use of "sunshine" as a racial slur against blacks

[Joel S. Berson]

Interesting that the lyrics don't mention a shine
of skin, but rather the more like sunshine teeth and smile.

Joel

At 3/2/2009 08:29 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
>
>"Sunshine" as a slur is more commonly used in its short form, "shine."
>As a WAG, it may be the case that the popularity of "boot," from
>_bootblack_, who *shines* boots, and "shoe," from _shoeshine boy_ gave
>the the shortened form its impetus.
>
>As a child, I used to wonder why my parents disliked one of my
>favorite songs, Shine, by Frankie Laine:
>
>Hey now, just because my hair is curly
>Just because my teeth are pearly
>Just because I always wear a smile
>That is why they call me
>"SHINE"!
>
>Just because I'm glad I'm living
>And take my troubles all with a smile
>Just because my color's shady
>That's the difference, maybe
>That is why they call me
>"SHINE"!
>
>Etc.
>
>-Wilson
>
>I was, well, unaware of the subtext.
>­­­
>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>-----
>-Mark Twain
>
>
>
>On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 7:15 PM, Jonathan Lighter
><wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the
> mail header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: use of "sunshine" as a racial slur against blacks
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > I've never heard it so used, but I *have* heard it once or twice as a
> > playful form of address (as by older waitresses to male diners in downscale
> > Southern eateries), i.e., "How are you today, sunshine?"
> >
> > The earliest ex. I know of is in James Forbes's play "The Show Shop"
> > (1914) in _The Famous Mrs. Fair and Other Plays_ (N.Y.: George H. Doran,
> > 1919), p. 99:
> >
> > "ROSENBAUM: Hello, Sadie. [To TOMPKINS] Hello, Sunshine. We've got to slam
> > this show through."
> >
> > Tompkins's first name is given as "Wilbur."
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 7:02 PM, Jocelyn Limpert
> > <jocelyn.limpert at gmail.com>wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Jocelyn Limpert <jocelyn.limpert at GMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject:      use of "sunshine" as a racial slur against blacks
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Does anyone have any information as to the origins of or current usage of
> >> "sunshine" being used in speech today in a
> derrogatory way as a racial slur
> >> against blacks/African-Americans?
> >>
> >> A friend asked me for information concerning this and I could find little
> >> in
> >> the online searches that I did. Usually I'm much more successful, so I
> >> would
> >> appreciate any help that you can give me.
> >>
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> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
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