You Learn Something New Everyday

Nick Saban is in trouble for using the slur, "coonass." Saban claims it is a regional slur, not an ethnic one. Doubtful.

Although the "coon" part definitely caught my attention, I had to look that one up.

Wikipedia says:

The origins of "coonass" are obscure, and Cajuns have put forth several folk etymologies in an effort to explain the word's origin. Some believe that the word refers to the Cajuns' occasional habit of eating raccoons, or from the use of coonskin caps by the Cajuns' ancestors while fighting in the Battle of New Orleans or in the Revolutionary War under Spanish colonial Governor Bernardo de Gálvez. Others attribute the term to the racial slur "coon," used in reference to African-Americans — thus implying that Cajuns are lower than African-Americans in social standing. Yet others hold that the term derives from the shape of Cajun women after having children (like a raccoon viewed from above). To people in southeast Texas, "coonass" is more or less synonymous with "redneck cajun".

The most popular folk etymology, however, stems from late Louisiana congressman and cultural activist James "Jimmy" Domengeaux, who maintained that "coonass" derived from the continental French word "connasse," which he contended meant "stupid person" or "a prostitute without health papers" (dirty prostitute). He asserted that Frenchmen used the term in reference to Cajun soldiers serving in France during World War II, and that Anglo-American soldiers overheard the term, transformed it into "coonass," and brought it back to the U.S. as a disparaging term for Cajuns. Citing Domengeaux's etymology, Louisiana legislators passed a concurrent resolution in the 1980s condemning the word. (Contrary to popular belief, the lawmakers did not ban the term.)

Research has since disproved Domengeaux's "conasse" etymology. Indeed, photographic evidence shows that Cajuns themselves used the term prior to the time in which "conasse" allegedly morphed into "coonass." As a result, the origin of "coonass" remains uncertain.

Listen to the audio here.


For less obscure slurs, see Paris Hilton. Today, furthering her contribution to society, Paris gives us the classic two-fer - "nigger" and "faggot!" Apparently, there is youtube video, but they've been taking the clips down faster that you can say, "coonass."

Nice way to start off Black History Month. I'm not feeling the love, people.