Perhaps the members of the California alt country band Cracker tried to change a term of abuse into a badge of honor.
Cracker (also called white cracker) is the offensive word used by somewhat better-off white Americans to describe their impoverished compatriots in the south of the States - in particular the residents of Georgia and Florida.
The origin of the word cracker is not 100% clear, but there are theories referring to food and slavery.
According to the authoritative Encyclopaedia Britannica the term cracker goes back to the time of the American civil war, a period in which many southerners - forced by poverty – put themselves on a diet of cornmeal and grits. The food in question - animal food rather - was made by crushing (cracking) grain.
It is also possible that the word cracker is a kind of sound imitation: in that case it would be the sound of the whips the southerners were cracking to keep their black slaves under control.
Cracker (also called white cracker) is the offensive word used by somewhat better-off white Americans to describe their impoverished compatriots in the south of the States - in particular the residents of Georgia and Florida.The origin of the word cracker is not 100% clear, but there are theories referring to food and slavery.
According to the authoritative Encyclopaedia Britannica the term cracker goes back to the time of the American civil war, a period in which many southerners - forced by poverty – put themselves on a diet of cornmeal and grits. The food in question - animal food rather - was made by crushing (cracking) grain.
It is also possible that the word cracker is a kind of sound imitation: in that case it would be the sound of the whips the southerners were cracking to keep their black slaves under control.
Active: 1990-present, USA
Site: http://crackersoul.com/fr_home.cfm
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