Is the phrase “cotton pickin” ever acceptable to use in public?

It seems that everyone wants to find something to be outraged and offended about.
I’m white. I asked a black co-worker if the phrase offended him. He said not in the least.

People still pick cotton. Unless it was purposefully meant in a derogatory way, it doesn’t mean anything.

It was definitely a poor choice of words. I would feel stupid, if it was me watching myself. He may not have meant anything, but the way I see it, it could be viewed as a slip. Even if unconscious.

I thought it was ,at least, a thing he could try to walk back. But that’s part of the problem. People are empowered, by this administration, to be a bigot… Those on the fringe, are thinking it’s OK now, to be racist.

Is it acceptable, to use in public?

At your own risk. Especially the way it was used on the link…

If I said it to my brother because he ran a stop light, or broke the TV, as in “are you out of your cotton picking mind?” it would be acceptable.

But to use in a discussion about one group calling another rascist is so far beyond tone deaf as to be blatantly offensive.

I’ve only heard of “cotton pickin’ minute”, where the meaning was “goddam minute”. No racial bias to me. But it would be best not to tempt fate and use it in a racially themed discussion.

What’s wrong with that? ANYBODY can pick cotton!

SMH…

As always it depends on context. I would consider “cotton pickin’” to be a harmless phrase that I might use myself but in the heated argument shown in the video it comes across as offensive. Did Bossie mean it to be offensive? It is hard to be certain but Joel Payne certainly took it that way and Bossie should have apologised for his choice of words.

It was a common expression when I was growing up, and it hadn’t occurred to me before now that it might be a racial slur. Curious

Why do some people need to say (without using those exact words) “I’m ignorant”.

Bad choice of words for sure. Was it intentional? I don’t know.

I suppose if somebody slipped and said “boy,” somebody would shit their pants, too.

It was a slip,I think. That shows mindset.

To criticize such an insignificant use of language is political correctness to the absolute extreme!

Then I guess we have a different definition of political correctness. David Bossie used a poor choice of words, and avoiding using that kind of language shouldn’t be considered political correctness. For example, I have a friend who had his arm amputated last year and avoiding using the word “stump” in front of him, isn’t political correctness, it’s just being considerate.

An example of political correctness that I find egregious is when the NFL forces players to be patriotic.

There are euphemisms that were developed in days gone by when swear words and profanity were not fashionable in public.

People would stop themselves after they started to say the real one.

Instead of saying “shit” people would redirect themselves to say ‘shoot’. Instead of saying ‘Damn” they’d say “darn’ Hot Dog, before it meant a Frankenfurter (changed in WWII when Germany was unfashionable) was a euphemism for God Damn. Jiminy Cricket was either a combination of Gemini and Jesus Christ (Jemini being a remnant in English from Roman days when Gemini was a sort of profane use of a deity)— or Gee / Jeeze for if someone started to say Jesus.

Well, Cotton Pickin’ was when someone started to say “Goddamn” they’d redirect to Cotton Pickin’ before the word came out completely.

I can see how someone might find the word offensive in reference to slavery, but that isn’t really the way it is intended, nor the origin of it

@rockfan Yes, but “stump” corresponds directly to a missing limb where “cotton picking” doesn’t correspond to any particular type or race of person.
A farmer has a machine that picks cotton. Is “cotton picker” a bad thing to call a machine?

Sure, use it if you want to.

@Yellowdog . I think most people understand that “cotton pickin,” is “dang frigin” or whatever. In the context of the interview in the OP’s link, it seemed less than innocent, to me…

My blue eyed blonde haired MIL picked cotton in Texas so she , at least would never be offended by it. Her family came from West Texas to East Texas in a wagon train. How I wish I had questioned her at length about her life.

It’s fine to say if you are Foghorn Leghorn.

My dad & my grand dad picked cotton & the phrase “cotton picking” is often used as a polite way to say “damn”. They often said ” That cotton picking car won’t start today.” It was away to curse to another adult without cursing in front of the kids.

Yes. But did you watch the link? It seemed less like a self censorship, and more like a kind of slip….