How America Normalized Racism: Watermelon
Ive always been fascinated by this watermelon stereotype because honestly, I hate watermelon. I absolutely hate it. I dont know what it is supposed to taste like, its flavorless, until you put salt on it and even then its a fruit texture with salt on it. Its trash. However, it seems to always seem to attach itself to african americans.
To go back further, understand thay watermelons orginated in Africa and found its way into the united states, where during slavery, this was one of a few fruits slaves were allowed to grow.
Once slavery was abolished, the imagerynof the watermelon lingered amongst African Americans for many many years. Pickaninnies is a type of racial imagery that is most commonly associated with watermelons and the obsession wkth blacks and watermelons. In 1900, a film called The Watermelon Contest shows african americans racing to see who ate their watermelon first. In 1905, another film, The Watermelon Patch, depicted black men crawling in a watermelon patch to steal watermelon.
As current as 2019, modern cinema and art still continiously show the link between african americans and watermelon.
In fact, one of the most devious forms of watermelon depiction happens subtlely and its a tune that everyone knows.
In 1916, Harry Browne wrote the song "Nigger Loves a Watermelon Ha Ha" which from the time it was made, over the course of several years, got remade and remade and remade into the video you see today.
Watermelons and blacks have been tragically linked through stereotypes and hatred. For many blacks, its almost shameful to be seen in public eating a watermelon because it enforces a stereotype to ugly to escape. For the record..I hate watermelon.