As posted by a committee member:


The poll should be self explanatory

Do you want this seriously debated?

Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?

Actually Jaime, I think it adds some substance to the "America's Racist Past" Debate thread. I more people vote. Even though it will be a very small sample.

The wording of this poll question is way too silly to have much of any point. Perhaps a better question might be, are you offended by being called a cracker. I am not.

It adds nothing of substance to the other thread, and I would reckon that Daytonrocker might not like it if some of his statements were pulled out of other threads and turned into polls. If you think Wertz is wrong, then refute it; or at least try and pose a less biased question.

My intent is not to do a statistical analysis on the entire white race. But a claim was made that MANY here (which I can only assume to mean americasdebate.com) are PROUD to be called "crackers". I find that ludicrous and unfounded, but calling it that will only get me in more trouble. So, let's see.

I can beleive that some really don't mind it, but being PROUD of a race label appears racist to me. But hey, I could be wrong.

i am not proud to be called a cracker i just dont care either.

LOL! Honestly, I think that 'slur' is hysterical. I voted yes.....But, I have a good friend ( married to a black man) who absolutely hates the term cracker. She's very offended by it, so I certainly don't speak for everyone.

I have to laugh at the question, though. Laugh and laugh. Maybe I'm too stupid to be offended.

The question wasn't whether or not we are offended by that term. It's if we're proud of that term.

This is important because the double standards in the "Americas Racist Past" thread are staggering. And the argument is being made that not only should we not be offended by being called a "cracker", some are even proud of it. I think this type of apologetic behavior only makes it worse. But that's my opinion and I could be wrong. I'd like to see.

I can't honestly say that I have any idea what it means. Where does the term come from?

craker, redneck, and honkey are some racial slurs for european americans .

Personally, I don't like the use of these terms any more than other insulting ethnic terms. Most of the ones listed appear to refer to whites in the southern part of the United States. Although I was born and raised in Southern California, I now live in Tennessee, and I have to say that I see a great deal of assumptions made that Southerners are less intelligent and sophisticated than Northerners. I would hate to have the use of these terms add to these assumptions.

I do not think Wertz speaks for most of us when he makes this statement. His use of the historical term "cracker" does not apply to the country at large. Cracker, as used by some comedians, is simply a racial slur.

A similar poll could be "Are you proud to called a Negro?" I could then list historical references where Negro was the preferred term among blacks to refute its use as an implied racial slur.

I see DR's point on the double standard, though. If a similar poll were done for other racial or ethnic groups, it would be derided, demonized or deleted.

According to www.Dictionary.com

Cracker:

Used as a disparaging term for a poor white person of the rural, especially southeast United States.

My stepfather, who is a Southerner, told me that the word originated by the slaves, because of the "crack" of the whip the whites would use on them.

I find the word offensive, but then again, I'm Native American and I really don't care what white people are called!

Nice try, DaytonRocker. To put the quoted text in its appropriate context:

It should be clear to anyone with rudimentary reading comprehension skills that the "here" refers to Florida (where the term originated) and not America's Debate. If one were so dense as to misread the first reference, the following paragraph of that posting makes it perfectly clear that I am referring to:

Therefore, DaytonRocker's question should only be answered by natives of Florida - otherwise, it is just as waste of discussion board space (not that it wasn't in the first place).

Frankly, before moving to Florida five years ago, I had never heard the term. Since then, I have only ever heard it used by white people - mostly to describe themselves. Perhaps a more pertinent question would be "How many white people here [in America's Debate] have ever been called a 'cracker'?"

We could compare the results with "How many black people here [in America's Debate] have ever been called a 'nigger'?"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

My definition was from "What Is a Cracker?" at the Florida Cracker Country web site:

All discussion of the word at that site is provided by Dana Ste. Clair, curator of "Cracker Culture in Florida History", an exhibit at the Daytona Beach Museum. As to the origins of the word, there are three theories:

1. Cracker comes from a Celtic word meaning braggart or loudmouth.

2. The word comes from the practice of "corncracking" or grinding dried corn for use as grits and meal.

3. The name comes from the sound of whips used to drive cattle and oxen. Florida cattlemen cracked whips to flush their stock out of the palmetto scrub while settlers used whips to spur on oxen that pulled their carts and wagons. Cracker has been used in this sense since the early 1800s.


EDITED TO CORRECT TYPO

Sharpen your Knife a little more Wertz, that's alot of hairs to split

Hairs to split? Taken in context it seems to eliminate the significance of the poll and the purpose of this topic:
In the appropriate context it would appear it was brought up with little (or nothing) to do with the "white race" as a whole and certainly nothing to do with the membership here at America's Debate.

Well, it looks like per Wertz's definition I am not a cracker. Maybe I can still aspire to honkey status.

I wouldn't say Wertz is trying to split hairs, but I would say he's making a mild pass at being as obtuse as DaytonRocker.

Wertz's defensive claim of context makes sense ONLY if the reader happens to note that Wertz is from Florida, and thus comprehends that "here" means Wertz's physical location, as opposed to "here" meaning the virtual environment (aka "America's Debate") where the conversation is occuring. Thus, the lack of clarity, which could easily have been resolved by Wertz actually using the phrase "here in Florida", is understandable. Not exactly a shining moment for DaytonRocker, but Wertz, old boy, you can't dump this all on DR.

Misapprehensions of this sort are going to be endemic for 'Netizens until a simple means of distinguishing between the physical "here" and the virtual "here" of the speaker arises. (think "who's on first")

Enough grammatical pontificating and chicken struttin. Y'all can go back to your regularily scheduled sniping.

BTW, everywhere except perhaps in Florida, "cracker" is a disparaging racist AND classist term, that is used somewhat like "nigger." A white can refer to himself (or herself) as a "cracker", and it may be tossed around amongst friends, but to be called one by anybody else, especially by a black person, is offensive.

"Dumb cracker" is to "dumb nigger" as "pot" is to "kettle"

Actually, I was doing nothing more than seeing if Wertz was right when he claimed that many here are proud to be called "crackers". And whether it be from Florida or americasdebate.com, he was right and I was wrong.

There was no way in hell I would have believed that the intelligent people here would be proud to be called a racial term. But, you learn something new everyday. There was no way to dispute that claim without asking. And I asked and got a response. The results, although small, can't be disputed. Statistically, many here are proud to be called "crackers" regardless of what the meaning appears to be. Wertz definitely has his finger on the pulse of this forum and you have to give credit where credit is due.

I stand corrected.

CRACKER POWER!!!!!

On another board a old military type from Louisiana used the term "coon-*** NOTICE: THIS WORD IS AGAINST THE RULES. FAILURE TO REMOVE IT WILL RESULT IN A STRIKE. ***" to describe someone. His precise usage of the term escapes me now, but I asked what did he mean by the term. I have heard "coon" used as a racial slur against blacks, so I was good and ready to be offended.

Turns out he explained that "coon-*** NOTICE: THIS WORD IS AGAINST THE RULES. FAILURE TO REMOVE IT WILL RESULT IN A STRIKE. ***" is a term of endearment among folks in Louisiana. Okay, I'm from Ohio, so what do I know? I asked, he answered, it seemed plausible to me and I let it go. My ego and feelings were unruffled.

As I have said before, I don't like or use the word "nigger." I laugh at it when a Richard Pryor or Chris Rock use it, but I know they are doing it out of humor and not malice. I hear younger black people use the word like it's a given name. I dislike it, but it's not my place to tell them I think it's a vile word.

When Pryor gave up using the word he was applauded. Perhaps some day others will follow his example and the slur will pass out of the lexicon. But all I can do is try to expunge it from my own and encourage my kids to follow the example.

Not being white I don't know how abrasive to the ear "cracker" or "whitey" or "honky" or "poor white trash" sounds to a white person. I think they just sound silly, but I've said them when I was younger and dumber. Now I try to find more subtle and sophisticated ways of putting people down than dropping a race bomb on them.

I'm growing kind of fond of my grouchy old man's favorite term for the talking heads of The Capital Gang, Crossfire or The O'Reilly Factor. He calls them "smart-*** NOTICE: THIS WORD IS AGAINST THE RULES. FAILURE TO REMOVE IT WILL RESULT IN A STRIKE. *** white boys."

Sigh. Grouchy old black men. Too old to change and too ornery to mend their evil ways. Whatcha gonna do?

Dayton,

I didn't even get to vote. I viewed the results first and when I came back to the poll it said I HAD already voted.

One of those four "yes" votes might have been mine and it shouldn't have been.

Bikerdad is so on target with his explanation of the use of the word. It bears repeating:



Even IN Florida, a white person called "cracker" by a black person is meant to be a racial slur and it is taken as such.

If these threads have done nothing, I hope they HAVE made us all more sensative to each other with regards to these labels AND I hope the next time we hear one race use terms like these to describe another race, even in jest, it makes us uncomfortable.

If you view the results without voting, it takes away your ability to vote (that's why the button says "View Results Null Vote" - emphasis mine)

So your vote did not register as a yes or a no.

I think the intent of the speaker, inflection, and context are what is important. If someone says 'white' with the caustic edge that Falwell might utter 'sex scandal', it's offensive. Personally, I LIKE the term cracker. I don't associated with anyone who dislikes caucasians, so it has a light edge to it. Context is everything. Sometimes I call my husband a 'spick', because he thinks it's funny. He would probably say 'yes' to a similar poll for hispanics. Of course, when I mentioned this on another thread I was called a racist.

For the record, mine was a null vote on this one - as I explained in the thread from which this silly thing emerged, not being native to Florida or descended from cattlemen, I can't technically count myself a cracker.

One small point: "cracker" (as applied here - uh, IN FLORIDA) isn't necessarily "racial". Like the more disparaging "redneck", it describes a class of people - similar to "cowboy". Considering Florida's long history of racial diversity, it's quite likely that there were Hispanic and Native American crackers - or, at the very least, those of mixed blood. "Cowboy", btw, has also been widely used as a pejoritive for the past several decades. I expect there are some who still proudly consider themselves "cowboys" despite the fact that usage has evolved somewhat.

I would just look at someone who called me a cracker and say "aight now give me your cheese."

cheese=money. It's a joke for crying out loud!!! Hehe.

Dang I broke that humor rule again so I had to edit this post. Ok.. let's see. I think a racist comment is just that. A person is not a cracker they are a human being. A saltine is a cracker.

Proud, White, hererosexual, working-class male. Yee-haw!



So much political incorrectness that some people panic even reading the message.

That doesn't answer the question, Rumblestrip. It merely points out that you are proud of your origins, but are you proud to be called a "cracker"?

What's a hererosexual?

Admittedly, I had never even heard this term before. Does is rank up there with words like honkey? I've always hated being called that. If someone called me a cracker, I would more than likely be offended now that I'm aware of the meaning. Of course, context matters, but, in general, words like this carry a negative connotation, and I tend to not embrace the "reclamation of words".

My answer is more or less the definition of a "cracker."

Do I use the word to describe myself? No, only because I think it is a stupid term.

I thought humor was suppossed to be funny.

I think with most white people, they are neither proud or greatly insulted by derogatory racial terms. If someone uses derogatory terms to describe my racial background it says something about them, not me.

Being mixed, I have been exposed to racist terms from both blacks and whites. I can't imagine any white or black person proud about being called a racist term. This is totally moronic. Cracker, honky is just a few of the terms used on whites to describe racism. Mostly if one wants to insult another you would pick his ethnicity to insult. Hate is hate and should not be tolerated, accepted or is something to be proud about. Even if the term seems silly to you, It is still directed as negative energy.

I have been called a niggerNazi, because I am mixed with German and Black. So, I see cracker just as bad as nigger and a sandnigger because I also have Egyptian blood. No matter how funny the terms seems to be, it should not be tolerated. Remember whites don't often here the racist slurs being called on them, just as most black can't imagine some of the hate terms created for them.

So, here are a couple of terms used for whites. I hope you are not proud of these terms. I left out many that were too disgusting to post.

Cracker
Whites
First used by the slaves to refer to their slave owners. Could originate from a) 'corncracker,' someone who distills corn whiskey, or the 'crack' of a whip the slave owners used or c) "white as a soda cracker". Might also refer to southern farmers too poor to own slaves, so they had to work their own fields. Cracker was a derogatory term used by the Scarlett O'Hara set.

Zip
Italians
Commonly used in the NY construction industry to describe Immigrant Italian laborers either in the Bricklayer or Concrete Mason trade. They are notoriously hard workers rarely stopping for a break and always "zipping" around the jobsite. They generally have a poor command of the English language.

Yang-gui-zi
Whites
Pronounced yong-gway-zi. Chinese for "Foreign Devil."

Wonder Bread Wop
Italians
Used by Italians to describe Italians who are more assimilated into "North American" culture.

Whitetrash
Whites
Lower class whites. Self-explanatory.

Vamp
Whites
Possibly the lack of melanin resembles the pale skin of a vampire. Another reason could be vampires need blood, and whites tend to look cold and in need of a blood transfusion.

Umlungu
Whites
Zulus called whites this, meaning the white scum that forms in the surf.

Italians
Started when there was a big Italian emigration to the U.S. Their Luggage would say "TO NY" (New York).

Timmy
Whites
Timmy is a retarded kid on the TV show South Park who says only his name in a unique manner.

Tater Tot
Irish
Irish Child.

TPT
Whites
Short for "trailer park trash."

Stump/Tree Jumper
Whites
Rednecks use Stump Jumper or Tree Jumper against hillbillies lower than themselves, but they also use it to point out hillbillies that commit incest- jumping the family tree.

Spudnigger
Irish
Irish/Potato relationship. Also, Spud######er.

poo-poo-Kicker
Whites
From farmers or country boys walking through the cow pastures.

Shagitz/Shiksa
Whites
These are commonly used words in Yiddish. They are the male and female form (respectively) of the older Hebrew word for worm or insect and as such are negative. They are also commonly used in an almost neutral way, but they are never complementary. Shagitz is pronounced "shaygitz." Term "Shiksa" used in Jewish religious books such as the Talmud when referring to white gentile women.

meisser
Germans
WWII term for a German soldier, derived from a machine gun of the same make.

Scheiss-Ami
Americans
Used by Germans as derogatory reference of Americans.

Saltine
Whites
Same color as skin. Same sentiments expressed as in "cracker."

Rooineck
British
South African version of redneck.

Rosbif
British
French origins. From pasty-complexioned British tourists who go to French beaches on holiday and immediately get sunburned the color of "roast beef".

Redneck
Whites
Previously referred only to the rural prejudice whites, mostly farmers, who have reddish necks (or a "farmer's tan"). However, its usage has become a lot looser and now includes any racist white. See: Peckerwood

Polish
Polish pronunciation of "Polish."

Pogue
Irish
Possibly from Irish Gaelic "pog mi hone", meaning "kiss my arse".

Pohm
British
"Prisoner Of Her Majesty". Used mainly in Australia as a derogatory term for British People. Comes from the fact that Australia was a prisoner colony for British Prisoners.

Po'bucker
Whites
Corruption of West African "Buuker" meaning devil, boogie-man or white man. Poor white trash were referred to as "Po'buckers".

Persuasion
Whites
Similar sound to Caucasion; Implies their persuasive, scandalous actions and attitudes.

Patty/Paddy
Irish
Derogatory slur word for Irish people. Used mainly in Britain. Similar negativity connotations as "nigger". Comes from St. Patrick.

Pakeha
New Zealanders
White New Zealanders only. Maori for "white devil". Curiously, this is an official term.

PWT
Whites
Poor White Trash

Narrow Back
Irish
Heard used on jobsites around NYC amongst the many Irish immigrant workers and every time one Irish immigrant calls another this slur it has always ended in a bloody fistfight.

Mulletard
Whites
Retarded white trash with a mullet.

Moon Cricket (2)
Whites
The slur is also used by some Native Americans against whites: "moon" as in pale, and "cricket" as in whites have big eyes and gangly legs. Whites also make annoying sounds like crickets.

Mick/Mic/Mc
Irish
Many Irish surnames begin with "Mc" or "Mac." Many Irish are also named after the famed Michael Collins, making Michael (Mick) a very common name. Not as derogatory as Paddy.

Maggot
Whites
Maggots breed from filth and when the Whites came to America, they brought with them rats and diseases therefore wiping out half of the Native American population. Hence the term "maggots".

Leprechaun
Irish
From the well-known old Irish myth of the chubby green-clad gnome (what happens when you mix Catholicism with Paganism). Popularized in America by Lucky from the Lucky Charms cereal and St. Patrick's Day.

Kraut
Germans
Short for sauerkraut, a popular German food.

Jew Killer
Germans
Reference to the Holocaust.

Italians
What American-born Italians call immigrant Italians, as in "He/she is a real Jabonee right off the boat. Can't even speak English." Possibly a real Italian word bastardized by English-speaking Italian-Americans.

Hoosier
Whites
Rednecks, trailer park trash.

Honky/Honkie (1)
Whites
Possibly comes from the term "Honky Tonk", which is a type of country music. Another interesting theory suggests it originated as "Hunky" (and "Bohunk") to refer to Slavic and Hungarian immigrants and eventually transformed into "Honkey" to refer to all White people. Might also come from the African Wolof word "Honq" meaning red or pink and used to describe white men. Yet another theory has it originating from white men honking their horns to call on the lounge singer/prostitute types in 1920's Harlem.

Hitler
Germans
Self-explanatory.

Haole
Whites
Pronounced "haow-lee." Refers to any non-Polynesians. It means "without breath" in Hawaiian, it was used to describe the ghost like appearance of Capt. Cook and his men when they first came ashore.

Gwailo/Gweilo
Whites
Cantonese term to refer to any Western person. Also means 'White ghost' Gwai=ghost, lo=man. The first whites seen in China were sailors. The ships often left on early morning tides or during the night, causing the locals to believe they were "ghosts" who were seen and then disappeared.

Guerro
Whites
Used by Hispanic-Americans.

Gringo/a
Whites
This is truly only derogatory in regions of northern Mexico and in the United States where it translates to "white foreigner." Gringo/a in many other countries in Latin America really only translates as "foreigner" without a pejorative connotation. Is generally used to refer to all foreigners/tourists of apparently northern European descent. Some say it comes from Spanish "griego" (meaning Greek) which used to be used to refer to anything foreign. Others say it comes from hearing Americans sing the popular song "Green Grow the Rushes" (unlikely though). Yet others believe it comes from when soldiers were in South America and they all wore green outfits, and they would say, "Green Go."

Gorilla Head
Whites
Popular White 80s hairstyle called a 'mullet' is similar to a gorilla: short on top and long in the back. Countless small-town White folk still sport them.

Goy/Goyim
Whites
Used by Jews to describe White gentiles or non-Jews in general. The term "goyim" means "human cattle." Possible old Hebrew derivation from the word for nation (i.e. nations other than we.)

Grape-Stomper
Italians & French
They make wine.

Goombah
Italians
From the Italian word "Compare" (pronounced 'cumpa') meaning "a close friend." Considered a slur when used by non-Italians to describe an Italian male. Was first used by Louis Prima who was famous for bastardizing the Italian language in his witty songs for his American audience. The Goomba is also the weakest enemy in Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. video game series.

Goober
Whites
Black racists in NYC area use it to refer to Whites.

Ginney/Guinea
Italians
Pronounced "gi-nee." Came from "Guinea Negro" and originally referred to any Black or any person of mixed ancestry. This dates back to the 1740's. By the 1890s it was being applied to Italians--almost certainly because they tend to have darker skin than Anglo-Saxons/Germans. By 1911 the term began being applied to Hispanics, although the reference to Italians is the most common.

Ginzo
Italians
From Guinee/Guinea.

Whites
Connotes "imperialist"; used by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans; apparently originated in Spain to refer to French.

Gai-jin
Whites
Japanese equivalent to "Goyim," refers to anyone not Japanese, but especially Westerners.

Gai-ko
Whites
Pronounced "guy-ko". Derogatory way of saying gaijin which is 'foreigner' (literally outside person) in Japanese.

Galleta
Whites
Means "cookie" in Spanish.

Whites
Chinese for "ocean ghosts". Refers to skin color.

Farang/Falang
Whites
Means foreigner (i.e. non-Thai) of the white race. It is very frequently used in a simple descriptive way. It's negative only if the intent of the speaker is such.

Dago
Italians
Slang for Italian, originally coming from Spain. "Diego" was a common name in Italy at the time this slang was first used. See: Wop.

Dagowop
Italians
Combination of two slurs.

DP
Polish
"Dumb Polish," pronounced "deepee." After World War II, displaced refugees of Eastern European origin were referred as Displaced Persons, however, it stuck around even today to describe Polish immigrants.

Crizm
Whites
Some sort of variant of "cracker." Unsure of origins, but have heard it used in Florida.

Cremlin
Whites
White Europeans.

Conky (1)
Whites
Combination of "caucasian" (or "cracker") and "honky."

Coal-Cracker
Irish
Many Irish immigrants mined coal.

Caveman
Whites
Refers to the Neanderthals living in caves; used by rappers.

Buckra
Whites
Gullah language word meaning White Trash.

Briar
Whites
Term probably comes from the briar bushes found in Appalachian states. Variant: briar-hopper. Applied locally to redneck Kentucky native or other southerner from Appalachia who resettled in Southwestern Ohio during or after WWII in search of factory jobs.

Bogan (2)
Whites
New Zealand white trash or rednecks.

Blue-Eyed Devil
Whites
Whites primarily with blue eyes are said to be the most evil. Especially since their skin is so pale, it looks scary to others as their blue eyes stare out at them.

Black Dagos
Italians
Believed that some Sicilians are part Black.

Or, a person might just think it's a funny and descriptive word, and not a racist term. Apparently that isn't allowed here.

I'd challenge that. You explanation is a modern reinterpretation in France, but at root it is more to do with the traditionally central place of roast beef in the British diet. Brit soldiers on campaign in France during the middle ages, where there was a more or less constant presence from Norman times right up to the end of the Napoleonic Wars, would ask in taverns for 'roast beef' which they could never afford to eat at home (with no standing army they were mostly just peasants back in England).

The use of "frog" for the French derives from about the same time and stems from the Western French delicacy of eating frogs legs. It could have been snails, but the croaky implications also fit the sound of spoken French to early English ears.

And you missed "Limey", for Brits too, used in the USA and originally applied to the British Navy, where to avoid scurvy sailors were issued with rations of lime juice.

But you're right, I find it hard to imagine anyone is actively proud to be called a racist term, so when they are, my guess is that locally the term isn't seen as having any derogatory connotations. For example, Bostonians I've met rather like being called Yanks or Yankees by the British, but Texans and Southerners generally don't think it's as much of a compliment. I'm not sure if they go as far as to think they are being insulted - they are just being called something they do not see themselves as. (if that makes sense)

Just as some blacks or mixed folks may find the word "nigger" as funny. This is not the point I was making! In case you did not get it. The term--no matter if one finds it funny as a whole, these terms are negative and meant to hate. I would understand it better if one said, "Words are just mere words and they don't hurt".

People with class and dignity would not try to belittle
someone else by resorting to racial epithets.

There is a time and a place for racial or off-color jokes. And the
spirit behind a "slur" is what makes it harmless and funny, or
cutting and racist.

About the only really bad word I get called is "White trash."
But since I made it clear that the term hurts my feelings, my
husband has stopped using it.