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"The belief that all black people are lazy and ignorant"
From The Jim Crow Museum by the Ferris State University
The coon is short for raccoon. It portrays that black people are easily frightened, lazy, chronically idle, inarticulate, and buffoons; traits of a simple raccoon you'd see in your garbage at night. The coon acts childish but keep in mind that he is a fully grown adult. It is thought that the coon is a servant but he isn't happy to be one. They associated the coon with younger black people during Jim Crow who refused to accept the disrespect from their white counterparts. This caricature was created during slavery; stating that slaves were slow, lazy, and wanting punishment. It evolved into what we know today; lazy, welfare abusers, and stupid.
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