Racist Phrases You Might Not Realize Are Offensive

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”Uppity”

Calling someone uppity might seem harmless, but this is a word that has roots in anti-Black sentiment. In the Jim Crow era, this was a word used against Black people who weren’t behaving in a subservient or meek way around white people. To this day, it is commonly directed toward Black people in a way that it is not directed to whites, and when it is, the racist implications are very apparent to people of color.

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“Eeny Meeny Miny Moe”

This traditional children’s chant is often used to help figure out who will be “it” during tag or used to make other playground decisions. But the familiar poem used to contain a racist slur that’s been replaced with the word “tiger.” That lyric about catching a tiger by the toe might be a reference to a punishment white slaveowners used as a weapon of terror. Even with the replaced word, the reality is that these lyrics can still feel offensive. Plus, there are so many other options kids can use for counting games, such as Icka Bicka Soda Cracker, Bubblegum Bubblegum or Skunk in the Barnyard.

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“Peanut Gallery”

“No comments from the peanut gallery,” we might joke, not realizing that the word has racist roots. “Peanut gallery” stems from vaudeville days in which members of the audience would toss peanut shells at the performers and offer animated, vociferous feedback throughout the show. The cheapest seats in the house became associated with the term peanut gallery — seats which were often taken by Black people or people of color. Hence, the term has strong racial undertones, and considering that vaudeville is associated with racist entertainment like minstrel shows and blackface, it’s just time to retire the term.

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“Eskimo”

Whether you are talking about “Eskimo kisses” or “Eskimo sandwiches,” you should know that the term “Eskimo” is not the preferred term for many indigenous people of the Arctic region. For the Inuit people, the correct term is Inuit, and the word also describes the Inuit language; the same goes for the Yupik people and their language.

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“Grandfathered In”

We use the term “grandfathered in” to refer to a person or a business being able to avoid certain restrictions thanks to prior arrangements or contracts signed in the past. But the term stems from a way in which white men tried to prevent Black men from being able to vote, even after the 15th Amendment was passed.

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