One of two things is going on here: Either A) I am way out of touch with racist jokes, or B) Huffington Post is full of shit.
See Fox’s Brian Kilmeade Asks Black Co-host If She Makes Kool-Aid. In this post, there seems to be manufactured outrage at a FOX News host asking about the shitty drink.
A “Fox & Friends” segment on peach cobbler appeared to get uncomfortably tense when anchor Brian Kilmeade asked co-host Harris Faulkner if she serves Kool-Aid with her meals.
I’ll give you that Kilmeade is an idiot, but since when is it a racist thing to ask a black person if they drink Kool Aid?
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It’s borderline. It’s douchey for sure, and definitely classist. And as with so many classist digs directed at black people, it almost inevitably carries a racist overtone.
I guess I just saw it as a weird non-sequitur. I don’t even know how Kool-Aid is “classist.” Not saying it isn’t, its just a new one to me. The only hidden meaning in “Kool-Aid” to me was “that Amherst College fuckhead really drank the politically correct Kool-Aid.”
Yeah, it’s pretty “esoteric” racism. Like the George Allen “macaca” scandal back when, which had me scratching my head until I did some background reading.
Hipster racism!
As Stephen Colbert used to say the brown haired guy who is not Steve Doucie has a long list of idiotic things that he has uttered.
Not knowing that Kool Aid was a Black stereotype I discovered it is. But Doucie is not smart and asking a black woman who is a food expert about kool aid could be because he has heard the stereotype but doesn’t realize it is the wrong thing to say. Or he is too dumb and doesn’t realize a chef or whatever her background is would never serve kool aid on thanksgiving.
Whatever the reason. He is a lucky person who is not smart and makes a lot of money for which he does not deserve.
He was never likable before, this seems par for the guy who is not steve doucie course.
Kool-Aid (or generally, “red drink”) is a soul food staple. http://firstwefeast.com/drink/in-praise-of-red-drink-soul-food-origin-story/
I think it was totally innocent, but that is why she was taken aback. They were talking about food, right? I’m sure Kilmeade was not thinking of this (or anything in particular) when he spoke.
I grew up in the 60s in a Long Island community located near the community where Kilmeade grew up.
Kool-Aid was a very popular SUMMER refreshment served by many moms in my community. We even used to wet our fingers, dipping them into the sugary powder before licking the sweetness from our fingers.
I am reading comments that Fox News is a white supremacist, racist media outlet.
I have a question.
Is Bill O’Reilly racist for repeatedly addressing with many different guests, America’s expanding and shameful *National Epidemic of Childhood Abuse and Neglect*, *Poverty*, that for more than two generations has deprived untold numbers of American kids from experiencing and enjoying a fairly happy American kid childhood with Safe Streets to travel and play on.
Child Abuse and Neglect that is primarily responsible for populating our prisons with depressed, angry, frustrated, undisciplined, unpredictable, sometimes suicidal teens and adults full of resentment for irresponsibly being introduced to a life of hardships and struggles.
*Early Childhood Abuse and Neglect* that often leads depressed, sometimes suicidal *(NY Times May 18, 2015 – Rise in Suicide by Black Children Surprises Researchers)* children to develop into depressed, angry, frustrated, unpredictable, sometimes suicidal teens and adults lacking empathy and compassion for others, though needing to vent their pent up negative emotions, often causing emotional and physical harm to peaceful people…instead of venting their anger, resentment and pain on the immature single moms and/or dads who introduced them to a life of pain and struggle by irresponsibly building a family before acquiring the practical skills, *PATIENCE* and means to successfully raise and nurture a developing young child who matures into a fairly happy responsible teen and adult with mostly fond memories of his or her childhood.
The question all concerned, compassionate Americans should seriously be asking ourselves, our elected, civil, social, community and religious leaders is, what real, substantial changes in our society’s attitude and laws need to occur to prevent abuse that often causes young kids to mature into depressed, frustrated, angry teens and adults as a result of experiencing the *emotional and/or physical trauma of an abusive childhood?*
Black (Children’s) Lives Matter; Take Pride In Parenting; End Our National Epidemic of Child Abuse and Neglect; End Community Violence, Police Fear & Educator’s Frustrations
I had the same reaction as marcorandazza when I first heard of this “controversy”. To wit I Googled the topic and found this thread.
I know nothing about the Fox News program or the hosts in question. Generally, I’ll admit, I regard Fox News as televangajournalism and avoid paying any mind to it or the equally pointless objections to its contents.
But I was honestly baffled by this one. I think of children and summer when I think of Kool Aid. Maybe that shows my class??? I wouldn’t have made any connection to racism based on such a comment; I’ve just never heard of that being a racial stereotype. And even if there are racial stereotypes associated with the mere mention of Kool Aid, why is that where anyone’s mind would go in that situation? Was race somehow salient in that cooking segment?
I just don’t get it.
He might as well have asked her if she was serving watermelon, fried chicken, Hennessy, and smokes Newports. These are well known (I thought) stereotypes, along with Kool aid. It was a weird question to ask her.
Watermelon and fried chicken are well-known stereotypes (and dumb ones – everyone likes watermelon and fried chicken), Kool Aid is not. I’ve never heard that one before, obviously Marc hadn’t, and a few other commenters have already voiced their ignorance.
Is this one of those stereotypes that mostly only black people know about?
Just fyi. This is a pretty good thread explaining perspectives, and also people’s confusion. This is my opinion/view of it: If it is that super charged of an offense to someone/group as a whole, it should be taken seriously and respected. And if you, unwittingly, crossed this line you need to immediately set it right by the offended party, and humbly, with an obvious penitent overtone, apologize and state clearly you’re an ignorant wretch. I believe since a lot of white people, including myself, grew up on Kool Aid because, frankly, it was a cheap alternative to brand name pops/sodas/coke/etc., that there’s an ignorance (some might call blissful innocence to the hatred around them as kids) on our (white people) part that black people could ONLY afford Kool Aid and it was used to insult them, both as a race and as class (poor). In other words, typical white America. I believe when one goes out of one’s way to knowingly insult/offend/hurt the feelings of someone they know will, indeed, be hurt/offended by what you say/do; don’t do/say it. It’s the Jesus thing to do. It’s also the correct/moral/decent/kind/respectful thing to do. And if you ignorantly cross that line, you are seriously in need of immediate penance to the offended party before it grows into something extraordinarily ugly, and possibly irreversible. Which is what has obviously happened in this country at this point. Sad, yet not unexpected due to this nation’s history with non-Protestant, non-white, non-religious, non-hetero, non-male peoples. Again, sad. Hope this helps. If not, well, that happens too and I hope you find better answer.
Yeah, fuck that shit. If a black person has “drank the kool aid,” I’m still saying it.
So, walk on eggshells around people who aren’t white in case you ignorantly say something they might find offensive, then when they do take offense, be super deferential to them?
No. I’m just going to treat people the same, OK?
I didn’t get the Koolaid thing either, and I consider myself liberal, racially informed for a white guy from Texas. Just new information, that’s all. Don’t know the intent of the pinhead Fox air personality, but with FOX, it’s either willful stupidity or total ignorance. I’ll have to add Koolaid to watermelon, Newports, Fried Chicken (I agree with another…who DOESN’T love fried chicken), rims, ribs (who DOESN’T like ribs…I’m getting hungry).
Anyway, I learned a new thing. Larry Wilmore did an awesome Koolaid bit Monday night!
Wow…had no idea. I had to look this up afte watching Nightly Show, too. I’m from Canada so I was COMPLETELY in the dark on this one. Sometimes I think people are looking a little too hard for deliberate offense…I’m guessing the Fox dude was ignorant (I.e. Not knowledgable) about the connotation, and no offense was meant. Hopefully she talked to him about it after the cameras were off.
It’s funny…I call ALL powdered drinks “Quench”, which was a similar product when I was growing up in the 70s. Even today, when we make Koolaid or Crystal Lifht I call it Quench. ;) wasn’t Koolaid supposed to be the better choice because it was unsweetened and you “controlled the sugar”, as I think commercials said back in the day?