Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean
Not racist... Coon was not used as a derogatory term related to "black folk" until the 1850s. NO, I WAS NOT THERE, but my older brother was. 
Prior to that it related to raccoons, country bumpkins and the leader of the Whigs political party. For some reason, in the early 1800s, raccoons were believe to be long lived.
I picked the phrase up at Harrah's from coworkers years ago.
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So what you said was an early 1800's catchphrase, but has had racial denotations for the last 150 years. Got it.
What I just learned today: people at Harrah's are closet racists.
