re: #94 reine.de.tout

I do too. And I like the stories.
But most folks know, or should know, that the term came to be known mainly via the Uncle Remus stories, which are considered racist. I never saw the movie, but I do recall listening to the stories as a young one and I don’t recall ever taking the stories to be demeaning of black people in any way, they were just - stories. But it seems that’s how they’re viewed.

It’s a good story with a fascinating history: the Uncle Remus version appears to tie together an Anansi story and a Cherokee folktale. There’s also versions of the “sticky trap disguised as a person” is several other American cultures.

Sadly, the term “tar baby” has taken a negative cast because racists decided that tar is black, therefore it’s a good epithet. Their usage nows outstrips the usage in folklore, attainting it. To me, it also shows how dumb racists are, since the only cognitive leap they made was about color.

Morons.

An interesting but subtle meme shift I note is that in the folklore the trap catches people because the hit/strike it—that is, by lashing out in anger they attach themselves in the target of their anger. Nowadays when referenced the “tar baby” is simply touched. I want to read semantic stuff into that.