No I do not want your fried chicken!
I just bought some Chinese food today, and the guy was doing something that was extremely annoying. He asked me what I wanted, and I was a little indecisive, but he kept on recommending that I ordered chicken. So, after I made my first selection (honey garlic spare ribs), he kept on pointing his tong towards the fried chicken, so then I figured that he was trolling me. Then he said, how about the chicken wings or the fried chicken? I told him again, I don’t want fried chicken! So I ended up ordering honey garlic spare ribs…and sweet and sour chicken balls. But it really pissed me off; why can’t some people just serve customers without their racial stereotypes clouding their minds? I also remember going to a convenience store to grab condoms, and when I pointed out which one I wanted, they kept grabbing the magnum condoms. The first time, I corrected him because I knew English was his second language or maybe he’s hard of hearing.
But I notice this happens every time I’ve gone to him. So, either Wesley Pipes or a bunch of Mandingo brothers live in my neighborhood, or that guy is just a racist. But these racial stereotypes are played out and corny, like the black people love chicken and watermelon stereotypes for example. Chicken was a cheap way to feed slaves, so the plantation owner assumed that these Negros most love chicken. But their slaves didn’t have a choice, if the plantation owner fed them Fillet Mignon everyday, we’d have a different stereotype in 2014.
The watermelon stereotype started in 1896, with a short film called “Watermelon Eating Contest”. Then in 1909, the harmless song called “In Watermelon Time” came out by James Burris & Chris Smith, with this infamous picture at the back. So, with that picture and the desire of White America to exploit and denigrate African-Americans, the chicken and watermelon stereotypes went viral, and Hollywood started making a grip, fulfilling some people’s negative stereotypes towards African-Americans. So, here we are today, and people are still using unfunny 120 year old stereotypes for jokes, and the coons are getting in on the act as well. I know some people genuinely don’t mean any harm behind their thoughts or jokes. But just remember that every stereotype has a history, and your jokes help to spread stereotypes for many more generations. Anyway, that Chinese food gave me heart burn; I’m out.