Banana

:For other meanings, see banana (disambiguation)

Attitudes toward bananas

Bananas are one of the most popular fruits among people of all origins. However, because of the stereotypical image of monkeys and apes eating bananas, they have been used as a means for racist insults, such as throwing bananas at sports players of African descent (e.g. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/world_football/2399629.stm). Bananas are also humorously used as a phallic symbol (a metaphor for the human penis) due to similarities in size and shape.

Related Topics:
Monkeys - Apes - Racist - Africa - Phallic symbol - Penis

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In some parts of South-East Asia (e.g., Malaysia and Singapore), "banana" is a derogatory term for a person of Chinese descent who does not know much about Chinese Culture and speaks English more fluently than Mandarin (or other Chinese dialects). This reference is due to the resemblance of character between the two objects: "yellow outside, white inside". (Compare this with the African-American slang term "Oreo".)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The depiction of a person slipping on a banana peel has been a staple of physical comedy for generations. A 1906 comedy record produced by Edison Records features a popular character of the time, "Cal Stewart" claiming to describe his own such incident, saying:

Related Topics:
Physical comedy - 1906 - Edison Records - Cal Stewart

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:I don't think much of a man what throws a bananer peelin' on the sidewalk, and I don't think much of a bananer what throws a man on the sidewalk, neether. ... my foot hit that bananer peelin' and I went up in the air, and cum down ker-plunk, and fer about a minnit I seen all the stars what stronomy tells about, and some that haint been discovered yit. Wall jist as I wuz pickin' myself up a little boy cum runnin' cross the street and he sed 'Oh mister, won't you please do that agin, my mother didn't see you do it.'

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~