From what’s implied in the article, this lady said “cracker cops,” while warning her daughter to be extra careful — and that’s why she was forced to quit.
Are there actual white people somewhere who’re actually offended by the term ‘cracker’? None that I’ve known, but these snowflake cops were, and now they’re no doubt chuckling about costing that African-American woman her job.
Just to add my thoughts: “cracker” could definitely be a racist term if used in this context. However, it will never have to meaning, connotation, or social stigma that the n-word does (especially spoken by a non-Black person).
The reason for this has nothing to do with one term being more racist than other (though that could easily be argued), but rather the social history. I’d be surprised if there are even a few lynchings of Whites, by Blacks, while that term was being yelled.
Historically, in America, Whites were the “top” racial group and Blacks were second class citizens at best. A disenfranchised group having a derogatory word for the group that is doing the disenfranchising will never have the same power as one used by a “ruling class” on this they are trying to oppress.
Call me a cracker and I’ll certainly understand that I’ve been insulted, but it has little sting, for exactly the reasons you explain so well. Thanks.
Many white people accept the term “cracker” or “cracks” the way black folks accept “nigga”, however the problem lies in how it’s being said, just like how white folks break out the n-word with the hard “R” and we all know the connotations are racist, this woman absolutely said it in racist terms.
We should never be racist apologists, regardless of who is being the racist, black, Asian, Indian, etc. folks don’t get a pass because of their skin tone or that they are being racist towards their colonizers, racism is bigotry, and all bigotry should be snuffed out when encountered.
Lastly, any term or “thing” can become racist if it’s used in ways to make it racist, look at the “circle game”/“ok” hand symbol, racists on 4chan made it a racist symbol and now it is. White Nationalists and Neo-Nazis constantly try to co-opt terms and gestures to be able to perpetuate their racism as close to the open and main stream as they can get so they constantly try to steal gestures, memes, art, etc. to twist the meaning. This is how the Right Wing stole “woke” from Erykah Badu, Erykah coined woke in it’s current non-racist form and she meant it to mean “aware” and “awake” to the troubles of the world, the racism, misogyny, homophobia, etc., then all of a sudden these racists started using “woke” to mean anything black, gay, Democrat, Socialist, Communist, climate change, masks, vaccinations, and anything else their brainwashed selves have been conditioned to be against, like Bud Light, The Little Mermaid, and the latest, Barbie.
So stay Woke, don’t ever excuse racism, and fuck all racists to death.
Been white for most of my life, and been called a cracker numerous times. I’ve been called worse, but I don’t disagree with your points.
Keeping things in proportion is important. A black woman telling her daughter to beware of cracker cops maybe merits a stern finger-wagging for bad language, but let’s be more concerned by her very well-justified concern.
