What is that supposed to mean? 
That folk etymology was created about the same time that various people began attempting to use it as an ethnic slur, (since “honky” never got much traction).
That “whip cracking” claim was actually a change to the older “whip cracking” claim that attributed it to the cowboys and stock handlers of the Georgia and Florida scrub who used whips to herd cattle.
However, even that folk etymology was incorrect. The word cracker was a sixteenth century nickname for a braggart. It is not clear how it became associated specifically with the poorer inhabitants of Georgia and Florida, but its use preceded the rise of cattle herding to those areas and long preceded the rise of plantations in that area.
We still don’t allow racial pejoratives. It was not used as a pejorative in the post that started this discussion.
The fact that it can be used as a pejorative by certain people in specific situations does not make it universally pejorative. The fact that thousands of Floridians and Georgians use it of themselves, both jokingly and proudly, attests to its lack of universal malice.
I suppose this is an inappropriate time to ask for a “beating a dead horse” smilie?
That’s a silly argument. Thousands of African-Americans use the word “nigger” jokingly and proudly, but you don’t allow that term on this forum. Why is “cracker” somehow different?
Because it’s a different word.
And no, that is not a flippant answer.
as I said before: Sure, but that same argument can be used with “Nigger” since some dudes use it among themselves in a jocular and friendly non-racist way. Thus then “But it isn’t necessarily pejorative, and certainly isn’t always racist.”
But we dont allow racial pejoratives here, except in context, and thus dont allow “nigger” to be used in such a way, even tho “it isn’t necessarily pejorative, and certainly isn’t always racist.”
I am what you call an African American, the N word is a commonly used colloquium among people of color, recently I’ve heard some young whites using it. I’m not sure most Caucasians are familiar with the history of the word (Cracker). Nor are a vast majority of black people born in US totally abreast of the meaning of the term (Nigger). A high rate of so called whites and blacks wrongly understand and therefore misuse the two terms, interchangeably as petty attempts at being insulting, or perhaps demeaning. A nigger is not no more a person of color, and a cracker is nothing more than something that you eat that doesn’t necessarily have to be in a box. Depending on your life style and social habits anyone can be effectively referred to as a “nigger” without respect to nor restricted by race according to formal definition of word etymology. Whereas the word “Cracker” originated in the south in the state of Florida. Wikipedia has the history or story on this word. These Caucasians were best known as crackers because of their fanciful lighthearted joking nature. You could always tell one because of their incessant habit to crack jokes! So from that time period on people referred to them as Florida Crackers! Now one thing about the truth, unlike our American History, you can always take the truth beyond where you heard it and prove whether it is true or not. That is if you really want to know the truth, or perhaps you only wanted to use the word Nigger is this post. :smack:
This is going to cause more confusion than a mouse in a burlesque show.
That’s a joke, I say that’s a joke son.
Seriously? You honestly think that “cracker” is the equivalent of “jap”? :dubious:
It wasn’t jocular. It was descriptive, though I always preferred to call them “swamp rats.”
Otis Redding is accused of being “country” here.
I see you’ve never known one. So basically Florida’s Crackers are the equivalent to the First Families of Virginia. While I have used “FFV” disparagingly (again, you need to know some), most members of that group wear it with pride.
That’s an extremely offensive term.
Maybe whipping a dead mule might be more appropriate.
Nope. There are significant differences that you are failing to recognize.
First, one more time, cracker is not inherently pejorative. It is descriptive, as is Gullah.
Now, it can be used in a pejorative manner, just as “cheesehead” can be used as a pejorative, (or as Lincoln famously used Michigander).
Those in the black community who use nigger or nigga are engaged in reclaiming the word, just as the words Yankee or gay have been reclaimed by the populations toward which those words were initially directed as insults. Cracker was reclaimed many many years ago, as its use in the names of sports teams indicates. The black community has not universally embraced that reclaiming effort, with a majority still regarding the word as an insult.
So you are attempting to equate the negative values of one word that has been embraced by pretty much everyone it identifies, and which was never much of an insult to begin with, to another word that is universally recognized as an insult even if a small subset of the population it identifies is engaged in an effort to reclaim it.
You’re using the word Jew as a noun in one instance and a verb in the other. I can’t imagine any instance where the use of the word Jew as a verb wouldn’t be offensive.
Dialogue involving a character with a speech impediment telling someone to “jew” their food with their mouth closed.
This is a lie.
I reported the post below less than an hour after it was made. The Pit mod posted in the thread about 27 hours later so he had plenty of time to see the report. It was allowed to stand.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18146342&postcount=93
Did you start an ATMB thread? Because that certainly merited a warning.
It was actually pretty amusing in context. But was nevertheless “bigoted and offensive.” As (again, in context) it was intended to be.
Heh. I gotta have real reasons to get my panties in a twist, but obviously YMV.
Also, wasn’t the first time it was used, it was as nothing but an example? Then the second time (the one everyone keeps quoting), wasn’t that used in a way to mock the idea that it was brought up to begin with? Not actually to call whoever it was by that slur? So yeah, I agree that context is everything here.
ETA: And now I have an overwhelming urge to change my username to Honky Cracker. I have no idea why.