As a white guy living in DC I was always aware of the stereotypical black drinks, such as the kool-aid, grape drink (not grape soda or grape juice mind you, but grape drink ), and orange soda bits. There does seem to be a decent amount of truth to it, and I always make sure to give my black roommate a good bit of ribbing whenever he picks up the orange soda or watermelons when we’re out at Costco. He says he simply cannot deny the deliciousness that is ice cold watermelon and orange soda. I do have to agree with him on that one.
About a year ago (making me 20), I was talking to my mom about Condoleezza Rice and how if she weren’t part of the Bush administration, I would think she was kind of neat (classical musicians always get points in my book), and I said something like this:
"And she’s an academic, which is unusual for those people.
"…
“…”
By “those people,” I of course meant “Bush administration people.” But that isn’t what it sounded like. Somehow, though, my mom didn’t even think of the racist interpretation until I started dying of shame.
Well, from the sorority incident, about three of us out of forty or so knew about it, so I guess that’s one data point for you.
Actually, I didn’t know about the fruit flavored soda stereotype until about three years ago when we moved to an area that was more racially mixed, and I noticed that they were much easier to find around here. (I love strawberry soda but never before had a reliable source, much less was able to get it at Burger King!)
I was in a Chinese restaurant called Dragon City with my boyfriend at the time. We loved the usual waiter, a nice older Chinese man, and he always offered us “our usual table”. We referred to him always as “nice Dragon City man”. We always got combos where we would get egg rolls first, then the rest of the food afterwards.
One particular day, as the waiter was bringing over the main dishes, I was finishing up my eggroll. I dropped the hard, crispy end onto the plate accidentally. It made a cute little noise which amused me. I’m easily amused like that. I also like to imitate sounds.
What do you think I said to imitate the sound of the eggroll with the waiter about 6 feet away and approaching?
If you guessed “Chink!”, you are unfortunately right. :smack:
I attempted a nice save with “… uhh… said the eggroll as it fell onto the plate?”
I was never sure if he heard me - if he did, he never let on, but we were extra friendly after that and tipped well to make up for it! He was never less friendly to us as a result, anyway, and we of course continued to go there, but that was definitely a moment of great cringing.
When I was about 8-10, my family went camping with a married couple. (Their kids were grown, so it was just the two of them.) At one dinnertime, people were telling jokes, and I wanted to join in. So I told one that I’d heard at school: a Polish joke (or at the time, called Polack joke).
Dead silence ensued.
My mother took me aside, and explained that the wife of the couple was of Polish decent, and what I’d said was very insulting. I returned to the table and honestly appologized, and she forgave me. But now, 30+ years later, I still feel like a shit for even thinking that that type of joke would go over if told to my family, much less with guests that I didn’t know that well.
I assumed that the black girl I was dating would automatically know a good BBQ joint. Boy was I wrong… the place she took me was at The Grove outdoor shopping center near Beverly Hills.
I also called a 6th grade bully a “jungle bunny”. He was not black. I think he was a Lou Diamond Phillips or someting.
That’s why it’s okay to refer to Obama as intelligent and articulate – in this case it’s a differentiator from other potential or current occupants, not from his race 
When 7-Up Code Red hit the market a few years ago, I remember hearing a news report on NPR about the marketing. Bascially the 7-Up Rep interviewed said “this is us marketing to the black demographic. Urban customers prefer fruity flavors.”
I bet I have others, but this is the one that popped to mind:
When I was in 2nd grade, I had a friend of Japanese descent. One day we got into a fight about something, and I called her “pie face,” and was quite pleased with myself for thinking on my feet and coming up with this devastating insult. So pleased that for some reason I told my mom about it.
“Why did you call her pie face?” Mom asked.
“Because her face is flat and round, like a pie,” I answered.
Hoo boy. I got quite the stern talking-to over that one and Mom came into my classroom with me the next morning so she could witness my apology to Naoki. We stayed friends until she moved to another town, so I guess I was forgiven. I would wager she had no idea what in the hell “pie face” was supposed to have meant, anyway.
This might be my most racially insensitive moment, but…
what was the joke?
I’ve heard and used Pieface as an insult… there’s really nothing racial about it. Lot os people have round, flat faces. Now if you had said to your mom “Because her slanty eyes reminded me of the slits you make in the top of a pie crust.” THAT would be racist.
monstro, you are NOT alone! As in, I’ve only recently been made aware of this stereotype (not the one about Kool-Aid–that’s as old as the hills–but the one about grape/orange soda). As in, JUST NOW via this very thread. At least you were 23 when you were initiated; I’m now 37!
When I was growing up, the drink of choice was (and still is) Pepsi whenever we were in South Carolina (or in Philly, at family gatherings, though they’ve begun to branch out a little), but when it was just Mama, my brother, and me, it was water. Mama didn’t like to feed us sweet stuff* (oh, the many, many times we tried–and failed, mostly–to get her to buy us Frosted Flakes or some-such), so water it was at the supper table. And, dammit, we liked it!
On rare occasions, she allowed Kool-Aid, and when she did, she purchased a variety of flavors, not just “red” or what-have-you.
And to this day, I veeeery rarely drink soda. It’s either wine, water, grapefruit juice, hot herbal tea, or coffee (rarely). Pretty much in that order (and no, I’m not a wino, thankyouverymuch).
*Guess who ended up, nonetheless, being the diabetic? Oh, joy and rapture.
The best BBQ is at Rosies in Northridge, they’re on Tampa just barely north of Nordoff.
Nah. I’d have to vote for Miss Peaches in North Hollywood. For the desserts if nothing else.
Hmm, I haven’t been there. It sounds good, maybe we’ll try them out this weekend.
(I’m still holding onto my vote for Rosie’s though.)
Heh. Reminds me of that Doonesbury when the skinny little white kid is on the bus and is talking to a black kid, I think Clyde’s son: “HONKY! Wait, that’s not right…” flipping through a manual.
But you must specify grape drink versus grape Kool-aide. Grape drink (like Nehi and Shasta) is a black favorite. Grape Kool-aide (and especially Flavor Aide) is preferred by gullible white people.
At some point surely, racial insensitivity becomes a virtue, right? 
Well, isn’t that by definition sensitivity?
Like **Cowboy8476 ** said, we’re talking about something different than pop. Go to the juice aisle of the grocery store, then walk past all the actual juice. You’ll find grape “drink.” Purple colored liquid with maybe 10% juice.
This is one surreal thread.