Is this term racist?

My brother in law uses it for a cajun. We don't hear it in Kansas. He is from Arkansas but I believe he picked it up while working on a drilling platform in the gulf. He doesn't use it disparagingly but he isn't the brightest bulb in the marquee, either. --s6

It doesn't sound racist, but I've never heard this in my life.

Irish: have no valid opinion on social minorities unless they're travellers or Protestants!

I've only heard it as a derogatory term, though I've not been to the Southeast.

According to Wikipedia--every scholar's choice--it's considered a derogatory term for a non-Cajun to use against a Cajun. Middle/upper-class Cajuns would not like the term whereas a lower-class Cajun (on the economic scale) wouldn't care. It isn't anti-black in spite of the name itself although I could well understand how someone black might take offense (and probably would).

Racist? No. Maybe classist.

Much like HillBilly.

Rachel Udin said:

I've only heard it as a derogatory term,

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Ditto.

Coonass is not racist and the derogatory use of the word is not as pervasive as it was even fifty years ago. It's a descriptive term we descendants of a hardy people who had to learn to survive in a world that didn't want them wear with pride, as is Cajun. Almost all of us--all walks of life, all socioeconomic levels.

Gudgeon, huh? Interesting etymology.

EDIT: Oh, that isn't in the Wiki page. My slang dictionary (Cassell) says it's from fr. conasse, the female genitals, then conassiere, slang for the gudgeon fish (fr. femelots), which was fished by the Cajuns. But then Google gives 'femelots' as meaning gudgeon in the sense of part of a rudder, rather than the fish, so it implies either Mr Green has it wrong somehow (which is relatively unlikely, but still very possible) or it's a pun.

I've never heard it at all. I'm from Indiana, and have heard some people use just "coon" in a derogatory, racist way so around here I'd say adding "ass" to it wouldn't make it any more popular or acceptable lol.

... seems similar to the term, "redneck."
Some find it offensive: me;
and others are perfectly okay by it.
Bumper stickers, etc.
It's a two-sided issue, without any ultimate resolution.
Personally, if I was Cajun I'd just call myself "Cajun."
Fine enough term, w/o any need for embellishment.

I'd take it this way, from the reports posted:
To Cajuns to other Cajuns, fine. It's a reclaiming. Some might be ignorant of that.

To outsiders to Cajuns, not fine.

Personally, as a non-Cajun and a Non-black with the only lame line heard by every PoC ever, "But I like the food." *cough* I wouldn't use it.

See, when I talk to other Asians about derogatory terms used about Asians, it's totally fine, because we understand the shared history of the C word, the J-word, the word that means country in Korean or what a food term for yellow on the outside, white on the inside. But someone without that deep understanding, I'd be really, really offended at.

Same reason I never ever say or write out the N word unless I'm pressed and I need it for a story setting and I have no choice. (This includes the version with that a. 'cause while I understand the history it makes it just ten times worse coming from me. Especially sometimes people use that as an excuse to delight that they can suddenly use it typed out. No.

Oh and Yorkist, I get that you get that, but I thought I'd just pound it one more time for those who don't get that. ^^;; 'Cause I've had White people to my face say about other peoples they have a right to use intra-group terms because their friends previously accepted it. And I have to explain to them why it's loaded.

Rachel Udin said:

I'd take it this way, from the reports posted:
To Cajuns to other Cajuns, fine. It's a reclaiming. Some might be ignorant of that.

To outsiders to Cajuns, not fine.

Personally, as a non-Cajun and a Non-black with the only lame line heard by every PoC ever, "But I like the food." *cough* I wouldn't use it.

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Yes, that's a good rule, Rachel: If, for you or for those whom you describe, a term carries a pejorative connotation, then don't use it. Be aware, though, that Cajun was once a pejorative, too. It's a bastardization of Acadian. Reclamation is interesting, isn't it?

Yorkist said:

Yeah, Rachel - it's not like I would use the term in reference to a complete stranger. But as for epithetery, I am going over every use I have heard of it ever, and the absolute worst was, "Gah, he's such a coonass!" in reference to a dude whose Cajun accent was completely uninterpretable even to people used to hearing Cajun accents.

Maybe Ari can settle this (or at least further the understanding). When I use the term, it's something like, "Oh, I am having dinner at Chad's house, and he is a coonass you know, so I'm hoping we'll have some po-boys or jambalaya or some such." (ETA: Sorry for the food reference. Food is a big part of our lives and cultures down here.) Or, "Irene makes a special trip back home to go to Mardi Gras every year. Why? Oh, it's a coonass thing, it's just off our radar."

I am wondering if there is a difference in use by someone just across the river that is using it either matter-of-factly or gently teasing. Obviously my friends are not the only word on the matter, but I've never run into anyone who found it problematic. Someone from Mississippi is not going to get all classist to someone from Louisiana, I can tell ya that much.

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I wouldn't have a problem at all with that, Yorkist. If you were to say, "Ari's a coonass and she makes the best damned gumbo" I'd be gratified that you're acknowledging the why of my knowing how to make the dish. Were you to say, "Ari's an ignorant coonass", then you're going to have to defend "ignorant", not "coonass".

Ari Meermans said:

Coonass is not racist and the derogatory use of the word is not as pervasive as it was even fifty years ago. It's a descriptive term we descendants of a hardy people who had to learn to survive in a world that didn't want them wear with pride, as is Cajun. Almost all of us--all walks of life, all socioeconomic levels.

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I used to be a member of another debate board (yes, such things do exist outside of Absolute Write. Wild, aint it?) and there was a guy who was an old military guy. Ex-Army, a full-bird colonel and as hardcore as the day is long. His board name was "Jeep."

I can't recall what the discussion was, but one day, ol' Jeep drops "coon ass" into it. Man, you would have thought my shoes were on fire as fast as I rushed to report this BIGOTED/RACIST/HATEFUL/FILTH-FLARN-FILTH!!!!

Jeep very calmly and rationally explained the origin of the phrase and much to my relief and great embarrassment informed me there was nothing racist or bigoted or hateful about it.

It wasn't even filth-flarn-filth. So I apologized. What else could I do?

Jeep and I became buddies. We agreed on almost nothing at all, but until he passed away from cancer he would keep me in the loop of how he was doing.

It's not what you know that gets you in trouble. It's what you think you know that you really don't know anything about that does.

Yorkist said:

That's pretty funny NT. Thanks for sharing your embarrassment.

The similarity to another vile word used as an epithet for black folks is indeed unfortunate.

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This is interesting - it's not a word I came across when I was living in the US for a bit. Thanks for sharing.

On a similar note, a friend of mine's surname is in fact said vile word. And he's from South Carolina. And white. Apparently he got really good at replying to 'name' with 'C---andheresmypassport' without taking a breath!

I remember a Vietnamese kid that I had in school back in the nineties. His name was Phuc which I pronounced, very carefully, as Phooc on the first day. He raised his hand and said "Teacher, they call me FuckyFuck." --s6