this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2024
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86
Why are people using "coconut" in references to Kamala Harris? (feddit.nl)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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One example I've seen is someone talking about being coconut-pilled.

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[–] [email protected] 95 points 3 months ago (4 children)

I posted this in another thread, but this short video explains the coconut reference.

Basically, it comes from a speech she gave in May 2023 at a White House event about Hispanic excellence. In her speech, she also touched on how the democratic party can better support young leaders by understanding the context they grew up in.

This led into her personal anecdote from her mother, saying:

“My mother, she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?! (Laughs) You in exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.’”

This basically took off and got mixed up with the whole “pill meme” terminology. Those that wanted Biden to pass the torch to Kamala started saying they were “coconut-pilled” and the rest is history.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Here's an explainer: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/21/g-s1-12556/kamala-harris-coconut-tree-meme-context-unburdened

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

"My mother ... would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, 'I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?' " Harris said with a laugh. "You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."

That's actually kinda nice. I can appreciate that. We're all the middle children of history, in a way.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Thank you! 🥥🌴

[–] [email protected] 35 points 3 months ago (5 children)

This is interesting to me as a complete outsider to these elections, but having known ‘coconut’ to be used as a slur against non-white ethnicities who act the same as the average white oppressors of history despite us presuming them to know better. Coconut ie 🥥 brown on the outside white on the inside…. This is something mentioned a bunch in the recent uk elections especially with the whole Palestine situation happening

Clearly this is a different reference judging from other comments here but thought it was interesting. Don’t suppose they’re trying to reclaim the word before it’s used against them.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

It can be both, racists gonna racist.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Yeah when I first heard the reference myself I was pretty confused until it was explained to me. I didn’t make the connection to it being racist - mostly because I saw it being posted by left-leaning and liberal personalities - I was more just confused people were posting coconut and palm tree emojis and having no clue what was going on lol.

I do think it arose pretty organically and was pushed by genuine Harris supporters. People were saying they were “coconut-pilled” to show they were supportive of Kamala for at least a few weeks before Biden officially passed the torch.

I do expect the right to try and co-opt it into being racist, but I am not sure how effective that will be considering a lot of Harris’s supporters (and people who are just excited Biden passed the torch in general) seem to be having fun posting it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Very interesting, here in Australia it isn't a slur. An Indian friend of ours travels a lot for work, and recently told us that every time she gets a taxi to or from the airport and the driver is also Indian, they always start asking questions.

Where are you from, who is your family, etc etc. She exasperatedly said "I'm a coconut! I don't know, I just want to get where I'm going!" when describing this to us.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Non-white as in orange-faced too?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I don't want to condone anything, but that is probably the most creative slur out there

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

aside from Twinkie? (yellow outside, white inside) used in Harold and Kumar movies lol

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Assuming you mean "why?" not "who?"

Harris gave a speech where she said this:

https://youtu.be/ZiRSLYV1X4A

I guess you needed the context... ;)

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

So wait ... that laugh she has after saying "... coconut tree" ... is that her laughing at a joke her mum was making that she and her siblings and fellow younger people are coconuts?

Otherwise, her mum was Southern Indian (Chennai, Tamil Nadu IIRC), and I'd bet coconut trees and phrases about them are pretty common in Southern India and she just has humorous recollections about her mum's coconut tree phrases (I would if I was raised western with an Indian mum ... the word "coconut" probably emphasises the indian accent quite well).

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (2 children)

So Kamala is kind-of known for her somewhat awkward/ inappropriate giggle laugh.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4626161-vice-president-kamala-harris-laugh-criticism-advice/

I think its kind of a dumb thing to be critical of and both Biden and Trump have far more annoying speech idiosyncrasies. But her giggle laugh has also happened at some weird and inappropriate times.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Oh I'm aware. It's a dumb thing to be critical of for sure. And my bet would be that originates from her attempt to be more politically amicable while her inner personality is probably a bit more "aggressive" or blunt. And of course she's navigating the misogynistic politics that force women to find some nearly impossible balance between "being nice" and "appearing competent and strong" at the same time.

All that being said, that laugh was odd and I couldn't help wonder what it was about ... as you imply, it may have just been a gesture of some kind in this political persona she's deploying.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

She said on Drew Barrymore's show that its her Mom's laugh.

It is a bit of a tic though. Who cares. She's 1k better than Biden would have ever been in terms of beating Trump, so its fine.

The most important thing is that she needs to court some demographics. She needs muslim voters in the upper mid-west and she needs black women in GA and NC. If she picks Shapiro, and he can deliver PA, thats the ball game.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

WTF - She has an awesome, borderline infectious, laugh.

People criticize it? Is that really the best they can do?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago

Tankies settled on their most devastating slogan yet.

Watch as the west crumbles before their overpowered speech impediments!

👻👻BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It's the same calling Asian "Banana" and Black "Oreos"

Whatever the color on the outside, it's all white on the inside.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Also Native Americans as “apples”

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

I think in the end, we're all more or less red inside actually, so none of these make any sense. Not that racism ever does, but still.

We're all unified by the colour of our inner organs! (Although my lungs are probably a shade or two darker than average, what with all the tar. Hope that doesn't become an issue.)

#skinsareallredwhentheyreinsideout

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

the asian one is Twinkie.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

You just fall out of a coconut tree?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

I know she was using the word in a speech a lot cause I heard it in a bunch of soundbites. Not sure the context as regards her speech.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

It's a meme based on a goofy thing she said. People are making meme edits of it on TikTok.