Author Topic: Forbidden Fruit  (Read 2775 times)

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Religious Dick

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Forbidden Fruit
« on: December 31, 2011, 02:45:07 AM »
Forbidden Fruit
by Paul Gottfried

Even in this progressive age, religious uncertainties still abound as we approach Holy Season, which begins with St. Martin's Day on January 16 and extends throughout Black History Month. This was made dramatically clear last week at a college near where I live, a place that has demoted the ancient Christian holiday that falls on December 25 and the weeks leading up to it as "holiday season."

Meanwhile the institution is making every effort to commemorate MLK's trials and martyrdom. Considering his stature, the customary one-day celebration was deemed inadequate, so they are preparing for a weeklong celebration of their twentieth-century savior. The sacred week will be devoted to recounting America's racist past, what remains to be done to overcome that past, and most importantly, the question of whether King's pronouncements can help advance gay and transvestite agendas.

When asked to submit lecture proposals, only one faculty member bothered to respond, but since this wiseacre had the temerity to question King's spiritual purity, he was immediately turned down. Still, there's no reason to suspect that other faculty members were equally irreverent. One retired professor wrote to his colleagues that the proposed celebration did not dwell sufficiently on Southern wickedness. He also said the college was not doing enough to exalt King, given what this truly heroic figure had done to raise us out of our bigotry.

The college community was peacefully and reverentially preparing for January 16 until someone expressed an idea that befouled the worshipers as if a garbage truck's contents had been dumped on their heads. This disruption is equivalent to the controversy over Christ's divinity that wracked the early Christian world. The person who set it off belonged to the college's venerable Center for Global Citizenship and was helping to plan an international dinner to be served for foreign students on the academic liturgical calendar's holiest day. In his childlike simplicity he suggested including a large fleshy-centered fruit called "w----n."

Rather thoughtlessly, the committee was planning a festive menu without beseeching the approval of their religious superior-the black female Director of Diversity. Had they acted through the designated chain of authority, the ensuing controversy would not likely have arisen. The lower clergy would have known it was acting in a way that ran contrary to the teachings of the Church of Political Correctness, whose highest campus official is the diversity-directing minority lady. Similar grave oversights may have led to Christendom's split in the sixteenth century, if one may be allowed to compare the present moment of high sensitivity to outdated religious superstitions.

The Director of Diversity issued a pronouncement emphatically prohibiting her flock from serving w----n on the Feast of St. Martin. The prelate explained that w----n is a "symbol of oppression to all black people," thus it would be racist to serve at a college event. To their credit, those associated with Global Citizenship immediately withdrew their menu suggestion and have acted contritely ever since. But what sort of benighted being wouldn't recognize the gravity of this offense on their own? They had ignored repeated warnings that a prohibition would be coming. For months the Director had lamented the fact that the forbidden fruit was being served on campus. But others chose to ignore these cries of despair.

Still, it would be nice if the college's highest ecclesiastical official spoke conclusively about how far the prohibition extends. This lady has been all too taciturn in engaging a question of deep moral and ritual significance. A clergyman who is still vaguely associated with the now-vanquished Christian religion has appealed to the Office of Diversity for further clarification. Are we about to see a political scandal erupt if the fruit were to appear again on campus? The college's future may involve a local Watermelongate.

Will students still be permitted to eat w----n in the dining hall? What about their dorm rooms and while snacking between classes? Perhaps there will be differing degrees of prohibition, depending on whether or not one is pursuing the path to PC perfection. Students might be allowed to munch on the fruit in private, but for those seeking absolute sensitivity, it will be necessary to practice total abstinence.

I have picked a middle path. Since I am hopelessly addicted to the fruit of sin and buy it even during the winter when it has to be imported from Chile, I could not give up eating it. But I can show verbal restraint by not mentioning the word designating that green thing with the red juicy pulp in the middle. That's the least I can do to exhibit solidarity with those true believers.

There are other repercussions to be feared. Fights may soon be breaking out in the dining hall if the dreaded red stuff shows up in a fruit salad and students are unclear about how to address such a grave situation. Should they throw the pollutant into the garbage can, or are they supposed to burn the red, pulpy matter lest they contaminate themselves with a "racist" substance? What does a fastidious practitioner of PC do if some of the contaminant gets on his/her shoes while he/she's walking near a supermarket? Is he/she required to destroy the shoes lest they become polluted by contact with racism? What should I do if I accidentally blurt out the horrible word at a fruit counter? Is there some penance I'll have to peform, such as reciting the "I Have a Dream" speech fourteen times or attending the College Diversity Committee's monthly meeting? Those of us who are not fully sensitized beg for instruction.

http://takimag.com/article/forbidden_fruit#axzz1i2ahWYJh
I speak of civil, social man under law, and no other.
-Sir Edmund Burke

Xavier_Onassis

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2011, 10:26:47 AM »
This is rather wicked. I find that Southern fried chicken  and pigeon peas and rice "hoppin john" was unmentioned.

Watermelon is very popular here in Miami, but rarely served in restaurants. I live a block from NW7th Avenue, in a neighborhood with a large Black population, There are, in the 20 blocks from my home, A KFC, a Popeye's, two Church's Chicken and a Fritay, where Haitian style fried chicken is served. In the summer, it is normal to see two or three pickups selling watermelons at reduced prices fresh from the farm.

Watermelon seems to be a taboo food at ceremonies, but fried chicken is very popular. Obviously, people eat lots of watermelon at home. I am very fond of it, but the biggest watermelons are hard to get into the refrigerator.

The feature from  slavery days that has become the most taboo seems to be the banjo. There are very, very few Black banjo players in the US these days.
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

Plane

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2011, 11:09:40 AM »
  The Banjo is forbidden?

    Why would an instrument derived of African music be considered shamefull?


     
Quote
The banjo is a four or five stringed instrument with a piece of plastic or animal skin stretched over a circular frame. Simpler forms of the instrument were fashioned by Africans in Colonial America, adapted from several African instruments of similar design.[1]

The banjo is usually associated with country, folk, Irish traditional music and bluegrass music. Historically, the banjo occupied a central place in African American traditional music, before becoming popular in the minstrel shows of the 19th century. In fact, slaves influenced early development of the music that became country and bluegrass, through the introduction of the banjo and through the innovation of musical techniques for both the banjo and fiddle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo

Plane

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2011, 11:12:45 AM »
Hmmm .... Is being from Africa the problem?


Quote
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.), family Cucurbitaceae) is a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, ...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon

Xavier_Onassis

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2011, 11:22:47 AM »
I do not think that many people know where watermelons came from. I know that I had never heard of this.
Yams and pigeon peas and plantains are  major staples of the diet in Africa. No one has ever put a taboo on those.

The minstrel shows and the posters that promoted them always stereotyped Black people as being fond of bright red watermelon. It made for a good comical poster. The watermelon stereotype seems to have originated with the minstrel shows, along with banjo picking, dancing the jig, being scared of ghosts, rolling the eyes and Black dialect.
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

kimba1

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2011, 11:42:57 AM »

Amianthus

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #6 on: December 31, 2011, 12:08:29 PM »
Actually found a decent research paper about the extinction of black banjo players.

(PDF) http://www.berea.edu/hutchinslibrary/specialcollections/amfp/CarrierFinal.pdf
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. (Benjamin Franklin)

Plane

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #7 on: December 31, 2011, 01:34:49 PM »
        There is some talk about South Americans having a lot more African ancestors than they know or admit to.

        Uncle Remus story's about Brear Rabbit are actually African in origin.


       I saw a bumper sticker "Paddle faster, I hear Banjos".

       
       

BT

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #8 on: December 31, 2011, 01:49:49 PM »
Quote
I saw a bumper sticker "Paddle faster, I hear Banjos".

that might refer to deliverance

Plane

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2011, 01:53:12 PM »
Quote
I saw a bumper sticker "Paddle faster, I hear Banjos".

that might refer to deliverance


It definately does.

The truth about Africans is that they influenced and taught.

Our music, language  , agriculture , cooking , religion , humor and overall culture bear their mark.

    Is there still an effort to deny this?

BT

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Re: Forbidden Fruit
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2011, 01:57:30 PM »
I still eat watermelon given the chance. The director of diversity is by nature sensitive, perhaps overly so.
don't know, don't care.