Tar Baby is not a term of endearment the last I checked

[Jonas.dini]

I saw this a few days ago, and of course the dude who said it was like: "that's a racial term? I had no idea" or something like that. My whole thing is, if you're associated with an entity that is perceived to be racist, and you're primary opponent is a black guy, just watch your language because intentional or not people are gonna be like:

... Not that I'm so naive as to think that dude wasn't intentionally eluding to Obama's race.

 

[Madbeats]

No shit! 1900's were saying tar baby? That's crazy!

 

[BiblicalAtheist]

Give me mods powers dammit!!!!

 

[whar67]

The "Tar Baby" is a myth from western Africa as well as a similar one among the Cherokee. In Africa several of the spider-tales centering on Anansi include the use of a 'gum' doll to induce a person into becoming angry. One story goes Anansi created a gum doll to capture Mmoatai the dwarf. Anansi placed the doll where the dwarf would play and placed a bowl of yams in front of it. The dwarf ate the yams and thanked the doll. When the doll did not replied the dwarf became insulted and struck the doll becoming caught.

Among the Cherokee the story centers on a Tar wolf and a rabbit. In this tale after becoming stuck other animals arrive to decide how to kill the rabbit. The rabbit is supportive of several of their suggestions but ask not to be thrown into a nearby thicket as that would be a slow agonizing death. The animals decide to do exactly that but the rabbit had tricked them as the thicket was the place he normally lived.

Both these myth were blended in the the Bre'r Rabbit story which uses the tar doll from the African tale and the crafty rabbit from the Cherokee tale. Unfortunately the popularity of the stories leads to the term tar baby being used as a racial derogatory thus ruining a perfectly good myth and term.