Dan Rather Makes 'Watermelon' Quip

So, Republican race rules...

1) Never describe a black person as light skinned.
2) Never mention the word "dialect"
3) Never mention the word watermelon if a black person is in the room..

Anymore I should know about?
 
Ive heard it, I just have never understood why it was an insult.

Fair enough, me neither. I just googled it to try and find its origins and there doesn't seem to be one specific consistent story attributed to it.
 
I realize that there is a stereotype that black people like to eat watermelon but I didn't think that meant it is inappropriate to use the word watermelon at all when talking about black people.

I don't see how saying that a black person couldn't sell watermelons with assistance from the highway patrol has anything to do with the stereotype that black people enjoy eating watermelon.

It would be more clear to you if a republican had said it.
 
So, Republican race rules...

1) Never describe a black person as light skinned.
2) Never mention the word "dialect"
3) Never mention the word watermelon if a black person is in the room..

Anymore I should know about?

Now you're just being ignorant. Go ask your black clients if they want watermellon and fried chicked and see the response you get.
 
It would be more clear to you if a republican had said it.


Not really. I'm not particularly a fan of Dan Rather, I just don't see what he said as invoking the stereotype of black people having an innate fondness for watermelon.

I mean, if he said that Obama couldn't sell a cart of watermelons to a bus load of hungry black folk I would agree with you but what he said was just stupid and nonsensical, not racist.
 
Now you're just being ignorant. Go ask your black clients if they want watermellon and fried chicked and see the response you get.

A. Thats not what Rather said.
B. Even if Rather were making a racist comment, its what I would expect from the corporate conservative media!
 
So, Republican race rules...

1) Never describe a black person as light skinned.
2) Never mention the word "dialect"
3) Never mention the word watermelon if a black person is in the room..

Anymore I should know about?
What goes around comes along pal. You have to ask yourself what Al Sharpton would say if a Republican said any of these things. Any rise from the Reverend must now become law for Democrats as well.
 
Now you're just being ignorant. Go ask your black clients if they want watermellon and fried chicked and see the response you get.


After you recover, tell a black client that he or she couldn't sell watermelon with the highway patrol flagging traffic and see the response you get.
 
What goes around comes along pal. You have to ask yourself what Al Sharpton would say if a Republican said any of these things. Any rise from the Reverend must now become law for Democrats as well.

So now you are putting words in Sharpton's mouth?
 
After you recover, tell a black client that he or she couldn't sell watermelon with the highway patrol flagging traffic and see the response you get.

I suspect Id get a quizical look and a "What does that mean?"
 
After you recover, tell a black client that he or she couldn't sell watermelon with the highway patrol flagging traffic and see the response you get.

I actually don't have a problem with what Rather said. Jarod asked about black people and watermellon.
 
Do you really want me to provide documentation or will you simply run away now and re-start the conversation somewhere else?

Sure show me where another republican, not Dan Rather, made comments about Watermelon and state troopers...
 
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