The word “coon” (1742) currently has three main meanings, here listed in order of appearance in written English:
- Short for raccoon (Procyon lotor), a woodland animal native to North America that is hunted and is known for stealing. By 1742.
- A racial slur meaning a Black person. Gets its dehumanizing power from #1. By 1837.
- A Black person who sells out and kisses up to White people, especially those who defend Whites against Blacks; an Uncle Tom, what Malcolm X called a House Negro. “Stacey Dash is a coon.” Gets its insulting power from #2. By 2005.
In written White American English, the first two are common.
In written Black American English, it seems the first was common before 1860, the third common since at least 2005. The second was common in between, but mainly to talk about how White people view Black people.
“Coon” as a slur reached its height in the US during Jim Crow times:
- There were coon songs and coon cards.
- In 1896 “All Coons Look Alike” was a top song.
- From the 1920s to the 1950s there was a Coon Chicken Inn restaurant chain.
- In the 1960s, Martin Luther King was called “Martin Luther Coon” by Whites both North and South.
The slur is still with us: in 2016 Black comedian Leslie Jones was called a “big lipped coon” on Twitter.
“Coon” was also used as “mere description”, from at least 1892 to 1944. For example, in the Memphis Ledger on June 8th 1892:
“If Lillie Bailey, a rather pretty white girl, seventeen years of age, who is now at the city hospital, would be somewhat less reserved about her disgrace there would be some very nauseating details in the story of her life. She is the mother of a little coon. The truth might reveal fearful depravity or the evidence of a rank outrage.”
Minstrel shows in the 1800s travelled the US. One of the main blackface characters was Zip Coon. The song “Zip Coon” came out just three years before the word first appeared in print as a slur.
Hollywood in the early 1900s picked up where the minstrel shows left off. Film historian Donald Bogle:
“Before its death, the coon developed into the most blatantly degrading of all Black stereotypes. The pure coons emerged as no-account niggers, those unreliable, crazy, lazy, subhuman creatures good for nothing more than eating watermelons, stealing chickens, shooting crap or butchering the English language.”
Stepin Fetchit, a Black actor, made over a million dollars playing the coon stereotype – which makes him a coon in sense number three! In fact, it seems that the third sense came from talking about Black entertainers who play to White stereotypes about Black people, something that still goes on.
Willie D in his song “Coon” (2016) uses the third sense:
If you’re selling out your people you’re a coon
If you hate your own kind you’re a coon
Bootlickers shuck and jive you’re a coon
His examples: Charles Barkley, Don Lemon, Stacey Dash, Steven A. Smith, Raven-Symone, Sheriff David Clarke and non-Whites who support Donald Trump, among others.
– Abagond, 2016.
See also:
- The coon stereotype
- That ice cream truck song – comes from the “Zip Coon” song
- minstrel show
- blackface
- posts where I use coon #3:
- 2013: Django Unchained
- 2016: Stacey Dash
- other examples of coon #3:
- Donald Trump
- The N-word
- Jim Crow
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Abagond, has anyone, white, black or other wise, ever called you a coon, sellout or a house negro?
I mean, before they even got a chance to know your views on things and just perceived you to be a coon, because you spoke to a white person in a nice way that gave the impression that you got along with the white person you were conversing with?
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To clarify a “coon” is a Black person who “steals” white identity and pretends to own it.
From your post on Stacey Dash.
“Playing her Rented Negro part to perfection, putting a Black face to White opinion. Even her cousin, Damon Dash, says she was cooning.”
Not appropriate for white people to use nevertheless.
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Don’t forget about Jamaicoons. For example: “Damn , Usain Bolt cheating on his black girlfriend with another average looking white woman. Damn Jamaicoons!”
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I hate this word even more than the ‘N’ word. It is vile.
I love how you break down history Abagond, I learn so much from your blogs.
I knew meanings 1 and 2 but not 3, perhaps in the UK that meaning is not applied so often. ‘Coon’ was a common word I heard used growing up in the ’70s. I haven’t heard it for a long time now but when I have it’s been used venomously by proper racists. Other vile racist slurs I never hear anymore (Thank God) are ‘wog’ (which I have no idea where it comes from) and to me most disgusting of all ‘jungle bunny’. So, so nauseating. In a discussion recently I told my 18 year old daughter these 3 derogatives and she hadn’t heard of any of them. Makes me a little hopeful for the future.
@satanforce
I wouldn’t say that makes him a ‘Jamaicoon’, the girl he cheated with could have been any shade, just another cheating, dickhead man!
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ROFL!!!! You actually decided to do a post on it.
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I listened to the whole Willie D rap. He just let it out.
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@abagond
“The word “coon” (1742) has three main meanings, here listed in order of appearance in written English”
I’m surprised that you did not mention at least 2 other meanings:
1. the fact that “coon” was a nickname of Whig party members, whose symbol was the raccoon.
2. Or the other modern, and what I would call more mainstream definition used by the following people:
Spike Lee said of Empire and Tyler Perry stuff: “A lot of stuff that’s on today is coonery and buffoonery. I know it’s making a lot of money and breaking records but we can do better.”
Dr. Boyce Watkins called Empire “coonery” and “ghettofied hood drama”
Jimi Izrael: “That said, this fact is clear: Tyler Perry does broker in coons and buffoonery. ”
Gabrielle Union said this of Hollywood: “They want us shucking and jivin’ and cooning, that’s where they’re most comfortable having a black woman.”
So in these instances, they’re not just talking about “selling out” but also behaving in a stereotypical (clownish, ghetto, etc.) manner for the benefit of whites.
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@ resw
You are right about the Whigs, but that is not a current meaning and I did not want to clog up the post with it. I will add “currently” to “has” in the first sentence of the post just to make that more clear.
As to the other examples, I see those as part of #3. Maybe I need to word #3 better, but Spike Lee calling Tyler Perry a coon is certainly part of what I had in mind. Boyce Watkins too uses the word in the way I understand it. And Miss Union’s entertainers are not shucking and jiving for their health.
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@ resw
How is “behaving in a stereotypical (clownish, ghetto, etc.) manner for the benefit of whites” different than “selling out”?
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@abagond
Using your Stacey Dash example, she’s considered a sell out for being a white apologist on Fox News but does not behave in a stereotypically clownish or “ghetto” way. Instead she’s seen as very calm, reserved and “articulate.”
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Just because a Black person speak in an articulate manner does not mean he or she isn’t a coon. A “coon” or a “sellout” is one and the same.
For example, in most Black circles, Justice Clarence Thomas is considered a high-minded coon. He’s thought of as such, not because when he responds to someone, in all likelihood he’d say FOR SURE when in agreement with someone without butchering the word. On the other hand, even if he did respond to someone and utter the words, FOR SHIZZLE when in agreement (by way of Snoop Dog), nonetheless, he’s still a super coon.
Simply put, the message must benefit the puppet master’s agenda and at the same time give the appearance that the puppet is telling a balanced, coherent and truthful story line. The style, articulation or tenor of a coon’s vernacular doesn’t matter. The only thing that truly matters is that the message is broadcast with the puppet’s blackness or blackface and something beneficial only to the status quo or the white race as a whole.
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I just wonder, how does one say : “Observe, an individual belonging to the species Procyon lotor” in written Black American English nowadays?
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Maybe include a link to this?
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You need to do your research better before posting. Uncle Tom is not a ‘coon’ (see the link below) and I don’t believe Stacy Dash is either. This infantile name calling is one reason I shy away from being in the company of Blacks, my own people, due to the silliness and lack of maturity they suffer from. I was called everything from White Girl to Yellow Ass to Honky growing up by other Blacks, yet not one White person ever called me a Nigger. Ever. I don’t think it’s because my complexion is light either. Yeah, Blacks are the most hated race on earth and maybe that is partly due to the White Man, but it gets old hearing and reading about it all the time.
http://www.blackpast.org/perspectives/uncle-tom-revisited-rescuing-real-character-caricature
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“This infantile name calling is one reason I shy away from being in the company of Blacks, my own people, due to the silliness and lack of maturity they suffer from. I was called everything from White Girl to Yellow Ass to Honky growing up by other Blacks, yet not one White person ever called me a Nigger.” – halfmoonchylde70
Sorry about that Halfmoon, but disassociating with your “own people” seems to be an internalized issue that you have yet come to grips with. Perhaps a few sessions of psychotherapy sitting on the couch of a Psychologist would help. All of this, because of a few “immature” Black people? Huh, … you sure have a lot of nerves. I encourage you to seek the help you so desperately need. I wish you well my dear!
Funny, … I see that you shy away from calling white people “immature” when certainly, they are the progenitors of this word to begin with. (smh)
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When I was growing up, coon, spear chucker, and jungle bunny seemed to be my nickname according to some whites I went to school with. I got into a lot of physical altercations because of this. I became an artist with my fists.
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@blakksage
“A “coon” or a “sellout” is one and the same.”
That’s your opinion and mine is different.
@Kiwi
“It should be no different for the word “coon”.”
And you’re not the authority on the matter, I’m afraid.
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@resw responded by saying: “A “coon” or a “sellout” is one and the same.” That’s your opinion and mine is different.”
I view this as a teachable moment. Therefore, teach me something, what is YOUR opinion or distinction between a “sell out” and a “coon?” Fill in the blank spaces please.
Coon –
Sell out –
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@blakksage
I already explained my opinion in my comments above.
I liken it to how all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. All coons may be sell outs, but not all sell outs are necessarily coons.
And it’s perfectly fine for us to disagree.
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” I got into a lot of physical altercations because of this. I became an artist with my fists.”
Strong Black women. Yum! 🙂
Love having your back!!
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@ Herneith
Yeah, I hear you. Been there.
@Fan
Yay!
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Sheriff David Clark and Omarosa Manigault and Don Lemon and all those House Negroes at Fox News including Stacy Dash are ridding that c**n train for sure. I have visceral disdain for shameless boot lickers and sell outs.
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Donald Bogel’s Toms, C**ns, Mulattos,and Bucks is a good read on this subject. I had forgotten about this book at black images in film and media. It’s worth checking out.
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@ Mary Burrell
I second your endorsement of that fine book.
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*about*^^^^^
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@Afrofem: I read it a couple of years ago and I just remembered it and thought it was germane to this post.
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@halfmoonchylde70
If u shy away from the company of blacks, then why are you here?
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@halfmoonchylde70: Sit all the the way down and have several seats, lawn chairs, and recliners and shut all the way the way the f**k up. You are so ridiculous.
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@blakksage: Precisely, this poster definitely has some issues they need to get help with.
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I came across a FB post about “Latinos for Trump” founder Marco Gutierrez and a Black poster was calling him a “Mexicoon”.
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Peoplele, people!! No need to dogpile on halfmoonchylde70. There is always the possibility that there is something than mere name-calling that has caused halfmoonchylde70 to adapt such a point of view.
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a “Mexicoon”.—–I really shouldn’t but ROFL. A new one for me.
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We seem to be seeing more and more coons of the third definition pop up saying things that you would normally hear from white people. From average folks to celebrities, there seems to be no shortage of them coming out in defense of whiteness. SMH.
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“Yeah, Blacks are the most hated race on earth and maybe that is partly due to the White Man, but it gets old hearing and reading about it all the time.”
@halfmoonchylde70
Are you any relation to the Rose colored Bubble (troll) Man who hangs out here, Allen Shaw?? You guys sound a lot alike!
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When it comes to Mexicans I have heard them referred to as “coconuts” brown on the outside and white on the inside. It’s the equivalent of blacks being called Oreo. And let’s not forget the characters Uncle Ruckus from the Boondocks and Dave Chappell’s hilarious Clayton Biggums the blind black white supremacist.
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@ Mary
Dave Chappell is hysterically funny. True Hollywood stories – Prince. I nearly wee’d myself laughing!
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@Kiwi
“Of course not. ”
Then quit your desperate attempts to police my speech. I don’t care what offends you.
“However, I could see you making the argument that it’s acceptable to call Blacks and other people of color racist slurs since that’s what you do.”
And using your own idiotic logic, you call people racist slurs too since there are many people, unbeknownst to you, who think “black” is a slur and specifically prefer not to be called black.
Since you don’t cater to their feelings, don’t expect me to cater to yours.
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C**n a white supremacist in a black body.
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On TV, why are black male/white female couples often portrayed in a certain light? I notice this the most in show like Criminal Minds, Law and Order SVU. (I am neither by the way). In fact, if I was a young Black boy, I would prefer a White father and Black mother because it seems that they are treated better than the inverse. Shows with black male/white females often feature drugs and crime. Perhaps this is drawn from reality to some degree. It bothers me because I may have a Black baby some day and it pains me to think that his potential forms of interracial relationships might be subject to even more scrutiny than other forms. And nobody ever bats a damn eyelash at Asian female/White male. Pretty much, White male/Woc of any time is acceptable. It’s viewed as a white male and an “exotic” woman. I suppose I just don’t want to even have the possibility of being merely a fetish.
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The old “I’m sick of hearing black people whine about [problem]” thing. Like children, blacks are to be seldom seen and never heard.
Judging by your profile picture and your troubles you faced growing up, I assume you’re half-white or at least a light-enough shade of black to be considered “high yellow,” right? I think blakksage has the right idea — a little therapy to work out your internalized loathing would go a long way.
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@ jarle
In this, as in just about everything, TV and film do not reflect real life. The problem is that the vast majority of people have difficulties differentiating life from fiction – If it’s acted out on TV it must be true! And so it becomes a truth without being a reality.
Women, including white women, are constantly objectified. We are judged by our age and beauty. (Perfect example is Satanforces comment above ‘… another average looking white woman’ even going as far as italicising the word average). And not just by men but by other women too. So by default women of beauty are often also a fetish no matter how similar or different her skin shade or age is to her partner and just about every mixed relationship on TV is created as a stereotype (Same can be said for TV families, homes, and people in general really). As long as you teach your (possible) son this he will be fine. No one is a fetish or indeed a cxxn, as in Abagonds 3rd sense, unless they allow themselves to be one.
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@resw.
”And you’re not the authority on the matter, I’m afraid.”
I cant like comments on this blog, I would have to live your comment hundred. people like Kiwi should be allowed to see themselves as the authority on everything blacks.
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I refer the term slavecatcher than coon.. Any black person that would do anything to appease whites by dehumanising black people to absorb whites from any responsibility of racism is a slavecatcher.. I am still amazed by the amount of black people who would step on black people to gain favour from white people and other race of people. The concept of coon doesnt just apply to African Americans, it applies to Africans too. Sadat for a example was a coon..
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@Zoe Jordan
That so happens to be one of my favorite skits.
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Brothawolf..
I love your blog… ”Causality never applies to race” is one of my favourite essay of yours
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By the way, I meant to write people like Kiwi shouldnt be allow to see themselves as authority on everything black
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Mary Burrell
”C**n a white supremacist in a black body.” This statement reminds me of the sketch show by The Black White Supremacist Chappelle’s Show. Excellent comment
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^^^ Rabab, I think that’s what she was refering to lol 🙂
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Folks, these kerchief heads are hoping some of the ‘white priviledge’ will rub off on them, hence their sycophancy. They always get their comeuppance. They are mentally ill, I truly believe this.
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Remember, you don’t have to be white to have a white supremacist worldview or outlook.
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@Hereneith
Nothing more true.
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@Kiwi
Repeating the same lie gets you nowhere closer to proving your point.
@Rabab
Thanks. Kiwi is a just a troll who comments in the same manner on every post: pretending to be an authority on how blacks think in order to peddle the lie that they’re anti-“Asian”.
And just look at how quickly kiwi has tried to derail this discussion from “coon” to “yellow”.
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Is it just me or are more of these types coming out of the woodwork?
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Nope.
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