Debate over "tar baby"...

[jocon]

Is this is a racist term? I am 26 and only heard it in Song of the South.
I Googled it and all of the hits refer to the Uncle Remus tales with a paragraph at the end that says it can be used in a negative way. Governor Mitt Romney is taking some heat for his use of the word describing the BIG DIG. What are your thoughts?

 

[JennyMominRI]

I've always heard that it is a racist term.

 

[Jennasis]

Oh it's definitely a racist term. What exactly did Mitt say?

 

[Cool-Beans]

I think it depends on the context.

From Wikipedia:

A tar baby is a form of a character from African folklore where "gum, wax, or other sticky material is used to trap a person." [1]

As an American colloquialism, a tar baby is a "sticky situation from which it is difficult to extract one's self".

In Southern black speech in the 19th century, the word "baby" referred to both a baby and a child's "doll." Thus, the expression "tar baby" meant a tar doll or tar mannequin. For an example of such a character in popular American culture see Br'er Rabbit.

Recently some groups have started to claim that the term may also carry a negative connotation, alleging that it has been used as a derogatory term for dark skinned people (such as African Americans in the United States or Maoris in New Zealand). [1] Another claim is that it can refer to an especially dark skinned black person.

Tar Baby is also a song on the Promise (album) album by Sade.

 

[wvrevy]

It is a racist term...when used in a racist context. The way Romney used it, however, was more in reference to the old "Song of the South" meaning...as in, a "sticky situation."

Much as I think Mitt is a waste of office space, this is nothing more than a wild goose chase by people that don't like him. There are BUCH[/i] bigger, better, and legitimate reasons to get rid of the clown.

 

[RSoxFan]

I agree with wvrevy. If Romney wasn't running for President, this wouldn't even be a story. He certainly didn't mean it in a racist way. I had never actually even heard the term until today. And God knows the Big Dig is a "sticky situation"

 

[RealMickeysGirl]

I don't remember much about the tar baby story - I always associated it with someone getting tar on them and then getting stuck to something. I never thought of the baby as being black or white - just a baby with tar on him.

Live and learn - I guess I should look up the story now and see what the old nursery story refers to.

 

[cinmell]

It is a racist term...when used in a racist context. The way Romney used it, however, was more in reference to the old "Song of the South" meaning...as in, a "sticky situation."

Much as I think Mitt is a waste of office space, this is nothing more than a wild goose chase by people that don't like him. There are BUCH[/i] bigger, better, and legitimate reasons to get rid of the clown.

I agree. I think Mittens used the term to describe the big dig debacle as a "sticky situation."

 

[bbangel]

There is another meaning as well. There used to be licorice treats called tar babies. They were sort of like gummy bears, but made of licorice. They stopped selling them quite awhile ago, but my mom still misses them.
I think any word or phrase can be racist if you use it that way. You can't always remove things from context. That said, it is kind of stupid of a politician to use such an easily misunderstood term.

 

[crcormier]

Don't care for our governor that much, but considering the context of his remark I do think he genuinely was not aware of the racist overtones of this phrase. He was very contrite about it. So I give him a pass on it.

 

[Geoff_M]

I'd put this one right up there when in 1999 a white staffer, Anthony Williams, of the Mayor of Washington DC used the term "Niggardly" (meaning "to fuss about small matters") when talking about the negotiations over the city budget to an African American co-worker. All racial Hades broke lose in DC and Williams was forced to resign in the end even tough the term has nothing to do with race.

Though "tar baby" certainly can have racial meaning, unless the Gov. was trying to compare the Big Dig to an African American, I think it's use in this situation should be about as offensive as if someone uttered "Hey, pass me a cracker!" or spoke of "Whitey Herzog" within earshot of me. Context is everything.

 

[Free4Life11]

I'd put this one right up there when in 1999 a white staffer, Anthony Williams, of the Mayor of Washington DC used the term "Niggardly" (meaning "to fuss about small matters") when talking about the negotiations over the city budget to an African American co-worker.

Honestly, I've never heard that term in my life. Around here we just say whine or "*****" when someone is fussing about small matters.



Please do not bypass word filter

 

[Geoff_M]

Nor had I before the episode. It's one of those words that people that get into the "Word Power" tests in each Reader's Digest have heard of. It's origins are Norse and not Latin (root of the racial slur). There's also a related English word "Niggle" with has the same meaning as "nit-pick" or "quibble".

 

[Jonas Grumby]

the term "Niggardly" (meaning "to fuss about small matters")

I thought that it meant stingy or miserly.

 

[Geoff_M]

You are correct... I read the Wikipedia entry a bit too fast as I was doing a refresher on the issue. It's the Norse root word: Nigla that means "to fuss about small matters".

 

[Jonas Grumby]

There was a teacher here that used this word in her High School class, and came VERY close to being fired.

 

[Gary M]

Back in 1984 Jesse Jackson called NYC "Hymietown" and he skated on that. I think if your a liberal the press looks the other way, but if your a Republican watch out. By the way, Jackson was running for President in 1984.

 

[jocon]

I think the fact that they say Tar Baby on the news and spell it in the newspaper has to lend to the idea that the word really isn't racist.