[SR28506]

While reading today, I came across a reference to black people and watermelon (apparently there is a joke or myth that they eat it all the time). I’ve heard about this several times over the years but don’t know its origin. How in the world did this joke/myth come to be? Why watermelon?

User Detail :  

Name : SR28506, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Humanist, Age : 22, City : Austin, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Cheryl]

I’m definitely not an authority on the subject but will take a guess: Watermelons need a long growing season (or at least did before they came up with new types) and were therefore grown mainly in the South. The crop was probably so easy to grow that they used them as cheap food for slaves – or maybe they were so cheap to buy that poor people could afford them. They then became a sign of a ‘lower class’ of people, and because blacks were the poorest, the association became a slam.

User Detail :  

Name : Cheryl, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 51, City : Wysox, State : PA, Country : United States, Occupation : Med tech, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jennifer R.]

Hoo boy, you’ve stumbled upon a real chestnut in the annals of stereotypes. Black people don’t eat any more watermelon than anyone else, actually. Of course we like it, but who doesn’t? If there’s any truth to the stereotype, it’s because watermelons are a hearty plant and produce large fruits (actually, I think watermelons are a vegetable) that can feed a lot of people. Back in the days of slavery, and beyond, anything that was plentiful was a staple, especially when fresh fruit was at a premium. In those days, the more exotic fruits and vegetables were reserved for the Big House. If it didn’t grow on the land, it wasn’t likely that slaves would be welcome to it unless it had been discarded. Same with chicken. There were usually lots of them, and they were easy to feed, so we ate them rather than beef or other meat. This became a stereotype the same way that a lot of stereotypes develop – people woefully ignorant of the true origins of a behavior, or willfully deciding that a survival tactic or adaptation is some kind of inherent characteristic. Incidentally, ever heard the phrase, ‘S)he’s eating high on the hog’? This comes from the same place. Pig’s feet, maws, chitlins (pig guts), brains and all of that which is discarded from the body of a pig at slaughter are part of soul-food cuisine. We began eating these things because the meat higher up on the pig’s body(hams, bacon, etc.) was also reserved for the Big House. Thus, ‘eating high on the hog,’ meaning (unusually) well.

User Detail :  

Name : Jennifer R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Humanist, Age : 29, City : Saint Paul, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : Writer/Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Labrish]

I am an African-American female. To hear racial slurs and prejudices like that goes to show how there are very ignorant people out there in the world. The thing is this: blacks have been oppressed for many years (and are somewhat still today), and that assumption is only one of the many stereotypes toward blacks in general. Do you know that people of other races have different stereotypes as well? For whites: ‘White men can’t jump, nor do they have any rhythm.’ For Asians: ‘They are so smart in math.’ So you see, to pick on that stereotype would be ridiculous. There are just too many. So the answer is no, it is not true. Not all blacks like watermelon! Only ignorant people would try to associate that with a whole race.

User Detail :  

Name : Labrish, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 21, City : Oswego, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : college student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Carlton-B19257]

Just like someone wrote elsewhere on the board about racial physical differences, some people will use any difference at all to set themselves apart from others. At one time in history there were economic reasons that black people ate different foods than white people. White people exploited this difference to use as a slam or a jab, to point out the class difference. Black people were extremely sensitive and resentful of these comments, and still are. This is why these comments and stereotypes persist to this day. The comments are intended to antagonize, and they are quite effective. (For example, see the first response to this question).

User Detail :  

Name : Carlton-B19257, Gender : F, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, 

[K.C. Tate]

Blacks like watermelon just as much as anyone else. Just as white people (especially people who live in trailer parks) are stereotyped as avid macaroni and cheese eaters, blacks have been stereotyped as having hearty appetites for watermelon. There is nothing wrong with eating the food you like to eat.

User Detail :  

Name : K.C. Tate, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 28, City : Jacksonville, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : paralegal, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[T]

Watermelon, as the name implies, is made mostly of water and is easier to drag into around than a bucket of water. Therefore, anybody doing physical labor in the hot, murderously hot, South had better take some watermelon with them unless they want to drop dead of dehydration. My grandmother ate and fed me watermelon with salt, which would suggest that is was a dehyration defense.

User Detail :  

Name : T, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Age : 30, City : Morgantown, State : WV, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mary21968]

My grandpa was the son of a rich white doctor in East Texas. He worked out in the fields with the hired help (most of whom were black). When they were in the fields and ran across a ripe melon, every one would sit down and share in the find. As a memorial to my grandfather, my father and uncles once a year go to his grave, split open a watermelon, and proceed to eat. That is the experience I have with watermelons.

User Detail :  

Name : Mary21968, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Orthodox Christian, Age : 19, City : Austin, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Geoff21645]

Watermelon is a perfectly healthy plant that originally hails from Africa. Making fun of an originally African food is symbolically just one more way of making fun of the people that originally hail from Africa, for those so inclined.

User Detail :  

Name : Geoff21645, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Mysticism (non-organized religion), Age : 42, City : Minneapolis, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : Information Consultant, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[honey williams]

you must not buy into the stereo types..not all black people like watermelon( I dont) and not all black people like chicken.

User Detail :  

Name : honey williams, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : washington, State : DC, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Author]

Posts