I grew up with black friends when it still was not cool to have black friends. Mostly it was used in the 1950s through the 1980s, but there are probably some people who still use it today. All the way back to the age of shakespeare, at least. The final was a real cracker with some marvellous pitching from both sides. But it turns out crackers roots go back even further than the 17th century. And theres the fact that you can actually say it, rather than having to go crer.
Coalcracker is from 1853 of persons, 1857 of machinery that breaks up mined coal. White people synonyms, white people pronunciation, white people translation, english dictionary definition of white people. Cracker dictionary definition cracker defined yourdictionary. Where did the word cracker for white people come from. Cnn had a remarkable discussion panel this weekend, thanks to the presence of george zimmerman and paula deen in the news, in which. Weve all heard the terms cracker, white trash and redneck in reference to poor white people living in america.
I never heard the word cracker, nor if i had, would i have understood it to be the equivalent of the vicious moniker attached to individuals of their culture. I know it goes back to before 1600 which would put its or. What is the origin of cracker as an ethnic slur for. The online etymology dictionary traces the slur cracker poor, white trash either to crack to boast or to corncracker poor white farmer. Is cracker a racist word when used to describe white people.
Franchesca ramsey explains how slaves used the word cracker. Cracker comes from the gaelic word craic which means a good conversation and is still in use in ireland today. Though it has since turned into a racial insult, ramsey says that upper class whites in the 1600s and 1700s used cracker to refer to dumb, lazy lower. Cracker the white man and the whip, the origin of why white people are called crackers. He also scored a cracker of a goal in the firsthalf. It wasnt and isnt derogatory or equating white people to a cracker that people eat. Liberals want to change the name of cracker barrel to. Others believe that cracker is a much less offensive term. Definition of the slang term cracker with an example. Black people began calling white people crackers because of them cracking the whip at us during slavery. The term cracker was in use during elizabethan times to describe braggarts who liked to boast. Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates. Cracker the white man with the whip chancellorfiles. Nigger the word, a brief history african american registry.
Some people believe that calling a white person a cracker is the equivalent of calling a black person a. The word cracker does not express a feeling of superiority or dominance over white people. Dubious sources, such as wikipedia, tell us it is a usually derogatory term for white people. But it turns out cracker s roots go back even further than the 17th century. The word, nigger, speaks to the human heredity of black people. White people a lightskinned race caucasian race, caucasoid race, white race race people who are believed to belong to the same genetic stock. Titled celtic christmas, this second solo album from tommy is a real cracker. Do white people actually find the term cracker offensive. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a racial slur used for white people, used especially against poor rural whites in the southern united states. I should explain to your lordship what is meant by crackers. Originally an ethnic slur, the term has been embraced by a subculture related to prison gangs and outlaw motorcycle clubs.
Cracker definition of cracker by the free dictionary. White people definition of white people by the free. Euphemizing cracker as the cword indexes cracker as a racist slur, and by extension discursively constructs the phenomenon of reverse racism. According to npr, the pejorative term cracker was essentially reclaimed by poor white people well before the cracker barrel chain existed. Where does the term cracker come from, and how disparaging. A term in southeastern united states english to describe poor white trash, derived from the scottish meaning of the verb to crack, which, in this sense. Cracker is not the same as the n word comedy, tragedy or me. The latter derivation is essentially the same as your grandmothers, except that the staple food of poor farmers was cracked corn, not crackers. Trayvon martins friend said he described george zimmerman as a creepyass cracker. Various theories exists regarding this terms application to poor white southerners. This idiom has its origins in slavery white people were called crackers because of the sound of a slaveowners whip. It all depends on who is doing the calling and who is doing the hearing. However, as ramsey notes, the slaves werent oppressing poor white.
One of the favorite staples was a white cracker much like a saltine. A term in southeastern united states english to describe poor white trash, derived from the scottish meaning of the verb to crack, which, in this sense denotes ostentation. That word has no history of of violence, abuse, discrimination, rape, mental and physical abuse etc like the n word. The term cracker originated in england, it was used to describe a person was a braggart or who told jokes. It isnt used to dehumanize andor humiliate white people. Clair says that few poor white southerners owned slaves though many were complicit with the slave trade in other ways. But while some people took it to mean a white person working as a whip cracker over slaves, ste. Racial slurs against being white just dont seem to phase anyone. It is a derogatory term used to refer to white people, sort of like the white version of the n word. With a single phrase, rachel jeantel, that friend of trayvon martins, may have lit a fuse in the trial of his accused killer. Some people use it as a derogatory term, while others simply use it as a name for people from georgia without any negative connotation.
Meaning instrument for crushing or cracking is from 1630s. A cracker is a thin, crisp biscuit which is often eaten with cheese. Can you tell me what is the meaning and where did the term originate. When is it okay for black people to use the word cracker. The term originates in jive and was in use as an inversion of woodpecker by the 1830s, with the sense.
The word has since stuck to white people though the meaning and intent has been long since been lost and mutated into whip cracker despite the fact that it was usually a black man on both ends of the whip. White people seemed to be up in arms because michael che who is a part of the weekend update team on saturday night live used. The latter explanation makes sense, because in piney. One theory holds that it originated with disadvantaged corn and wheat farmers. The term cracker was and is used most frequently in the southern u. The meaning of the word has changed a lot over the last four. For example, if a black man calls a white man cracker, it is not usually considered a compliment. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a racial epithet for white people, used especially for poor rural whites in the southern united states.
Its short for whipcracker and it refers to the days of slavery when poor white people without skills could find work overseeing slaves. And by us i mean white people and by you i mean the nonwhites. Joe cole scored a cracker of a goal, but norwich were certainly not outclassed, except up front. The prevailing sense of white victimhood, resentment, and grievance fuels attacks on affirmative action and neonazi rally chants like you. Offensive used as a disparaging term for a white person. The 1911 edition of the encyclopedia britannica, notes that cracker is a term of contempt for the poor or mean whites, particularly of georgia and florida. The amount of misinformation contained in some of these answers is amazing. In biology, heredity refers to the transference of biological characteristics from a parent organism to offspring.
Peckerwood is a term used in the southern united states for a woodpecker which is also used as an offensive epithet toward white people, especially poor rural whites. Cracker pejorative cracker, sometimes white cracker, is a usually pejorative term for a white person, mainly used in the southern united states. White americans are on pace to lose their majority by 2044 and trumps xenophobic immigration policies would extend that timeline just five more years. People of color for example african indentures and slaves and men of property repeated what they heard from white male elites and wrongly white historians racialized it. Being from australia i often hear the term cracker used by black american comedians, in reference to white people. A whole mess of white people like to get worked up about the word cracker, some in the mistaken belief that this will somehow result in permission to use the nword. Until then, lets all watch the trayvon martin case and try to remember who the real victim is when a grown man shoots and kills an unarmed black teenager. One theory holds that the word derives from corncracker, a traditional slang name for poor white people from certain southern states. In mtvs explainer web series decoded above, franchesca ramsey explains that cracker is a classist insult invented by a richer white upper class to describe lower class white people. This one realy jostled my jimmer jammers because people actulay belive calling white people cracker isnt racsit while call a black person nigger isi see some hypocrisy there. Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates cnn. Clair says white american northerners began using cracker as a term for poorer white southerners during the late 1800s.
This is where the expression crack a joke originated. How did the slang term cracker come about to mean white. A thin crisp wafer or biscuit, usually made of unsweetened dough. The word cracker at its absolute worst is a mean insult, kind of like being called a white loser on the school yard. Wikipedia also offers a proposed etymology of the term coming from the sound of the whips used by southern whites on their livestock. Cracker meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. The epithet cracker has been applied in a derogatory way, like redneck, to rural, nonelite white southerners, more specifically to those of south georgia and north florida.
It is sometimes used in a neutral context in reference to a native of florida, georgia or texas see florida cracker, georgia cracker or texas cracker. Cracker definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Cracker means something entirely different in florida. A staggering 55 percent of white people in this country think they face racial discrimination. They insist that both labels are racist slurs and therefore deplorable. Folk etymology claims the term originated either from their cracking, or pounding, of corn rather than taking it to mill, or from their use of whips to drive cattle. It is a word for bigot, and is very derogatory in that sense.
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