Beaner

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Beaner is a derogatory slur originally from the United States to refer to individuals from Mexico or of Mexican American heritage. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] It originates from the bean being a staple ingredient in Mexican cuisine, such as Salsa Verde Soup or Bean Quesadilla.

Contents

Usage

The word was first seen in print in 1966, although the term has reportedly been in use at least since the 1940s, having evolved from previous slurs such as bean-eater (1919) and bean-bandit (1959). [2] It is one of many national and ethnic slurs that refer to a nation's cuisine, such kraut for a German, spud-muncher for an Irish person, and frog for a French person. [5]

The word is considered to be one of the most offensive slurs for Mexican-Americans, although according to The Historical Dictionary of American Slang, the word is only "usually considered offensive". [2] Academics say that it is the most prominent anti-Mexican slur, having replaced greaser after the 1950s. It can resonate with the xenophobic sentiment that "you’re not American, and you never will be", and as such is sometimes directed at any Hispanic. [7]

In the 2000s comedian Carlos Mencia was known for using it, and other pejoratives, extensively and used it regularly for comedic effect in his Mind of Mencia program. [2]

In May 2018, about two weeks before Starbucks initiated a racial bias training program for its American employees, a Hispanic customer in La Cañada, California, received his order with the name Beaner written on it. [8]

Other use

Because the term originates from a common English word, there are other pre-existing or unknowing uses of beaner. For example, beaner has been used to describe someone from Boston (Beantown, Boston baked beans, Boston Beaneaters); when accidentally smoking a marijuana seed (alternatively called a bean); [9] a nickname (the 2012 book In Beaner's Backyard); [10] in coffee shops (for the coffee bean); and for a hit by pitch in baseball (beanball). Awareness about the offensive meaning of the word is resulting in its usage being criticized and phased out of mainstream use:

Use in film

The word has been used by Tommy Chong in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie , [17] by Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino and The Mule , by Hank Schrader in Breaking Bad , by Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco and by Jeff Bridges in The Morning After , [18] and in the movie 30 Minutes or Less by Fred Ward.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Definition of beaner". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Booth, William (September 28, 2005). "The Mouth of Mencia". The Washington Post . Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  3. ↑ "San Diego's top Latino cop retires". The San Diego Union-Tribune . September 1, 2005.
  4. ↑ "Pedro deflects the barbs; Racist comments don't faze Sox ace". The Boston Herald . September 14, 2000.
  5. 1 2 "You are what you eat... arguably: John Sutherland on national nicknames". The Guardian (UK) . July 31, 2000.
  6. ↑ Romero, Dennis (2019-02-01). "The worst slur for Mexican-Americans is still a mystery for some". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  7. ↑ Romero, Dennis (February 2019). "The worst slur for Mexican-Americans is still a mystery for some". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  8. ↑ Pérez, Dinorah (17 May 2018). "Hispanic Customer Given Starbucks Order With Racial Slur Written on Cup". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  9. ↑ "I Found a Beaner in My Satchel". cannapages.com. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  10. ↑ IN BEANER'S BACKYARD | Kirkus Reviews.
  11. ↑ "BEANER'S COFFEE to Rebrand as BIGGBY COFFEE". BIGGBY COFFEE®. 2007-09-15. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  12. ↑ "Tuesday, January 1, 2019 crossword by Gary Cee". www.xwordinfo.com. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  13. ↑ Graham, Ruth (2019-01-03). "The NYT Crossword Puzzle's Use of an Ethnic Slur Says a Lot About the State of Crossword Puzzling". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  14. ↑ "NY Times Crossword Editor Apologizes for 'Slur' in New Year's Day Puzzle". TheWrap. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  15. ↑ "Sunday Puzzle: Stuck In The Middle". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  16. ↑ "West Duluth coffee shop to change name". duluthnewstribune.com. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  17. ↑ Dennis Romero (2019-02-01). "The worst slur for Mexican-Americans is still a mystery for some". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  18. ↑ John Cribbs. "Sidney Lumet's The Morning After". The Pink Smoke. Archived from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
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