# Why is fried chicken racist in the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 6, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915 "2010-01-06T16:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/61 "2010-01-07T17:37:43Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > I still don’t get it. I am a descendant of hillbillies and sometimes rather sensitive about it, but if someone were to say, “You love cornbread, don’t you?” I really do not think I would take offense. Now, if someone asked whether I loved corn liquor, or if I’d ever eaten road kill, that could lead to fisticuffs, but that’s a whole different thing. Why is that second part “a whole different thing?” Why is the corn liquor or road kill reference offensive while the cornbread is not? That’s exactly the same reason why fried chicken and watermelon might be offensive to blacks. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/62 "2010-01-07T17:44:10Z")
Only a bunch of cheap Jews, drunken Irishmen, stupid southerners, and Asians who can’t drive would find fried chicken racist. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/63 "2010-01-07T18:27:12Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > The problematic stereotype isn’t “black people eat fried chicken,” it’s “black people can’t get enough of dat chicken!” > > The “fried chicken” concept is tied to perceptions of blacks as uncouth, poor, and animalistic in habit. > > Saying “fried chicken is popular in black communities” shouldn’t be controversial because it’s true and a perfectly fine part of black cultural heritage. It IS, however, controversial because it cuts too close to the ugly, patronizing stereotypes that have really only faded out in the past few decades. > > In related news, you’re probably going to have trouble finding many sentences that start with “blacks as a generality…” that go over well. Perhaps a half a century ago that argument would have legs. But now if you are running a chain of restaurants, you will tailor your menus to reflect the neighborhood. I used to manage a restaurant in a chain. When you saw the stats about what was the percentage of different foods bought ,there were neighborhood differences. The black neighborhoods ate more chicken and fish. You would be an idiot not to buy stock without having that in mind. It is not about stereotyping, it is about the statistics. It is reality. It does not demean blacks to say they eat a lot of chicken and fish. Watermelon still can carry the negative stereotype. It was used in movies and culture with the addition of watermelon grins to taint it more. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/64 "2010-01-07T18:46:10Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Perhaps a half a century ago that argument would have legs. But now if you are running a chain of restaurants, you will tailor your menus to reflect the neighborhood. I used to manage a restaurant in a chain. When you saw the stats about what was the percentage of different foods bought ,there were neighborhood differences. The black neighborhoods ate more chicken and fish. You would be an idiot not to buy stock without having that in mind. It is not about stereotyping, it is about the statistics. It is reality. It does not demean blacks to say they eat a lot of chicken and fish. > Watermelon still can carry the negative stereotype. It was used in movies and culture with the addition of watermelon grins to taint it more. Fried chicken is as charged as watermelon. When Tiger Woods won the Masters and got to choose the menu at the banquet, Fuzzy Zoehler cracked that he would serve fried chicken. That’s all he saw when he looked at Tiger: a stereotyped black person. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/65 "2010-01-07T19:03:05Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > Only a bunch of cheap Jews, drunken Irishmen, stupid southerners, and Asians who can’t drive would find fried chicken racist. What about us cheap, drunken, stupid Southerners? Huh? Why do you automatically ignore us? What are you, some kind of big-ot? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/66 "2010-01-07T19:20:28Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Perhaps a half a century ago that argument would have legs. But now if you are running a chain of restaurants, you will tailor your menus to reflect the neighborhood. I used to manage a restaurant in a chain. When you saw the stats about what was the percentage of different foods bought ,there were neighborhood differences. The black neighborhoods ate more chicken and fish. You would be an idiot not to buy stock without having that in mind. It is not about stereotyping, it is about the statistics. It is reality. It does not demean blacks to say they eat a lot of chicken and fish. > Watermelon still can carry the negative stereotype. It was used in movies and culture with the addition of watermelon grins to taint it more. You’re still missing the point. It’s not racist to say “black neighborhoods consume more chicken.” That’s fine. That’s a statistic. But the statement “Black people like chicken” has a lot of historical cultural baggage that still rubs some people the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/67 "2010-01-07T19:23:43Z")
Grew up in London, lived in the US for 20 years and I wish I had $10 for every time that someone, upon learning of my country of birth, has asked me if I drink warm beer and eat ‘blood sausage’ which I presume is black pudding. Incidently…yes and no. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/68 "2010-01-07T20:32:48Z")
> [@MrFloppy](#): > > …‘blood sausage’ which I presume is black pudding. Even the white bits? ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/69 "2010-01-07T21:01:31Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > Fried chicken is as charged as watermelon. > [@Potsie](#): > > I like watermelon! > [@](#): > > When Tiger Woods won the Masters and got to choose the menu at the banquet, Fuzzy Zoehler cracked that he would serve fried chicken. That’s all he saw when he looked at Tiger: a stereotyped black person. Are you sure he wasn’t joking? He could have refencing the irony in juxtaposing the winner of the Masters with something that everyone knows is a silly (as opposed to brutally oppressive) sterotype. Or he could have been trying to humiliate Woods and send him the message that we wasn’t welcome around h’yar. Anyway, I would love to see what would happen if someone tried to open a “whites only” fried chicken joint. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/70 "2010-01-07T23:17:11Z")
> [@julius blaze](#): > > This is because “hillbillies” have never been sold as property in this country, amongst the many other things that have systematically occured to blacks that haven’t occured to white people regardless of socio-economic class. Has cornbread been used as a joke by people who came in white sheets in the night and rounded up hillbillies for lynching? I never claimed hillbillies had it worse than blacks, nor does my argument require that. You may now continue with your sermon if you like. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/71 "2010-01-07T23:19:26Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Why is that second part “a whole different thing?” Why is the corn liquor or road kill reference offensive while the cornbread is not? > > That’s exactly the same reason why fried chicken and watermelon might be offensive to blacks. Because corn liquor makes you mean and stupid, and eating road kill implies that you are extremely poor. Cornbread, fried chicken, and watermelon have no such implications. They’re just foods. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/72 "2010-01-07T23:38:47Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > Are you sure he wasn’t joking? He could have refencing the irony in juxtaposing the winner of the Masters with something that everyone knows is a silly (as opposed to brutally oppressive) sterotype. If that’s his idea of a funny joke, someone needs to whack him with a clue by four. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/73 "2010-01-07T23:56:37Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > I never claimed hillbillies had it worse than blacks, nor does my argument require that. You may now continue with your sermon if you like. I know you didn’t claim hillbillies had it worse than blacks, and I was not giving a sermon. I was pointing out a difference between American hillbilly culture and American black culture that could lead one group to be more sensitive about stereotypes about what they eat. Secondly, how were true hillbillies, who I define as people living in appalachia without much connection to mainstream society, indentured servants? Do you just mean “redneck”? This is ignoring that it’s easier for most whites to brush off the occasional racial barb, they’re in the lead economically, and still the majority in this country. (There’s a thread on the SDMB where some White Americans in China are complaining about being called “Foreigner” in china right now, BTW). Being a minority amplifies the impact of racism quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/74 "2010-01-07T23:58:14Z")
> [@julius blaze](#): > > This is because “hillbillies” have never been sold as property in this country, amongst the many other things that have systematically occured to blacks that haven’t occured to white people regardless of socio-economic class. I’ve seen this argument played out a number of times and it seems to me that it boils down to this. Making fun of ethnic or national stereotypes is not in itself a problem but one shouldn’t make fun of black stereotypes because: 1/ one should be nicer to them to make up for things that were done to them in the past 2/ black stereotypes are closely associated with actually significantly harmful behaviour in the past which means that … well I’m not sure but I think the argument is that it means that you are perceived as being a supporter of that significantly harmful behaviour. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/75 "2010-01-08T01:48:49Z")
> [@julius blaze](#): > > Secondly, how were true hillbillies, who I define as people living in appalachia without much connection to mainstream society, indentured servants? Do you just mean “redneck”? It was someone else who brought up indentured servitude, but I can say something about it. Again, I don’t claim that indentured servitude is equivalent to chattel slavery, but it is a fact that white people were bought and sold in that part of the country, not only as indentured servants, but as captives (which historically was one of the ways chattel slavery started). I have an ancestor who was kidnapped in 1784 by Shawnees and sold to a French trader. He eventually was freed and went back to Virginia. Indentured servitude, like slavery, was mostly a plantation thing and as such there was not much of it in Appalachia. But some of the people who ended up there were people whose indenture had ended and who could not make a living in an economy where the labor was supplied by servants and slaves instead of voluntarily. Indentured servitude was a major source of labor, bigger than black slavery in the early days. It was not at all unusual. Plus, a few blacks owned slaves, so it is not unthinkable that somewhere there was a black master with a white bound servant. That was a long time ago and it is more a historical curiosity than anything. > [@](#): > > This is ignoring that it’s easier for most whites to brush off the occasional racial barb, they’re in the lead economically, and still the majority in this country. You were correct above in saying hillbillies are outside of mainstream society, and that is exactly why it is more difficult to just brush off the mockery. They’re not in the lead economically. They aren’t even on the same lap. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/76 "2010-01-08T03:30:38Z")
Indentured servants in Virginia and elsewhere whose servitude had ended tended toward the edge of the western frontier, where there was available land. The western frontier of that time was Appalachia. And many of today’s Appalachians are descended from indentured servants. I have at least one indentured servant in my ancestry. Probably more. > [@julius blaze](#): > > This is ignoring that it’s easier for most whites to brush off the occasional racial barb, they’re in the lead economically, and still the majority in this country…Being a minority amplifies the impact of racism quite a bit. That is undoubtedly true, but not the argument you were making before. ---
**Author:** ![Dandmb50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@Dandmb50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandmb50)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/77 "2010-01-08T06:57:01Z")
I think the OP was referring to the clip of the Australian KFC commercial and I didn’t get it at first either. I had to rewind it to understand what it was all about. The white guy with the bucket of chicken was surrounded by all black people and they were “unruly” and he says something along the lines of bring out some chicken and they will calm down. I don’t think it is as much racist as it is just plain stupid. How did they (KFC) not consider it would get to the USA? Don’t they know about the internet over there? I like chicken too but I understand the stereotype and would never say something that stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/78 "2010-01-08T07:19:13Z")
Holding stereotypes and perpetuating them too often leads to prejudgment of people and situations: “She’s a woman; therefore she’s not strong enough to be in combat.” or “All pedophiles are gay.” “Englishmen wear Harris tweed, have bad teeth, and carry thin umbrellas.” When there is prejudgment, there is prejudice, naturally, and ignorance. Labelling gives the illusion of simplicity to very complex situations. It’s true that most of the blacks that I know like chicken, ribs, and fish. So do most of the whites. Most of the blacks I know also like homestyle bacon cheeseburgers too, but don’t get me started about the old days of Fat Bennett’s. And the Titans know where to get a good steak and where the best Thai food is. > [@](#): > > **samclemens** : Once you get west of Raleigh/Durham, you get tomato based sauces. Nuh-uh. On the ribs maybe. But West Tennessee wants vinegar sauce on the pulled meant sandwiches. > [@](#): > > **Hyperelastic** : Because corn liquor makes you mean and stupid. Not if you sip it through a straw in the bottle. (That’s a family secret I’m sharin’. ) ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/79 "2010-01-08T16:14:18Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I’m from a long line of white trash and I’d love for a black/white/candy stripe person to hand me some fried chicken or watermelon or whatever was handy right now; I’m starving and its too damn cold to go out and buy food. (None of this is racist, by the way) Being a lily-white Yankee that lived in the deep South for a couple years… DDDDAAAAAMMMMMNNNNN…do they know how to make fried chicken down there! Holy freakin smokes, it was good. Also…watermelon… I don’t know what it was but the watermelon down there made me understand WHY it is called watermelon! The watermelon we got up here in the North when I was growing up was certainly not the same that I had in Georgia. I don’t even think it was the same fruit. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915/80 "2010-01-08T16:44:03Z")
A few years ago I offerred some tourists on the beach a little help. I would snap a few pics of the whole family with their camera so everyone could be in the pic. I get so tired of “say cheese” or “smile” or “one, two, three”. My mind tried to come up with something else. Long story short, it was like some kind of unbreakable law when we went to the beach as kids (and we went at least once a week for half the year) that something HAD to be brought along, even if it was expensive, hard to get or we had to drive miles extra to get it. And us kids really didnt even like it that much. So my mind came up with “day at the beach = XYZ…hey, I’ll say XZY instead of “say cheese””. Right after the word “Say” came out of my mouth but before the word “watermelon” did, my mind went “oh shit, dont say this, these are black people”. I came damn close to that old can you die from shame theory that day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fried-chicken-racist-in-the-usa/523915.md?page=5)