All Cracker's aren't the same...

[RGinWA 816]

http://www.mediaite.com/online/cracker-means-something-entirely-different-in-florida-a-source-of-pride/

From the article.

"Many years ago, during a visit to Orlando’s Gatorland, one of the trainers regaled the group of tourists I was with by explaining the origins of the word “cracker” as a description of Floridians of pre-Civil War ancestry. He explained that Florida cowboys used whips to herd cattle, and to scare away gators, and were called “crackers” because of the sound of their incessant whip-cracking. He also explained that although the term is derogatory in much of the country, in Florida, it’s a source of pride."

In fact, the Wikipedia entry for “Cracker (pejorative)” even notes the distinction:

Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a sometimes pejorative expression for white people, especially poor rural whites in the Southern United States. In reference to a native of Florida or Georgia, however, it is sometimes used in a neutral or positive context and is sometimes used self-descriptively with pride.

"Now, it is entirely possible that Rachel Jeantel was referring to the common, derogatory use of the word, perhaps even likely, but its also possible that she and/or Trayvon Martin were referring to the non-pejorative use of the word, especially given Jeantel’s insistence that the word isn’t racial, and is region-specific. Don West, who looks like he ought to know the difference, never bothered to ask. It’s possible he just assumed the derogatory meaning, but you’d have to ask him why he would do that, why he would assume that two Florida residents could not have been using a Florida-specific colloquialism."

"Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a sometimes pejorative expression for white people, especially poor rural whites in the Southern United States. In reference to a native of Florida or Georgia, however, it is sometimes used in a neutral or positive context and is sometimes used self-descriptively with pride."

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I think being that we don't live in the black community in Sanford Florida or the surrounding area we may have taken Dee Dee's comments "too lightly". (as hard as it is to believe.)

She did suggest that in her area it wasn't a racial slur, maybe she was telling the truth? Something to think about.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I'm partial to a Ritz myself, though I enjoy oyster crackers when my tummy's a bit queasy.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

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