Crackers

Over at The Corner last night, one of Jerome's brilliant anagrams brought on some discussion of the word "Cracker" as it pertains to certain poor, rural southern White Americans.  It flowed over into today's discussion when the word "cracker" appeared in today's LA Times crossword as part of clue 11A.  Ant shared a link to a timely Arizona Republic article in which the word "cracker" again appears, used this time as a specific pejorative.

I was pondering this overnight, and I think the article reinforces my conclusion.  Help me out if I've got this wrong, but I think "Cracker" is pretty lame, as pejoratives go.  Further, it is not racist in the same sense as the word used in the name of a certain Texas hunting ranch.

And this is why: words like "Nigger," "Spic," "Chink," etc. are used promiscuously to denigrate any and all members of whatever ethnic group one chooses to revile. These are collectives that do not readily admit exceptions in the minds and hearts of those who use them.  "Cracker" does not fit that mold.  Though being white is a necessary qualifier to be a "Cracker," it is not the defining characteristic.

From my Midwestern perspective, I can't say for sure exactly what the characteristics of crackerhood are, but I can take some guesses.  To whit: a "Cracker" is clannish, prejudiced, xenophobic, ignorant, and - above all - racist.  The fact that he is also white is a trivial detail.

I think the Arizona Republic article linked above illustrates this pretty effectively.  Carlos Gross, an African-American man was insulted by an unidentified white man's use of an unidentified racial epithet.  Gross called the other man a "cracker" and beat him with a baseball bat.  Gross was wounded by the unidentified word.  The other guy was wounded by a physical assault.  Evidently, "cracker," which the A.R. had no problem printing, didn't come close to evening the score.

The main point, though, is that the guy who was physically injured earned his badge of crackerhood, not by being white, but by being ignorant and racist.

I shouldn't have to point this out, but it's probably necessary.  I am not equating an insult with physical harm, and I am not condoning Gross's assault of the other guy.  Gross did a lot of things wrong here.  His underlying problem was taking the other guy's comment to heart.  If you let somebody affect your behavior with an insult, you are giving that unworthy person undeserved and unnecessary control over some facet of your life.
.