# "Snowflake" is just so apropo **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172 "2017-08-31T14:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/41 "2017-08-31T18:47:36Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > From one of the linked articles; > > _“Two students came forward and told they had done bananas"_ > > In my day, this meant a hopeless attempt at getting high by smoking banana peels. No, that’s a misquote. What the students said was “We done the passion fruit. We done oranges, apples, grapefruit (whole and sections) pomegranates, greengages, grapes, passion fruit, lemons, plums, and mangoes in syrup.” Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/42 "2017-08-31T19:35:17Z")
I had no idea that African Americans would be offended by banana peels. Arkansas is next to Mississippi. I thought I knew all about that stuff. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/43 "2017-08-31T19:44:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I had no idea that African Americans would be offended by banana peels. Arkansas is next to Mississippi. I thought I knew all about that stuff. I learned that just now myself. It does make sense though, that you and I may not be as in touch with the intimidation that is leveled at other minority groups. At first, I thought, “banana peels, what’s that have to do with race?” Then I read the story with the students of the university putting bananas in trees with nooses around them, and then it made sense. Someone used the bananas specifically to threaten and intimidate the african american students. In light of that, their reaction to seeing what looked like a similar type of message being directed at them I can understand them being a bit upset. When you learned about the attempts at intimidation using bananas against them, I assume that you then did have a good idea that african americans could be concerned that someone is leaving banana peels in trees along their route. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/44 "2017-08-31T20:10:25Z")
i am triggered by people who don’t know how to spell apropos. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/45 "2017-08-31T20:18:45Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > For a serious response, if I understand the article correctly, banana peels in trees were previously used as threats (or similar) in a different incident Not quite. Bananas in nooses, typically with “AKA-free” written on them, were hung from trees as an intimidation tactic, the noose and the writing being key elements. This is rather different from a banana peel with no text on it snagged on a random twig. I can kind of understand that some of the people who saw the banana peel might have raised their eyebrows a bit, but it seems people got a bit more bent out of shape than they ought have, and the fellow who tossed the peel ended up getting excoriated. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/46 "2017-08-31T20:22:56Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Thank heaven we have brave publications like _Campus Reform_, searching out these important stories that might otherwise not see the light of day. > > Investigating banana peels left in trees. Your Mama must be so proud. He investigated by reading a newspaper article and then paraphrasing it in a manner that would trigger a certain kind of snowflake. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/47 "2017-08-31T20:23:32Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I don’t like watermelon. > > StG More for the rest of us! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/48 "2017-08-31T20:56:23Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I had no idea that African Americans would be offended by banana peels. Bananas have been thrown at black soccer players for a long time as a way of implying that they were monkeys. I’ve heard of it mostly in Europe but a quick search shows it has been used in the US at various times. It’s not just an innocuous piece of fruit with no meaning; that’s why it was used with the noose rather than, say, an apple. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/49 "2017-08-31T21:13:47Z")
So, everyone just decided to split, huh? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/50 "2017-08-31T21:14:33Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > So, everyone just decided to split, huh? It was time to peel out. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/51 "2017-08-31T21:24:14Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It’s not just an innocuous piece of fruit with no meaning; that’s why it was used with the noose rather than, say, an apple. Have you ever tried to tie a noose around an apple? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/52 "2017-08-31T21:31:40Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Bananas have been thrown at black soccer players for a long time as a way of implying that they were monkeys. Yes, I vaguely recall a long, boring and pointless thread about whether or not that’s racist. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/53 "2017-08-31T22:09:59Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Have you ever tried to tie a noose around an apple? Not strange enough. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/54 "2017-08-31T22:33:27Z")
What’s next? Canceling outings because someone didn’t bring enough kale? I am sensing a definite slippery slope here. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/55 "2017-09-01T00:06:55Z")
Many folks who are or would be upset by banana peels in trees, etc. neglect to account for the fact that outside observers won’t take things in context. So what seems to be racist, (“Banana peel in tree!”) simply strikes an outside observer as ludicrous overreaction. A self-set trap. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/56 "2017-09-01T00:08:58Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Bananas have been thrown at black soccer players for a long time as a way of implying that they were monkeys. Surely not. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/57 "2017-09-01T00:15:20Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Infantilizing a big swath of our young people and instilling victim mentality in them apparently is considered a positive development by many. Dude, nobody is infantilizing you. Your reaction to a bunch of teenagers is entirely your own, and you should own up to it. > [@Machine Elf](#): > > I can kind of understand that some of the people who saw the banana peel might have raised their eyebrows a bit, but it seems people got a bit more bent out of shape than they ought have, and the fellow who tossed the peel ended up getting excoriated. That fellow’s explanation sure sounds a lot like bullshit. I’ve eaten my share of bananas. I’ve eaten plenty of them outdoors. I’ve thrown peels away outdoors. Who the fuck throws their banana peels into a tree? Given the previous shittiness at the school, there’s a whiff of “look at me being edgy!” to this dude. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/58 "2017-09-01T00:54:06Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Surely not. > **[Deadspin | Racist Dutch Soccer Fans Throw Inflatable Banana At Black Player...](https://deadspin.com/racist-dutch-soccer-fans-throw-inflatable-banana-at-bla-1688283860/)** > > Deadspin | Racist Dutch Soccer Fans Throw Inflatable Banana At Black Player (Update) > **[The ugly, racist trend of tossing bananas at black soccer players continues -...](https://theworld.org/stories/2016/07/30/ugly-racist-trend-tossing-bananas-black-soccer-players-continues)** > > Atalanta supporters hurled bananas at Milan defender Kevin Constant during a game in northern Italy. [http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/richard-evans-throwing-bananas-at-black-sportsmen-has-been-recognised-as-racism-across-europe-for-decades/news-story/afcb5d4a634119b327507e7616755e0b](http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/richard-evans-throwing-bananas-at-black-sportsmen-has-been-recognised-as-racism-across-europe-for-decades/news-story/afcb5d4a634119b327507e7616755e0b) > **[Spain Fines Team Of Racist, Banana-Throwing Fan, But Is It Enough?](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/05/09/310990212/spain-fines-team-of-racist-banana-throwing-fan-but-is-it-enough)** > > Soccer, Spain's national pastime, has been tainted by racism. After two recent ugly incidents, debate is raging over how to punish racist fans, and if the teams they love should be held responsible. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RFi9-1p1LWI/hqdefault.jpg "See soccer star's reaction to tossed banana") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFi9-1p1LWI) I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/59 "2017-09-01T01:15:56Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley. Don’t make _Airplane_ jokes when someone speaks English. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172/60 "2017-09-01T01:50:22Z")
In other snowflake news, the town of Snowflake, Utah was apparently named by combining the surname of Senator Jeff Flake’s forbearers with that of another pioneer family, Snow. It’s pretty cool what you can learn when you read for content, trying to set aside pre-existing biases. Flake’s book is pretty good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowflake-is-just-so-apropo/795172.md?page=4)