dagblog - Comments for "The Secret History Of The Word 'Cracker'"

I won't get into a back and

rmrd0000 — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 14:54:38 +0000

In reply to If you had read the original

I won't get into a back and forth with you on this. I do note that a post below mentions the Florida Cracker Trail Association. The organization preserves the memory of cattlemen and uses an image of a horseman with a whip, a whip-cracker. The organization had no problem using "cracker" alone in the name. I noted that I did not equate whip- cracker with cracker, but it seems that others may equate the two. The point is not worth an argument.

If you had read the original

rmrd0000 — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 13:37:09 +0000

In reply to A "whip-cracker" is a person

If you had read the original post you would not have posted the same links.If you read what I posted, you would know that I did not say whip-cracker = cracker. I used cracker = hacker to describe Snowden.

Ste. Claire works for St.

trkingmomoe — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 11:56:28 +0000

In reply to I read the whole thing. I

Ste. Claire works for St. Augustine as the director for their Historical City. I just looked it up.

I read the whole thing. I

trkingmomoe — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 11:30:03 +0000

In reply to Dana Ste. Claire, the main

I read the whole thing. I know who Dana Ste. Claire is. I have seen him enough times on PBS local stations in the past with his show. We have a local cracker home site in a historical village about 3 miles from where I live. He used to teach at USF in St. Pete where my grandson will go in Jan. I don't know if he is still in the History dept. there or not? I understand his books are a good read all 3 of them. I just never had the money to purchase any of them when I go to the Cracker Village. If I ever get to NYC, I will make all of you some corn pone, black eye peas, collards, palm hearts citrus salad and key lime pie. I will also bring you a gift of my ribbon winning scuppernong grape conserve jam. Lot of the original settlers here were small cattle ranchers that only broke even. This was flood plains and swamps with dry areas for ranching. There were some small plantations in this county. Other parts of the state had good land. One more point: Every year The Cracker Trail Association hosts a event to raise money. They ride horses across the state from the historical village near me. http://http://www.crackertrail.org/ride.htm

A "whip-cracker" is a person

PeraclesPlease — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 07:14:20 +0000

In reply to Dictionary.com and

A "whip-cracker" is a person of authority. A "cracker" is not a shortened version of "whip-cracker". Period. It's historical. (In "pollywannacracka" it's simply a white dude)

Dictionary.com and

rmrd0000 — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 05:34:37 +0000

In reply to Oops, yes - however there is

Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster Unabridged both define the term whip- cracker as persons in authority.

Obama called Snowden a cracker.

Oops, yes - however there is

PeraclesPlease — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 05:11:03 +0000

In reply to Your link points to the

Oops, yes - however there is a right vs. wrong here - the later (mis) interpretation of cracker coming from the cracking of whips is ahistorical. Plus I've never heard the term used as sign of superiority - those cracking the whips over slaves or gauchos managing the cattle. It's always about dumb or naïve, penniless, hard labor, hayseeds.

Your link points to the

rmrd0000 — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 01:13:15 +0000

In reply to ?Cracker,? the old standby of

Your link points to the article artappraiser gave us. He also gives a link to King John.

?Cracker,? the old standby of

PeraclesPlease — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 23:08:00 +0000

In reply to Dana Ste. Claire, the main

“Cracker,” the old standby of Anglo insults was first noted in the mid 18th century, making it older than the United States itself. It was used to refer to poor whites, particularly those inhabiting the frontier regions of Maryland, Virginia and Georgia. It is suspected that it was a shortened version of “whip-cracker,” since the manual labor they did involved driving livestock with a whip (not to mention the other brutal arenas where those skills were employed.) Over the course of time it came to represent a person of lower caste or criminal disposition, (in some instances, was used in reference to bandits and other lawless folk.)

Here they trace the word back to King John.

There was a hardcore video on

Orion — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 22:13:44 +0000

In reply to Dana Ste. Claire, the main

There was a hardcore video on CNN with Tim Wise about why "nigger" is obviously a much more offensive word than "Cracker." Worth watching.