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Don't think I would personally be offended by it. But why a watermelon?
He knew what he was doing.
Hate when racist folks play stupid and pretend to not understand their offensive actions.
Dawg no one gives watermelon as a gift. You gotta be either real stupid or a troll to do something like that.Better than a fruit cake. I say give the guy the benefit of the doubt. It's not like you can prove it was racially motivated. Everyone loves watermelon.
That’s just stupid what he did. A lot of people have no common sense and respect these days.
That’s just stupid what he did. A lot of people have no common sense and respect these days.
Dawg no one gives watermelon as a gift
But the stereotype that African Americans are excessively fond of watermelon emerged for a specific historical reason and served a specific political purpose. The trope came into full force when slaves won their emancipation during the Civil War. Free black people grew, ate, and sold watermelons, and in doing so made the fruit a symbol of their freedom. Southern whites, threatened by blacks’ newfound freedom, responded by making the fruit a symbol of black people’s perceived uncleanliness, laziness, childishness, and unwanted public presence. This racist trope then exploded in American popular culture, becoming so pervasive that its historical origin became obscure. Few Americans in 1900 would’ve guessed the stereotype was less than half a century old.
It may seem silly to attribute so much meaning to a fruit. And the truth is that there is nothing inherently racist about watermelons. But cultural symbols have the power to shape how we see our world and the people in it, such as when police officer Darren Wilson saw Michael Brown as a superhuman “demon.” These symbols have roots in real historical struggles—specifically, in the case of the watermelon, white people’s fear of the emancipated black body. Whites used the stereotype to denigrate black people—to take something they were using to further their own freedom, and make it an object of ridicule. It ultimately does not matter if someone means to offend when they tap into the racist watermelon stereotype, because the stereotype has a life of its own.
Edison’s company invented the kinetoscope, an early motion picture device you would look into through a peephole viewer. Edison recorded images of the first African Americans on the silver screen. They are depicted in this short film devouring watermelon like a school of sharks eating its prey. The men are very dark in complexion and eventually start to sabotage the efforts of each others consumption by pulling the fruit away their competitors mouths. Prebula says that—combined with other derogatory films that have followed it—has been ingrained in our mind that Black folks love watermelon. Statistically, Asian Americans and Hispanics actually consume more watermelon than African Americans.
A report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that African Americans eat less watermelon than most other races, and that White Americans consume the most. Yet, historically African Americans have been the most closely associated with the fruit.
What does taco Tuesdays have to do with this? Don’t be this obtuse.Lol what?
Firefighters live in 4 days out of the week don’t they? Watermelon a big piece of fruit that will last a couple days and your able to share it
People are stu heads these days...I’m Mexican do you see me crying about taco Tuesdays
He knew what he was doing. The article says that firehouse is 90% black.