Quote Originally Posted by Vengeful Scars View Post
Tar Babies
It's funny. There's actually a reoccurring trope found in many mythological systems called the "sticky baby," or more accurately the "tar baby." It's a humanoid creature made of tar, tree gums, or the like in which the myth's hero get stuck while engaging it in battle. The tar baby occurs in many ancient myths that far, far predate the modern sort of prejudice against Africans and those of African descent.

The figure of the tar-baby in the above sense also has been alluded to by politicians, such as John McCain and John Kerry. But of course, most people assume that the image is racially derogatory, so it's earned them the ire of civil rights leaders and scandals in the press.


It's similar to one aide of the DC mayor using the word "niggardly," which means "stingily" or "sparingly" and has existed since the 16th century, long before the N word. He was forced to resign because of this, even though "niggardly" has no racial connotations whatsoever.

In response to this, the president of the NAACP said, "Seems to me the mayor has been niggardly in his judgment on the issue."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controv...oward_incident