General Discussions

[Mav]

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story:

First of all, "coon" was a common derogatory term commonly applied to Indigenous Australians and other people of colour in Australia from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century.  It made a comeback in the late 20th century and I have witnessed its use to demean and belittle Indigenous friends and colleagues ... and there are no raccoons in Australia.

I remember seeing an ad on TV back in the 70s or so which featured a hoedown with a bunch of Good Ol’ Southern rednecks (all white, of course) singing “Just say Coon …” Their marketing department couldn’t have made a more dubious ad if they’d tried.

As you say, trying the raccoon defence is a bit laughable. But I’m sure Nazis everywhere would just love it if they could exploit the strategy of pointing to the innocent secondary meaning to avoid criticism. After all, the Swastika has been used as a religious symbol in India and elsewhere and I can just imagine Nazis saying you can’t assume they use it to honour dear old Adolf rather than for religious reasons.