So, This Just Happened To A Friend Of Mine

[FlightlessDuck]

TBH, I would think Greek folks would probably be able to recognize good souvlaki. Is that racist too?

I am majority Irish. DO NOT ASK ME ABOUT POTATOES. Unless you would like to hear me ranting about English oppression.

 

[rickybobby]

Doesn't this sound a little fishy? A little old lady gets on an elevator with a black male, happens to have watermelon in a Tupperware container, and insults him?
Sorry, but count me as a skeptic. FAKE NEWS

 

[MamaBelle4]

My MIL still uses the term "colored people". She is the least racist person I know. She is just almost 80. That was the term that was used when she was growing up, and she still uses it. Until a few years ago, I had no clue about the racism regarding watermelon. I am from California, so I missed a lot of racist terms and stereotypes.

Reminds me of my grandma. She would have been 85 this year.

We were walking into the local grocery store and passed a handsome gentleman. She leaned over to me and whispered, "He's a nice looking colored man!" I said, "Grandma!" And turned back around, ready to apologize if necessary, but he was laughing so hard his whole body was shaking. He could tell Grandma meant no harm. She didn't have a mean bone in her whole 4 ft 10 in body

 

[MamaBelle4]

I know, but am I the only one on here that doesn't like watermelon?

Tastes like crunchy sugar water. No thank you.

I hate watermelon. Hate it. My family always puts salt on it.

Give me cantaloupe any day!

 

[fly girl]

Have you tried letting vodka set in it?
I love watermelon.

It's the texture I don't like. But put liquor in anything and I'll likely give it another try.

 

[mom2rtk]

Doesn't this sound a little fishy? A little old lady gets on an elevator with a black male, happens to have watermelon in a Tupperware container, and insults him?
Sorry, but count me as a skeptic. FAKE NEWS

I agree. And I'm thinking the older racist white woman would have just waited for the next elevator.

 

[shoney]

i can't help but thinking of this song from Ave Q every time I read this thread. Everyone is a little bit racist

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I hate watermelon. Hate it. My family always puts salt on it.

Give me cantaloupe any day!

I don't hate watermelon, but I DEFINITELY prefer cantaloupe!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I agree. And I'm thinking the older racist white woman would have just waited for the next elevator.

She would if she was "racist" in the sense that she thought less of someone (or was afraid of them) because of their race. But I think there is a big difference between a little old lady believing a stereotype about food vs. actually being mean to anyone because of their race.

 

[Wendy31]

Or watermelon margaritas. If they are made right (with fresh watermelon) they are to die for.

Yess!!!

 

[Domo]

Maybe she was just downplaying her own expertise in watermelons... you know, if someone is fishing for validation on some obscure level, they sometimes say things like "I'm sure that you are better at xyz than I am after all"

For example, when I'm encouraging a new member of the rifle club on I sometimes say, in a jovial way, you're better at this than I am! Are we sure she was making a racial statement?

That being said, even if that were the case, she should have been more sensitive to the ramifications.

 

[erin1715]

I'm mid 30s and live in NY and I was completely clueless when I opened this thread and read the OP. Never in my life have I heard of any racial connotations that were related to watermelon. I've never even heard a hint of anything like this, so this has all been completely new to me.

 

[anniemae]

Doesn't this sound a little fishy? A little old lady gets on an elevator with a black male, happens to have watermelon in a Tupperware container, and insults him?
Sorry, but count me as a skeptic. FAKE NEWS

I must admit this crossed my mind.

Off topic-this is one of the strangest threads on the DIS. People talking about serious issues like racism and scientific theories right there with posts about margaritas and cantaloupe.

 

[DopeyDame]

I am majority Irish. DO NOT ASK ME ABOUT POTATOES. Unless you would like to hear me ranting about English oppression.

I'm majority Irish (and as lily-white as you would expect from that) and I LOVE watermelon. Way more than potatoes. Maybe I should have some genetic testing done to see where my ancestors *really* came from.

And my kids were both adopted from South Korea. Shockingly, neither of them will eat kimchee to save their lives.

 

[VandVsmama]

I must admit....I had no clue until reading this thread that watermelon was a racially charged topic. Seriously, no clue. I grew up in CA and watermelon was always a summer-time thing. And everybody, regardless of race or ethnic group, just loved eating watermelon outside on a hot day. Even better if you got to have some after getting out of a pool.

Here in Arizona at some of the public pools, I've seen some families bring salsa or picante sauce to pour over the top of the watermelon (or to dip it in). I've never tried that myself, though.

My first thought when reading the OP was, "Why is some random lady offering watermelon to people she doesn't even know in an elevator?" followed by "Why would that guy even EAT any of the watermelon since he doesn't even know the woman?"

Then I read the OP a 2nd time and some of the replies and thought, "Ok, I can see why the guy's gut reaction was to assume it's a racist comment."

I also had no clue until reading this thread that watermelon was such a huge thing in the southern US. However, I don't live in the South and haven't spent a whole lot of time there, so I am not as familiar as others with customs local to that part of the US.

 

[Jdbsfw]

Watermelon is overrated. Also being a Texan that now lives in Louisiana I've been aware of the "watermelon stereotype" my whole life and I wasn't raised by Fuzzy Zoeller......Some things you just kind of know I guess

 

[sunshinehighway]

I'm the same way & didn't realize there was a watermelon stereotype until a couple of years ago.

I almost think (& this is just from my own experience) that people who have grown up in the South are just not going to see watermelon as anything but a summer fruit - because we all grew up eating it, if that makes sense.

And people that didn't have the same experience & aren't from the South learned to see watermelon differently - kind of like the scenario that @Gumbo4x4 posted.

The racial history is there - like in the interesting article that @sunshinehighway that posted.

But, in the south, our cultures & traditions have grown & mixed in together - we all eat watermelon & fried chicken, so to many of us watermelon is just watermelon, & we don't see the connotations. Over the years, watermelon went from being the racial stigma as described in sunshinehighway's article to a just general southern thing. I mean, we've all sat on the back porch & had watermelon seed spitting contests.

The South, as a whole, is heavily influenced by the African American culture - food, music, literature, etc., & I love how the traditions & cultures have blended together, which, to me, is part of what makes the South special.

And, as an aside, *is* watermelon just a southern thing? Do other regions not eat watermelon?

I'm glad someone read the article. It does a good job of explaining the history of the watermelon stereotype and why there's much more to it than just liking a certain good
Of course watermelon isn't "a southern thing".
I can see maybe some people don't really understand the background of the stereotype associated with watermelon but I can't understand why people just dismiss it as made up, or Northerners not understanding the southern love of watermelon or some genetic watermelon love. As you read in the article and could rather easily research, there is long and documented history behind the stereotype.

 

[Liberty Belle]

When he was offered some watermelon, why was his first thought "that's racist"?

ford family

Maybe because he experiences racism so much, especially from older white people, that that is his first thought.

 

[luvsJack]

I'm glad someone read the article. It does a good job of explaining the history of the watermelon stereotype and why there's much more to it than just liking a certain good
Of course watermelon isn't "a southern thing".
I can see maybe some people don't really understand the background of the stereotype associated with watermelon but I can't understand why people just dismiss it as made up, or Northerners not understanding the southern love of watermelon or some genetic watermelon love. As you read in the article and could rather easily research, there is long and documented history behind the stereotype.

I get what the article is saying. That doesn't necessarily mean that article is 100% correct no more than any the pp could post links to may be 100% correct. It is a stereotype.

BUT, that doesn't mean that everyone who offers someone watermelon is being a racist.

Its a food that is extremely popular in the south especially since so many grow them. The best ones are eaten right out of the field. On any given day from about the 1st of July to the 1st of September, someone is going to bring a bowl of watermelon to the office in almost every office.

 

[Hikergirl]

Maybe because he experiences racism so much, especially from older white people, that that is his first thought.

If that is the case, it would seem both people in the elevator have issues with stereotyping people of other races.