Why are people using "coconut" in references to Kamala Harris?
Why are people using "coconut" in references to Kamala Harris?
One example I've seen is someone talking about being coconut-pilled.
50 comments
-
I posted this in another thread, but this short video explains the coconut reference.
Basically, it comes from a speech she gave in May 2023 at a White House event about Hispanic excellence. In her speech, she also touched on how the democratic party can better support young leaders by understanding the context they grew up in.
This led into her personal anecdote from her mother, saying:
“My mother, she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?! (Laughs) You in exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.’”
This basically took off and got mixed up with the whole “pill meme” terminology. Those that wanted Biden to pass the torch to Kamala started saying they were “coconut-pilled” and the rest is history.
-
-
I don't even care. The right is floundering right now because they focused all of their attention on Joe, so they're going to just throw random insults at anyone attached to the campaign now, and it's because they are realizing they don't have an actual platform to run on. They were just predicated on loving trump and anti joe, and now they actually might have to come up with some ideas, and of course they don't have any.
Whatever, let them hurl racist insults. She won't care, and neither will I. I'm busy telling voters what the actual issues are.
-
because they are realizing they don't have an actual platform to run on
You’re right. They can’t run on it and they’re trying to disavow it, but they do have a platform. Its Project 2025 and we can’t let folks forget that.
-
Hell, the more racist insults they fling, the more chance they scare away more moderate voters. Sure, it doesn't mean they may vote for Kamala, but they may vote a write in or even stay home
-
-
There are already facebook groups and memes going around claiming that she is not a US Citizen and wanting her birth certificate.
They evidently do not know how citizenship works or where she was born (Oakland), but uh she's brown so obviously she is some kind of illegal immigrant or something, I guess.
Vivek Ramiswamy (sp?) and JD Vance's wife were already treated horribly by Republican racists, of course there is going to be a racist rhetoric against Kamala.
-
That same ol tired song and dance? Here's an idea, ignore them. Don't feed the trolls.
-
-
call Harris a monkey as a not-at-all-subtle racist dog whistle.
Is it relly a dog whistle though? I mean, this is a big regular obvious whistle if I've ever seen one
-
-
-
"My mother ... would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, 'I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?' " Harris said with a laugh. "You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."
That's actually kinda nice. I can appreciate that. We're all the middle children of history, in a way.
-
Thank you! 🥥🌴
-
-
This is interesting to me as a complete outsider to these elections, but having known ‘coconut’ to be used as a slur against non-white ethnicities who act the same as the average white oppressors of history despite us presuming them to know better. Coconut ie 🥥 brown on the outside white on the inside…. This is something mentioned a bunch in the recent uk elections especially with the whole Palestine situation happening
Clearly this is a different reference judging from other comments here but thought it was interesting. Don’t suppose they’re trying to reclaim the word before it’s used against them.
-
It can be both, racists gonna racist.
-
Non-white as in orange-faced too?
-
Yeah when I first heard the reference myself I was pretty confused until it was explained to me. I didn’t make the connection to it being racist - mostly because I saw it being posted by left-leaning and liberal personalities - I was more just confused people were posting coconut and palm tree emojis and having no clue what was going on lol.
I do think it arose pretty organically and was pushed by genuine Harris supporters. People were saying they were “coconut-pilled” to show they were supportive of Kamala for at least a few weeks before Biden officially passed the torch.
I do expect the right to try and co-opt it into being racist, but I am not sure how effective that will be considering a lot of Harris’s supporters (and people who are just excited Biden passed the torch in general) seem to be having fun posting it.
-
Very interesting, here in Australia it isn't a slur. An Indian friend of ours travels a lot for work, and recently told us that every time she gets a taxi to or from the airport and the driver is also Indian, they always start asking questions.
Where are you from, who is your family, etc etc. She exasperatedly said "I'm a coconut! I don't know, I just want to get where I'm going!" when describing this to us.
-
I don't want to condone anything, but that is probably the most creative slur out there
-
aside from Twinkie? (yellow outside, white inside) used in Harold and Kumar movies lol
-
-
-
Assuming you mean "why?" not "who?"
Harris gave a speech where she said this:
I guess you needed the context... ;)
-
So wait ... that laugh she has after saying "... coconut tree" ... is that her laughing at a joke her mum was making that she and her siblings and fellow younger people are coconuts?
Otherwise, her mum was Southern Indian (Chennai, Tamil Nadu IIRC), and I'd bet coconut trees and phrases about them are pretty common in Southern India and she just has humorous recollections about her mum's coconut tree phrases (I would if I was raised western with an Indian mum ... the word "coconut" probably emphasises the indian accent quite well).
-
-
Tankies settled on their most devastating slogan yet.
Watch as the west crumbles before their overpowered speech impediments!
👻👻BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
-
You just fall out of a coconut tree?
-
I know she was using the word in a speech a lot cause I heard it in a bunch of soundbites. Not sure the context as regards her speech.
-
It's the same calling Asian "Banana" and Black "Oreos"
Whatever the color on the outside, it's all white on the inside.
-
Also Native Americans as “apples”
-
I think in the end, we're all more or less red inside actually, so none of these make any sense. Not that racism ever does, but still.
We're all unified by the colour of our inner organs! (Although my lungs are probably a shade or two darker than average, what with all the tar. Hope that doesn't become an issue.)
#skinsareallredwhentheyreinsideout
-
-
the asian one is Twinkie.
-
-
It's a meme based on a goofy thing she said. People are making meme edits of it on TikTok.
-
Could be something common amongst Jamaicans? It's odd, nonetheless.
“My mother used to — she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, 'I don't know what's wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?'” Harris said with a laugh. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you,” she continued.
-
The explanation is simple, “Americans”
-
Ah, so it's obvious propaganda like "dark Brandon"? Can we stop with this? I'm already voting for you dorks, can we not do this stuff?
-
Looks like someone here did actually just fall out of a coconut tree!
Unaware of the context in which they live, and all that came before them. Tsk Tsk.
50 comments