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Old 02-04-2022, 08:16 AM
 
16,317 posts, read 8,150,917 times
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Apparently the idea came from a cafeteria worker who is black:

https://whdh.com/news/disheartened-b...Uh1PUSKbFW5C58

I am not entirely sure how this is offensive to black people? I'm a white woman and i love fried chicken, particularly a fried chicken sandwich.

I'm also Irish and places serve corned beef and cabbage on st patrick's day all the time. Not offensive.

What is the deal here? It seems like if nothing is done to honor black history month, it's offensive. Then when something is done it's the wrong thing. It sounds like the fried chicken was served as a meal to celebrate the beginning of black history month.

Someone mentioned, “They could have chosen a different part of African cuisine.' I can't say I'm at all familiar with African cuisine...but this is a group of high school boys and when i google african cuisine the following comes up: meat, seafood, goat, lamb, beef, dates, almonds. Kind of seems like fried chicken was probably the more delectable offering for a a cafeteria school lunch.

I just cant anymore...in hindsight it seems that the school would have been better off doing nothing for lunch for black history month.
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Old 02-04-2022, 08:24 AM
 
9,434 posts, read 4,250,153 times
Reputation: 7018
Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
Apparently the idea came from a cafeteria worker who is black:

https://whdh.com/news/disheartened-b...Uh1PUSKbFW5C58

I am not entirely sure how this is offensive to black people? I'm a white woman and i love fried chicken, particularly a fried chicken sandwich.

I'm also Irish and places serve corned beef and cabbage on st patrick's day all the time. Nv

Someone mentioned, “They could have chosen a different part of African cuisine.' I can't say I'm at all familiar with African cuisine...but this is a group of high school boys and when i google african cuisine the following comes up: meat, seafood, goat, lamb, beef, dates, almonds. Kind of seems like fried chicken was probably the more delectable offering for a a cafeteria school lunch.

I just cant anymore...in hindsight it seems that the school would have been better off doing nothing for lunch for black history month.
Your post sent me to google where even I learned about the history of fried chicken.
I hope they turn this in to a teaching moment.
Food history is fascinating and insighful. I wish more would include it in their social studies curriculum.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/2...-fried-chicken
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Old 02-04-2022, 08:27 AM
 
Location: Boston
2,435 posts, read 1,319,216 times
Reputation: 2126
Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
Apparently the idea came from a cafeteria worker who is black:

https://whdh.com/news/disheartened-b...Uh1PUSKbFW5C58

I am not entirely sure how this is offensive to black people? I'm a white woman and i love fried chicken, particularly a fried chicken sandwich.

I'm also Irish and places serve corned beef and cabbage on st patrick's day all the time. Not offensive.

What is the deal here? It seems like if nothing is done to honor black history month, it's offensive. Then when something is done it's the wrong thing. It sounds like the fried chicken was served as a meal to celebrate the beginning of black history month.

Someone mentioned, “They could have chosen a different part of African cuisine.' I can't say I'm at all familiar with African cuisine...but this is a group of high school boys and when i google african cuisine the following comes up: meat, seafood, goat, lamb, beef, dates, almonds. Kind of seems like fried chicken was probably the more delectable offering for a a cafeteria school lunch.

I just cant anymore...in hindsight it seems that the school would have been better off doing nothing for lunch for black history month.
Historically, fried chicken and watermelon have been used in derogatory ways to mock black people; that's why it's a problem. Blame D.W Griffith if you like. They basically took a well-known (but apparently not well-known enough) negative stereotype and trotted it out to celebrate.

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswi...type-come-from
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Old 02-04-2022, 08:33 AM
 
16,317 posts, read 8,150,917 times
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I've heard of watermelon being derogatory...again not sure why it had to become that way.

Most people like watermelon and fried chicken.

Kind of seems like it wasn't the smartest idea to integrate fried chicken as part of black history month since it has come up as derogatory in the past (whether we understand why or not) but here Xaverian Brothers is making national news (probably soon to be international) because of it.
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Old 02-04-2022, 08:37 AM
 
16,317 posts, read 8,150,917 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foodyum View Post
Your post sent me to google where even I learned about the history of fried chicken.
I hope they turn this in to a teaching moment.
Food history is fascinating and insighful. I wish more would include it in their social studies curriculum.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/2...-fried-chicken
'Fried chicken singlehandedly helped many African Americans build their own homes'

Quote from the article you posted. I'd say that's a good thing? And something to be celebrated...not something to be thought of as racist when schools serve it in honor of black history month.
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Old 02-04-2022, 08:44 AM
 
Location: Lahaina, Hi.
6,384 posts, read 4,825,814 times
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This is an example of perpetually butt-hurt individuals who look for reasons to feel offended.
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Old 02-04-2022, 08:49 AM
 
5,094 posts, read 2,658,571 times
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Like many things, it has certainly been applied as a derogatory stereotype by bigots toward blacks (that's what bigots do, after all) it isn't, in itself, derogatory as a part of history. And it clearly doesn't offend everyone. This might be because its history may be something to actually embrace. I truly believe a lot of this "offensive" stuff comes from uppity whites looking for some form of false recognition. Context does matter.
https://amview.japan.usembassy.gov/e...rican-culture/
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Old 02-04-2022, 09:24 AM
 
Location: Woburn, MA / W. Hartford, CT
6,121 posts, read 5,090,361 times
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Sorry, fried chicken and watermelon are well-known tropes that are used to stereotype Black people. Even if not outright offensive, any stereotyping should be avoided to advance our racial understanding.
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Old 02-04-2022, 09:40 AM
 
Location: Massachusetts & Hilton Head, SC
10,007 posts, read 15,653,607 times
Reputation: 8659
Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
I've heard of watermelon being derogatory...again not sure why it had to become that way.

Most people like watermelon and fried chicken.

Kind of seems like it wasn't the smartest idea to integrate fried chicken as part of black history month since it has come up as derogatory in the past (whether we understand why or not) but here Xaverian Brothers is making national news (probably soon to be international) because of it.
Watermelon is out of season, but most people like fried chicken. The school doesn't want to throw away food.

Better off doing nothing I guess.
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Old 02-04-2022, 09:40 AM
 
16,317 posts, read 8,150,917 times
Reputation: 11343
Default re

Quote:
Originally Posted by htfdcolt View Post
Sorry, fried chicken and watermelon are well-known tropes that are used to stereotype Black people. Even if not outright offensive, any stereotyping should be avoided to advance our racial understanding.
Right I remember seeing a cartoon a few years back that showed Obama using watermelon toothpaste and there was outrage over it. I was just like, ok associating black people with watermelon is highly offensive and don't do it.

I guess today I just can't help but ask the question of why? Why is it highly offensive to associate black people with watermelon and fried chicken? Based on the article that someone posted above fried chicken is not a negative thing in black history.

I think people associate Irish people with potatoes and no one flies off the handle about that. There was the potato famine which killed hundreds of thousands of Irish people and as far as i know people don't get offended that potatoes are a large staple in Irish 'cuisine'. I personally don't even get offended when i see some people make fun of Irish for being drunks or low class people of Boston because I know it's not true.

To move forward as a society sometimes Why should be asked and it shouldn't just be accepted that fried chicken and watermelon should not be talked about around black people. It seems kind of ridiculous. I can think of many many things that could be offensive but two food items?

This also was an idea from someone who was black supposedly so they weren't offended if they came up with the idea.
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