03:43:05Z")
The term [cracker](http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19980604) is generally insulting, but not what I would consider _racist_. I think **Hamlet** ’s use was a more specific one found in the link: > [@](#): > > Finally, there is the extended sense used by African Americans ‘a white person (regardless of origin) who is a racist’. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/55 "2003-11-28T03:44:15Z")
How about we all agree to refer to one another as “Shit for Brains”? Since every human fucks up and does stupid crap that if they stopped and thought for a moment, they wouldn’t do. So if we use “Shit for Brains” as a generic ethnic descriptor, then we remind ourselves how foolish we humans can be. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/56 "2003-11-28T03:56:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* > \*\*Once again we have white people sobbing about all the suffering and oppression which is caused by words like “cracker.” Grow the fuck up. You are not an oppressed minority. \*\* Whew! Good thing I wasn’t doing any of that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/57 "2003-11-28T04:13:53Z")
Thanks for explaining, **Guin**. I was born a several generation Florida Cracker. Back then everybody seemed to take some pride in the term. Before the Braves came, Atlanta’s minor league baseball team was the Atlanta Crackers. Word meanings change over time though, because back in the day of the Atlanta Crackers “Gay Affair” was a term used to describe a social event that went well. I guess it still could mean that, but the mind’s eye would see a very different image today. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/58 "2003-11-28T04:23:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by g8rguy \* > \*\*I don’t suppose, **DtC** , that you mean to imply that racial slurs are perfectly okay things if they’re directed against white people? 😕 \*\* It’s not especially racist, no. It generally refers to a certain _kind_ of white person not to white people in general but even if it _is_ used to refer to white people _so the fuck what?_ Being called a “cracker” is not the same as being called a “nigger” or a “spic.” It doesn’t have the same kind of power. It doesn’t have the same kind of history. I think only a bitch fucking whines about it. Do you cry about being called a “honkey” too? Boo fucking hoo. There are people in the world with _real_ problems. Fucking suck it up and drive on. ---
**Author:** ![agiantdwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8c91f0/32.png) [@agiantdwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agiantdwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/59 "2003-11-28T12:00:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* > \*\*I think only a bitch fucking whines about it. Do you cry about being called a “honkey” too? Boo fucking hoo. There are people in the world with _real_ problems. Fucking suck it up and drive on. \*\* By that logic, it is perfectly acceptable to go up to a rich Jew and say “Yo, kike! Get in the oven!” Since he’s rich and doesn’t live in the ghetto and all… ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265/60 "2003-11-28T12:28:27Z")
Ya know, I’ve never been called a honkey. Does anyone actually use that word outside of discussions like this? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klan-gets-a-taste-of-karma/215265.md?page=4)