Conservatives freaking out over the removal of Aunt Jemima

[ronburgundy]

Anyone remember Safeway's "Scotch Buy" store brand back in the early '80's? Me and my roommates in college would buy it as it was inexpensive and we didn't have jobs. I guess its a step up from "Jew Buy". It was discontinued after a couple of years. A bit odd they would pull it off the market, as racism towards white people is not generally recognized.

http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2012/07/scotch-buy.html

Was this intended as parody of the laughable idiocy of conservatives and their absurdly fallacious attempts at claiming equal racism against whites? I guess it doesn't matter what it was intended as, b/c that is clearly what it is.

 

[Jokodo]

Next target - Hillbilly Bread.

Except the hillbilly concept and stereotype was created entirely by white people about white people. So, not remotely similar.

How is this not similar? Are prosperous urban whites incapable of holding bitoted believes and displaying a disparaging attitude towards poor urban whites?

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Next target - Hillbilly Bread.

Except the hillbilly concept and stereotype was created entirely by white people about white people. So, not remotely similar.

How is this not similar? Are prosperous urban whites incapable of holding bitoted believes and displaying a disparaging attitude towards poor urban whites?

Poor rural whites even. Part of what is today called "flyover country" and very much looked down on.

 

[Rhea]

I agree that hillbillies should not be mocked.

 

[J842P]

Next target - Hillbilly Bread.

Except the hillbilly concept and stereotype was created entirely by white people about white people. So, not remotely similar.

How is this not similar? Are prosperous urban whites incapable of holding bitoted believes and displaying a disparaging attitude towards poor urban whites?

Hillbilly is specifically a disparaging term for a "person from the hills", originally Appalachia, although it can refer to people from the Ozarks. Indeed, I see all these different forms of prejudice and systemic disenfranchisement as inherently similar, although of course different in details and degree. In any case, both urbanites and lowland rural people denigrate people from those regions as "hill billies".

And definitely, there are racially tinged components to it, certainly the roots date back to the animosity the original lowlanders, who were primarily of English descent, had against the primarily Irish inhabitants of Appalachia (and later, the Scots as well). Indeed, the stereotype is that they are inherently less intelligent, more lazy, and more criminal. And inbred to boot.

 

[ronburgundy]

Next target - Hillbilly Bread.

Except the hillbilly concept and stereotype was created entirely by white people about white people. So, not remotely similar.

Upper class city people denigrating lower class rural people. It is definitely a class issue, the fact that the skin color is the same is coincidental.

It's not coincidental, it means that by definition it is not racism and is not people being presumed to have particular mannerism and behavior based solely upon a genetic trait unrelated to behavior.

The term Hillbilly was created to refer to people who literally live in the Appalachian hills and are literally poor. It doesn't even refer to all poor people or all those who live in the hills. IOW, while it has taken on more general meanings, it's core originating concept was based upon having a particular combination of objective behavioral traits of individuals rather than on presuming traits from some innate characteristic. Also, it wasn't originally a derogatory concept. Many of the poor Appalachians were from Scotland were there was a concept of "hill-folk" meaning those who live in the hills b/c they prefer isolation and "billie" which meant "companion".

So, no, nothing remotely similar to Aunt Jemima. But if you want to get rid of that brand, go for it.

 

[Toni]

Next target - Hillbilly Bread.

Except the hillbilly concept and stereotype was created entirely by white people about white people. So, not remotely similar.

How is this not similar? Are prosperous urban whites incapable of holding bitoted believes and displaying a disparaging attitude towards poor urban whites?

Never quite a hillbilly here but I have a lot of relatives who proudly wear the label redneck and think I'm kinda uppity because I got me one of them thar college educations and married one of them thar over educated college professors.

Here's the difference: Rich white people might own all of the means of production and might offer only slave wages, but white people they employ are not actually slaves and never have been slaves in the US. Even indentured servants were not slaves but rather were bound for a term that would end and they would be given their freedom. And their children would be free as well. White people have always been allowed to learn to read and write with no laws expressly forbidding literacy for white people. White people have always been allowed to own property and if male, to vote. White people could marry white people legally. White people could drink out of any water fountain they wanted, and likewise attend any school, go to any hospital, live in any neighborhood, sit wherever they wanted in the movie theater and so on. The children of a formerly indentured servant were indistinguishable from the children of any ordinary white person. And so on.

It absolutely could be brutally difficult to climb out of poverty for white people (many of my family being prime examples) but there were no laws specifically designed to keep them poor because they were white.

And about a billion other little things that make it very different.

Don't get me wrong. My family was poor during the Great Depression. I know very well how society failed to help when my grandfather, a WWI veteran, had (service related) failing health and passed away, leaving a widow with 4 young children. I know how society failed my other grandparents when my grandmother suffered for years with what ultimately was fatal breast cancer. I know very well how valuable a good social safety net is because my family did not have any such safety net and those scars were born by my parents until the day they died. I know very well that some would have looked down on people like my grandparents---if everyone else weren't in almost the same boat and wasn't someways related or nearly so.

If you saw me walking down the street, you'd have no idea if my forebears were poor dirt farmers or lived in mansions in Philadelphia or NYC.

If I were black and had an American sounding name, you'd be very certain my great greats were slaves. And you'd be right.

 

[laughing dog]

This gol-durned PC bs has been around for a long time. Hell, it cause this restaurant chain ( Sambo's) into bankruptcy in 1981.

But the original restaurant in Santa Barbara, just changed its name in due to this PC bs.

 

[bilby]

Anyone remember Safeway's "Scotch Buy" store brand back in the early '80's? Me and my roommates in college would buy it as it was inexpensive and we didn't have jobs. I guess its a step up from "Jew Buy". It was discontinued after a couple of years. A bit odd they would pull it off the market, as racism towards white people is not generally recognized.

http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2012/07/scotch-buy.html

But the people are 'Scots,' not 'Scotch.'
Scotch refers to things FROM Scotland. Made there, invented there, a style originating there.
Thus, no racism in Scotch Tape, Scotch Whiskey, Scotch Eggs...

The Scotsman is mean, as we're all well aware
And bony and blotchy and covered with hair
He eats salty porridge, he works all the day
And he hasn't got bishops to show him the way!

Of course, this excerpt from Flanders and Swann relies upon ones awareness that those gentlemen are notable wits; And so one hesitates to present their work for misinterpretation by the likes of thebeave or repoman, who have demonstrated that, in the field of racial and ethnic relations, they strive to be half of that.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vh-wEXvdW8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[bilby]

According to this report (https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/04/15/land-olakes-quietly-gets-rid-of-iconic-indian-maiden/),

Then there’s the “boob trick” in which you can make the packaging even more disrespectful by turning Mia’s knees into her boobs. “Something lots of dads teach their kids,” one YouTuber noted...

I very much doubt that the artist was intending a "boob trick". Then again way back in Middle School I learned how to fold a dollar bill so it says "tited states of america" and "tender and private".

Yeah, in England we learned to fold a pound note so you could see the Queen's arse.

I expect that's why they were replaced with coins (you can do the same with a £5, £10, or £20, but no comprehensive schoolboy in the 1970s ever had one of those. And of course to this day the £50 is only handled by forgers and drug dealers, and isn't acceptable in any reputable retail outlet).

 

[Trausti]

Anyone remember Safeway's "Scotch Buy" store brand back in the early '80's? Me and my roommates in college would buy it as it was inexpensive and we didn't have jobs. I guess its a step up from "Jew Buy". It was discontinued after a couple of years. A bit odd they would pull it off the market, as racism towards white people is not generally recognized.

http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2012/07/scotch-buy.html

Was this intended as parody of the laughable idiocy of conservatives and their absurdly fallacious attempts at claiming equal racism against whites? I guess it doesn't matter what it was intended as, b/c that is clearly what it is.

FFS. We get it ron. You hate White people.

 

[zorq]

I remember being about 6 or 7 years old and thinking that the Aunt Jemima mascot was a bit odd. I understood Toucan Sam, the Gerber baby, and Mr. Peanut, but to me... Aunt Jemima was... off. It was a few years later after watching the movie Forest Gump when I was reminded of those thoughts of Aunt Jemima and I realized that the Brand was probably a racist stereotype. Believe it or not, it was actually a few years after that that I made the connection that Uncle Ben and Mrs. Butterworth were suspicious mascots too, but that was still 20 years ago. Mind that nobody ever told me that these things were racist. It was a realization that I came to me on my own.

Just a little anecdotal perspective...

 

[bilby]

How is this not similar? Are prosperous urban whites incapable of holding bitoted believes and displaying a disparaging attitude towards poor urban whites?

Poor rural whites even. Part of what is today called "flyover country" and very much looked down on.

Ha!

Good one.

 

[thebeave]

Anyone remember Safeway's "Scotch Buy" store brand back in the early '80's? Me and my roommates in college would buy it as it was inexpensive and we didn't have jobs. I guess its a step up from "Jew Buy". It was discontinued after a couple of years. A bit odd they would pull it off the market, as racism towards white people is not generally recognized.

http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2012/07/scotch-buy.html

Was this intended as parody of the laughable idiocy of conservatives and their absurdly fallacious attempts at claiming equal racism against whites? I guess it doesn't matter what it was intended as, b/c that is clearly what it is.

FFS. We get it ron. You hate White people.

nm

 

[ronburgundy]

Anyone remember Safeway's "Scotch Buy" store brand back in the early '80's? Me and my roommates in college would buy it as it was inexpensive and we didn't have jobs. I guess its a step up from "Jew Buy". It was discontinued after a couple of years. A bit odd they would pull it off the market, as racism towards white people is not generally recognized.

http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2012/07/scotch-buy.html

Was this intended as parody of the laughable idiocy of conservatives and their absurdly fallacious attempts at claiming equal racism against whites? I guess it doesn't matter what it was intended as, b/c that is clearly what it is.

FFS. We get it ron. You hate White people.

No, I hate cowardly racism that tries to hide or normalize itself behind fallacious rhetoric. Oh, and FYI, while most US conservatives are white and racist, many white people are not US conservatives or racist.

 

[Keith&Co.]

This gol-durned PC bs has been around for a long time. Hell, it cause this restaurant chain ( Sambo's) into bankruptcy in 1981.

But the original restaurant in Santa Barbara, just changed its name in due to this PC bs.

I never understood the attack on Sambo's. Clever little kid not only outsmarted all those tigers but had pancakes out of the deal. I used to have a stuffed tiger in a chef's hat from Sambo's.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

FFS. We get it ron. You hate White people.

No, I hate cowardly racism that tries to hide or normalize itself behind fallacious rhetoric. Oh, and FYI, while most US conservatives are white and racist, many white people are not US conservatives or racist.

That certainly must be the case because when this thread first appeared there wasn't a link so I googled and found that it was genuine. My initial reaction was that someone was either being sarcastic or channeling the Onion. But to my disbelief it was real. The neanderthal loons are alive and well.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Oh, and FYI, while most US conservatives are white and racist...

Can you provide a source for that? Over 50% of conservatives are racists?

Most of the conservatives I know are far more interested in the colors gold and green to care about the colors black and white.

 

[Toni]

This gol-durned PC bs has been around for a long time. Hell, it cause this restaurant chain ( Sambo's) into bankruptcy in 1981.

But the original restaurant in Santa Barbara, just changed its name in due to this PC bs.

I never understood the attack on Sambo's. Clever little kid not only outsmarted all those tigers but had pancakes out of the deal. I used to have a stuffed tiger in a chef's hat from Sambo's.

I first encountered the story of Little Black Sambo in first grade. On one hand, the idea of a clever little kid outsmarting tigers was really great. But it still made me very uncomfortable--I don't remember enough of the story to remember exactly what made me uncomfortable aside from the author's apparent need to not be happy with naming her character but ensuring that nobody missed that he was black. In fact, outside of Great Britain, I don't know of anyone who refers to south Indians as 'black' but ok. The edition that my teacher read to us had a boy who was clearly black--literally black, if memory serves.

So, I decided to look it up in Wikipedia and found this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Little_Black_Sambo

The Story of Little Black Sambo is a children's book written and illustrated by Scottish author Helen Bannerman and published by Grant Richards in October 1899. As one in a series of small-format books called The Dumpy Books for Children, the story was a children's favorite for more than half a century.

Critics of the time observed that Bannerman presents one of the first black heroes in children's literature and regarded the book as positively portraying black characters in both the text and pictures, especially in comparison to the more negative books of that era that depicted blacks as simple and uncivilised.[1] However, it would become an object of allegations of racism in the mid-20th century, due to the names of the characters being racial slurs for dark-skinned people, and the fact the illustrations were, as Langston Hughes put it, in the pickaninny style.[2] Both text and illustrations have undergone considerable revisions since.

The text is not included in the citation but I am guessing that I picked up on the racial slurs as I certainly heard enough at my grandparents' house to be aware. Or perhaps it was that I had also picked up on my teacher's distaste for the sole black student in our class and later realized that her racism was really the same as my grandfather's. I don't know. I just remember that the story both delighted me and made my stomach churn at the same time. And not because I was afraid of tigers. I loved tigers and would have been delighted to have one of my own.

 

[ideologyhunter]

I just pulled out my childhood copy of Little Black Sambo. Mine was printed in the early 50s, and I think it has the original illustrations. I was surprised to find that Sambo is supposed to be a little boy in India. That makes sense, with the tigers. I liked the story when I was three or four, mostly because of the tigers turning into butter.
On the positive side, Sambo is resourceful and a survivor. He is threatened by four tigers and lives to see them all vanquished. And melted. His family is happy, and his mother stitches him a fancy set of clothes.
On the negative side, everyone is "Black" in the story, and his parents are Black Mumbo and Black Jumbo. And the name Sambo became a racial epithet on its own.
Because of that, many people find the book objectionable sight unseen. I get it. It should be in the stacks, if libraries still have it.
Outside of the character names, the plot and style seem mild to me, unless I'm missing something. Over all, it's not a neglected treasure, and there was never enough in its pages to classify it as enriching children's lit.