# Kool-Aid and black culture...am I totally out of the loop? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 19, 2002, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891 "2002-07-19T23:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/1 "2002-07-19T23:19:28Z")
Last night I saw a second Kool-Aid commercial that sort of puzzled me. The first commercial I saw like this seemed different, but this second one confirms a trend. In it a black family is in the process of moving into a new home, and they are welcomed to the neighborhood by another black family bearing gifts of food and a pitcher of Kool-Aid. Everyone gets excited because there are fruit slices floating in the Kool-Aid. (in the first commercial, a black family is joking about what flavors of Kool-Aid each family member can be identified by, and they all had fruit floating in their drinks). So have I been ignorant of a cultural difference in how Kool-aid is prepared and served? I’ve never, ever had fruit slices in Kool-Aid. Is this common in the black community, or is Kool-Aid trying to start something? Or could this be a regional thing? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/2 "2002-07-19T23:28:54Z")
Yes. Black people put fruit in their Kool-Aid. And _only_ black people. [sub] … do I even need to add it [/sub] —\> :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/3 "2002-07-20T00:20:55Z")
Now, now, you know that’s not what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/4 "2002-07-20T00:59:52Z")
I grew up in a very diverse place in Northern California. Kool-aid was a really big thing in my area- it’s cheaper than soda but kids like it better than powdered milk. But I have never, ever, ever in my life heard of putting slices of fruit in it. Kool-aid is what you drink because you don’t have anything good to drink, not something you drink to get all fancy with. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/5 "2002-07-20T01:45:44Z")
I’m almost positive that Fruit in the Kool-Aid is an invention of the ad agency who thought that fruit floating around in there looked a lot artsier, or something, than plain clear red liquid. I would venture to guess that this has absolutely nothing with "black culture. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/6 "2002-07-20T01:51:20Z")
**kitten** : I hate to tell you this, but when you see black people in a commercial, they’re not necessarily doing a “black thing”. It may simply be an advertising thing. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/7 "2002-07-20T01:55:06Z")
About 20 odd years ago whilst in the Navy, whenever there was to be any kind of official inspection involving the ship’s cleanliness, the cooks in the galley would put fruit slices in the bug juice. Bug juice is just government issue Kool-Aid which is dispensed from these large fountain-style coolers with the clear containers on top that the beverage is stored in. It was customary for the fountains to be left running in the evening for the crew and generally by morning there were a few large roaches and innumerable flying insects in the mix, hence bug-juice. By the way, bug juice doesn’t come in flavors, just different colors (yellow is best!). ---
**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:** [July 20, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/8 "2002-07-20T02:52:08Z")
Mmmm…Kool Aid…yum! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Wrong_Girl)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/9 "2002-07-20T02:56:05Z")
MMmmmm… Kool Aid and vodka…yummmm! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/10 "2002-07-20T03:06:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rilchiam \* > \*\ ***kitten** : I hate to tell you this, but when you see black people in a commercial, they’re not necessarily doing a “black thing”. It may simply be an advertising thing. \*\* See? This is why I’m asking…to be sure. It just seems odd that they are only doing this in commercials that feature black families. If they wanted to encourage everyone to slice fruit into Kool-Aid to make it seem wholesome, wouldn’t they target everybody? I have the same question about calling McDonald’s “Mickey D’s”. When commercials started using that nickname, they were the commercials that targeted black audiences, and no-one I knew had ever heard it called that…but then we were all white, so we figured we just didn’t know. But it always seemed a little forced. ---
**Author:** ![Cessandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cessandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cessandra)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/11 "2002-07-20T03:27:34Z")
Fruit in Kool-Aid? Yick! Why would you want a piece of fruit floating around in your drink?? It’s like people who put fresh fruit in jello. If I wanted fruit, I’d eat fruit. Just because jello is fruit flavoured, does not mean I want you to totally change the consistancy of it by adding chunks of pineapple!!! ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/12 "2002-07-20T03:27:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rhubarb \* > \*\*About 20 odd years ago whilst in the Navy, whenever there was to be any kind of official inspection involving the ship’s cleanliness, the cooks in the galley would put fruit slices in the bug juice. Bug juice is just government issue Kool-Aid which is dispensed from these large fountain-style coolers with the clear containers on top that the beverage is stored in. It was customary for the fountains to be left running in the evening for the crew and generally by morning there were a few large roaches and innumerable flying insects in the mix, hence bug-juice. By the way, bug juice doesn’t come in flavors, just different colors (yellow is best!). \*\* We had “bug juice” at Boy Scout camp too. After all these years, I don’t remember what colors it came in, although I have a vaque thought that my dislike for grape juice may have its origins in an overexposure to purple bug juice. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/13 "2002-07-20T05:46:40Z")
For what it’s worth, in prison slang, bug juice is thorazine or other psychiatric medication. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/14 "2002-07-20T09:53:20Z")
Living in the South, I know alot of (at least mildly) racist people, and one of the things they always talk about when stereotyping blacks is grape kool-aid. I’m not easily offened at all but I was slightly shocked (note: shocked, not offended) when they started showing these commercials. On a lighter note, my dad always called soy sauce “bug juice” for some reason. I never knew why but I always assumed he picked it up from the USMC. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/15 "2002-07-20T16:12:45Z")
kittenblue writes: \> I have the same question about calling McDonald’s “Mickey \> D’s”. When commercials started using that nickname, they were \> the commercials that targeted black audiences, and no-one I \> knew had ever heard it called that…but then we were all \> white, so we figured we just didn’t know. But it always seemed \> a little forced. I first heard the term “Mickey D’s” in the early '70’s, while I was in college. The college was in Florida, but most of the students were white suburban kids from the Northeast. As far as I remember, none of them were consciously imitating black speech, so I really don’t think it was originally black slang. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/16 "2002-07-20T16:16:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kittenblue \* > \*\*I have the same question about calling McDonald’s “Mickey D’s”. When commercials started using that nickname, they were the commercials that targeted black audiences, and no-one I knew had ever heard it called that…but then we were all white, so we figured we just didn’t know. But it always seemed a little forced. \*\* I still think you’re reading waaay too much into the “black culture” thing. Mickey-D’s was a fairly common slang used in my little home town in rural Maine, where the black population was exactly … zero. Long before the commercials. I think the ad agency again is responsible. They picked up on the slang, thought it sounded “hip-hop” or whatever, and sent out a call for good looking young black actors to shill crappy cheeseburgers. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/17 "2002-07-20T22:43:11Z")
The closest thing I’ve done to this is when I make the Kool Aid lemonade, I put little lemon seeds in it to make it look real. Which is sort of pathetic because if I can cut up lemons why can’t I squeeze them to make lemonade? But I use the lemon wedges with tea or fish. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/18 "2002-07-20T22:54:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cessandra \* > \*\*Fruit in Kool-Aid? Yick! Why would you want a piece of fruit floating around in your drink?? > > It’s like people who put fresh fruit in jello. If I wanted fruit, I’d eat fruit. Just because jello is fruit flavoured, does not mean I want you to totally change the consistancy of it by adding chunks of pineapple!!! \*\* Actually I think that pineapple is one of the ones you can’t put in, because something in it keeps the jello from setting. I think. I’m not a big expert on jello. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/19 "2002-07-20T22:55:01Z")
Here’s where the confusion comes in, **kittenblue**. For many, many years, the only ads you saw that had black people in them were targeted to blacks, because the ad agencies (made up mostly of white males anyway) foolishly figured that black people would buy those particular products only if black people were featured prominently in the ads. Times changed, and you saw more and more African Americans in ads, no matter what the product, which was good. I think Madison Avenue was scared for a long time about the whole issue of race - if they have too many blacks in an ad, would the product be seen as a “black” product? And if you only saw dorky middle-class white folk, would it be shunned by other races and ethnic groups? Anyway, in this day and age it’s safe to assume that if you see people of another race in an ad, whatever they’re doing is not specific to their race. They’re in that ad not representing their race but, usually, as an Everyman. Maybe as the welcoming family, maybe as a construction worker, maybe as the CEO. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891/20 "2002-07-21T00:17:39Z")
Nah, I think you’re misreading **Kitten** ’s question. Let’s rephrase it. “I see many Kool-Aid ads. In ones that feature only black actors, they have fruit in the pitchers. In ones that feature only white actors, they _don’t_. Why is the ad agency assuming that black families put fruit in their Kool-Aid?” Ad agencies don’t do things for no reason. I assume they think that either black families are likely to be convinced that fruit slices in their Kool-Aid is a good thing, or that there’ll be some sort of viewer identification by blacks who see and recognize an old tradition of fruit in Kool-Aid. I think that some of the reaction she’s getting is way out of proportion to anything she said. Fenris [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kool-aid-and-black-culture-am-i-totally-out-of-the-loop/119891.md?page=2)