In New Zealand, 'coconut' is sometimes heard as an insult to describe someone from the Pacific Islands. It's been around since at least the 1970s and, happily, is not nearly as prevalent today as it was back then. A lot of PI performers have worked the word into their acts as well, in the same way that other minority groups do for words intended to diminish them. Auckland now has the largest PI population of any city in the world and is richer and more vibrant for it.
I admit to being a bit surprised that the most prominent Indian-American politician has so thoroughly embraced the "coconut" label, because I am mostly familiar with it as a racial pejorative in the vein of "Oreo" or "Twinkie" - "brown on the outside, white on the inside." For a politician who's struggled a lot with "authenticity," it's a bit of an odd symbol, I think!
In New Zealand, 'coconut' is sometimes heard as an insult to describe someone from the Pacific Islands. It's been around since at least the 1970s and, happily, is not nearly as prevalent today as it was back then. A lot of PI performers have worked the word into their acts as well, in the same way that other minority groups do for words intended to diminish them. Auckland now has the largest PI population of any city in the world and is richer and more vibrant for it.
I admit to being a bit surprised that the most prominent Indian-American politician has so thoroughly embraced the "coconut" label, because I am mostly familiar with it as a racial pejorative in the vein of "Oreo" or "Twinkie" - "brown on the outside, white on the inside." For a politician who's struggled a lot with "authenticity," it's a bit of an odd symbol, I think!
I've heard “coconut" as a slur, too, but not recently. See Ken Grace's comment here for different context.
Thanks from this eighty-nine-year-old. As a political songwriter, I can use this info. I knew some of it, but a lot I didn't.
I look forward to those songs!
Here's a collaboration with my cats and someone else's coconut trees. https://www.facebook.com/stuart.stotts/videos/7703002896478260
Terrific — brava!
Great column Nancy! Ive been coconut-pilled myself!