Why is watermelon offensive to blacks?

Answer 1

Watermelons themselves are just a fruit, and not offensive in themselves. Just like there are plenty of whites, Asians, and Hispanics that both love and hate watermelon, there are blacks that like watermelon, and blacks that do not. Watermelon on its own is just a common summer food.

However, during a less glorious time of US History, blacks were subjected to many very blatant stereotypes. One of these was that they would go just nuts over watermelon, fried chicken, and/or Kool-Aid. Granted, they were a common part of a many southern black families' meal time, but they were a common part of many white southern families' meal time as well. It led to many cruel jokes and advertising campaigns. The stereotype was considered okay, and some companies were very open about it. A couple of very old Bugs Bunny cartoons used watermelon as bait to catch a black Elmer Fudd in a trap. Unfortunately, these stereotypes get dug back up from time to time. When President Obama moved into the White House, there were Photoshopped images of the front lawn converted into a watermelon patch all over the internet.

In short, watermelon itself is a fruit that some people like. It is just a fruit, and in no way offensive. The inappropriate symbolism that some people assign to the fruit is a different story. It is people who find humor in making digs at other people, simply because they can, that is offensive.