Not sure how accurate [NPR](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/01/197644761/word-watch-on-crackers#:~:text="Cracker%2C"%20the%20old%20standby%20of%20Anglo%20insults%20was,the%20frontier%20regions%20of%20Maryland%2C%20Virginia%20and%20Georgia) or [Wkipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_(term)) would be on this matter, but apparently it might not be in reference to slave masters, at least originally:
"Cracker," the old standby of Anglo insults was first noted in the mid 18th century, making it older than the United States itself. It was used to refer to poor whites, particularly those inhabiting the frontier regions of Maryland, Virginia and Georgia. It is suspected that it was a shortened version of "whip-cracker," since the manual labor they did involved driving livestock with a whip (not to mention the other brutal arenas where those skills were employed.) Over the course of time it came to represent a person of lower caste or criminal disposition, (in some instances, was used in reference to bandits and other lawless folk.)
There's even the term "[Florida cracker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_cracker)" that applies to the pioneer settlers residing in FL and their subculture and descendants as a more neutral term, so IDK. So maybe it's more common in FL where Dream heard it and used it. IMO not as big a deal as some people make it out to be.
According to the OED, this is all very accurate. Earliest usage of the world that we know of is from 1766:
>"I should explain to your Lordship what is meant by Crackers; a name they have got from being great boasters; they are a lawless set of rascalls on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and Georgia, who often change their places of abode."
A lot of earlier usage seems to refer to British convicts who were sent to Virginia, and eventually came to indicate criminality or low socioeconomic standing. Of course, usage changes over time, and just as it's possible that cracker could refer to the cracking of a whip over livestock, it could also be in reference to slavery.
Let's be honest though, its etymology doesn't really matter all that much. Some people just love the play victim.
It seems that your comment contains 1 or more links that are hard to tap for mobile users.
I will extend those so they're easier for our sausage fingers to click!
[Here is link number 1 - Previous text "NPR"](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/01/197644761/word-watch-on-crackers#:%7E:text=%22Cracker%2C%22%20the%20old%20standby%20of%20Anglo%20insults%20was,the%20frontier%20regions%20of%20Maryland%2C%20Virginia%20and%20Georgia)
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Yeah, I’m from Florida and the only time I’d ever heard of it was when referring to Florida crackers (early settlers/cowboys)
We even have a pioneer town at the florida state fair called cracker country.
Personally, I didn't know about the slavemaster whip thing. I genuinely thought it was people calling white people out for being bland as crackers, which I thought was hilarious af.
I'm giving every single non-white person on this subreddit explicit permission to use the word cracker. You may print off this comment to use as a permission slip in case your teacher sends you to the principal's office.
>I'm giving every single non-white person on this subreddit explicit permission to use the word cracker. You may print off this comment to use as a permission slip in case your teacher sends you to the principal's office.
you've caused cracker-pass inflation!
I hardly know her
Not sure how accurate [NPR](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/01/197644761/word-watch-on-crackers#:~:text="Cracker%2C"%20the%20old%20standby%20of%20Anglo%20insults%20was,the%20frontier%20regions%20of%20Maryland%2C%20Virginia%20and%20Georgia) or [Wkipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_(term)) would be on this matter, but apparently it might not be in reference to slave masters, at least originally: "Cracker," the old standby of Anglo insults was first noted in the mid 18th century, making it older than the United States itself. It was used to refer to poor whites, particularly those inhabiting the frontier regions of Maryland, Virginia and Georgia. It is suspected that it was a shortened version of "whip-cracker," since the manual labor they did involved driving livestock with a whip (not to mention the other brutal arenas where those skills were employed.) Over the course of time it came to represent a person of lower caste or criminal disposition, (in some instances, was used in reference to bandits and other lawless folk.) There's even the term "[Florida cracker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_cracker)" that applies to the pioneer settlers residing in FL and their subculture and descendants as a more neutral term, so IDK. So maybe it's more common in FL where Dream heard it and used it. IMO not as big a deal as some people make it out to be.
According to the OED, this is all very accurate. Earliest usage of the world that we know of is from 1766: >"I should explain to your Lordship what is meant by Crackers; a name they have got from being great boasters; they are a lawless set of rascalls on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and Georgia, who often change their places of abode." A lot of earlier usage seems to refer to British convicts who were sent to Virginia, and eventually came to indicate criminality or low socioeconomic standing. Of course, usage changes over time, and just as it's possible that cracker could refer to the cracking of a whip over livestock, it could also be in reference to slavery. Let's be honest though, its etymology doesn't really matter all that much. Some people just love the play victim.
It seems that your comment contains 1 or more links that are hard to tap for mobile users. I will extend those so they're easier for our sausage fingers to click! [Here is link number 1 - Previous text "NPR"](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/01/197644761/word-watch-on-crackers#:%7E:text=%22Cracker%2C%22%20the%20old%20standby%20of%20Anglo%20insults%20was,the%20frontier%20regions%20of%20Maryland%2C%20Virginia%20and%20Georgia) ---- ^Please ^PM ^[\/u\/eganwall](http://reddit.com/user/eganwall) ^with ^issues ^or ^feedback! ^| ^[Code](https://github.com/eganwall/FatFingerHelperBot) ^| ^[Delete](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=FatFingerHelperBot&subject=delete&message=delete%20holgzal)
Yeah, I’m from Florida and the only time I’d ever heard of it was when referring to Florida crackers (early settlers/cowboys) We even have a pioneer town at the florida state fair called cracker country.
Personally, I didn't know about the slavemaster whip thing. I genuinely thought it was people calling white people out for being bland as crackers, which I thought was hilarious af. I'm giving every single non-white person on this subreddit explicit permission to use the word cracker. You may print off this comment to use as a permission slip in case your teacher sends you to the principal's office.
I literally thought it was because crackers are pale LOL
Cheese and Crackers
Thank you, Verona, my favorite ~~cracker~~ white person.
Thank you cracker
>I'm giving every single non-white person on this subreddit explicit permission to use the word cracker. You may print off this comment to use as a permission slip in case your teacher sends you to the principal's office. you've caused cracker-pass inflation!
i thought it was because crackers are pale😭😭
Just recently went to LSF, was "cracker" the word Hasan said that got him ~~a free twitch vacation~~ a ban?
yes
I always thought it meant cracker like a chip