re: Cali language teachers facing backlash for "cultural appropriation" yearbook photos

You didn’t know fried chicken was invented by the Scots? The Scots-Irish brought it across the Atlantic and settled largely in the south, bringing their methods of coating and deep frying in fat with them. Once in the America’s they had access to different spices and ingredients.

What most people call “soul food” is really just the cuisine of the poor southerners. Africans, slave and free, borrowed and learned and contributed to this cuisine, and in the aftermath of the War Between the States, during the Great Migration, they brought the cuisine of the poor south with them.

Settling in Yankee cities up north, where few had even seen a black person, this style of cuisine began to be associated with black people by Yankees, dubbing it “soul food” (and that was the nicer coloquialism).

With the settling of the west, especially California, many new Englanders flocked to the west coast, bringing their Yankee notions with them. With the rise of Hollywood and it’s connections with Madison Avenue, these same notions served to establish generations of social influence through media.

The stereotype that black people like fried chicken and watermelon? That’s a Yankee invention.


Watermelon and Fried chicken are a staple of the south, yet in New England they were associated with coloreds, and thus in media it was presented as a black stereotype rather than a Southern one.

Throw in decades of indoctrination and faux outrage and voila! Southerners get painted as “racist” if they deign to serve chicken and watermelon, despite it having no basis in race.

An anecdote:met a guy years ago, great fella. Threw awesome parties. I was invited to one and one of my talents i’ve Developed is carving watermelons. So I brought one and carved it as people watched and it was a great time.


Carved out most of the watermelon and filled it with mixed fruit. Had all sorts of food there. Someone brought some fried chicken later.

Well the party is winding down and i’m Still there helping to clean up, It’s about 2 am, and some of his friends show up after their shift. Couple black guys and a white guy.
I had just put up what remained of the food when they walked in, and asked what there was to eat.

I turn around and say, “fried chicken and watermelon.”

I’ll never forget, the black guys face completely changes, his eyes get wide and his lips purse.
Like this

“What did you just say?”

And here I stand in the kitchen, head shaved and looking like i’m An extra in American History X


Aloof as frick, i say “there’s chicken and watermelon.”

And the host, who is Jewish, and who I don’t even know too well at this point, realizes the situation at hand and intervenes, opening the fridge to reveal that the only food left is


Fried chicken and watermelon.

And we all bust out laughing

For frick's sake!

No one cares and stop giving the always "outraged" the attention they are looking for.

Has someone contacted France to get its opinion of “Madame Laurs?”

:eye roll:

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What if you're Hispanic and just think the picture is funny?

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You're a Tio Tom.

Cheech and Chong are treasures.

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If you called me a cracker right now I'd be so offended

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Sorry saltine, I ain't falling for that one.

So what happens if they say that they identify as Mexican? How does that work?