Alabama Is Full Of Racist Things

Accidental Racism?

Is Alabama full of racist things? As in, overflowing with racist stuff?

What do you think?

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As for this humble reporter, I guess so.

The world is very different now and you have to watch what you say.

I believe most of us are getting tired of all these new rules.

It's hard to keep up with what you can and can't say or do!

BEWARE

You can be greatly impacted by groups online that target individuals they feel are on the "wrong side of history".

Now, we are being told that some common, everyday phrases are racist and offensive.

I promise, if you read all the way down, some of these will shock you.

Having spent a good part of my life in Alabama, it's surprising how innocent these phrases seem to most of us.

ARE THESE PHRASES STILL USED TODAY?

Yes, they are used these days.

Let's get into the phrases that certain groups are looking to get everyone to stop using.

NO CAN DO

What's wrong with that?

Well, apparently it was a phrase used in newspapers decades ago to make fun of Chinese immigrants who struggled with learning English.

TIPPING POINT

No harm in saying that, right?

Actually, it traces back to the 1800s and was used later to describe the exact time when white Americans left neighborhoods due to African Americans moving in.

Who knew that?

Very few of us.

LONG TIME, NO SEE

We've all said it. However, this phrase was first used in an early 20th-century book to laugh at Native Americans and their broken English.

CAKEWALK

This one really got me.

I have used it and I have heard it used a billion times.

Its origin is pretty shocking.

We use it to say something was very, very easy to do.

However, it came from plantations and slave owners who made slaves dress up and dance for them to get a piece of cake.

The cake was only fed to white people in those days.

Slaves could only get some by doing a "cakewalk"

EENY, MEENY, MINY, MOE

Who hasn't said this one?

Well, it was originally a rhyme used by schoolchildren in the 1800s and a very offensive word was added in later days.

PEANUT GALLERY

This one is very common and we've all heard it.

Its origin is surprising to me, but it was originally a section to describe the segregated African American section of a theater.

COTTON-PICKIN'

One of the best-known phrases on the list and obvious where it came from.

OFF THE RESERVATION

Another one that we've all heard and probably have used.

It comes from some pretty horrible stories of Native Americans who were forced off of their land.

In researching it, I couldn't believe how bad the stories would be.