Uno and Black Culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I (a white person) enjoy eating mac and cheese but I can still recognize that it's a significant food for pepole the AA community. It's not that hard to understand.

That doesn’t make Mac-n-cheese a “black thing.” Nobody’s denying that Uno is a part of black culture. But it’s also a part of white culture. Same with Mac-n-cheese, bbq’s, drunk uncles, and big Sunday dinners.

Mac n cheese is a black thing - which doesn’t make it “not a white thing,” but it has a specific black cultural connotation that’s unique. not sure why this is hard to understand?

Because by making it a “[insert race here] thing”, there is an implication that others don’t get it, don’t use it (play it, cook it, etc...) right or haven’t been exposed to it. There are certainly black things and white things (although they are often further divided by ethnicity- Irish things, German things, etc) and most of those haven’t been part of the experience of someone else of another race, but co-opting a standard American card game that all kids were exposed to in some way doesn’t make it a thing.

For instance, one black thing that I learned of was talking during movies at the theater. At first, I was surprised but I learned to appreciate it as it adds such a fun, extra element to watching a movie. Talking during movies is a black thing because it isn’t something most of the rest of America does. Conversely, every freaking one plays UNO and loves Mac-and-cheese at potlucks!

Mac and cheese started with slaves just because you eat it now doesn’t mean it isn’t a black thing. It’s something we only make if there is a picky eater, it’s not something most families have at every non-POC family party.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/03dbf30ccad245b0a505f18b18fb5e8c

It's Southern. Like grits and collard greens. It so happens that a lot of Black people live in the South. It so happens that a lot of white people also live in the South.

Nope again.

Southern food and soul food are different.

Grits was given to slaves and greens were cut off the beets and slaves would cook the greens because they were “waste” it evolved into other green (collard).

But it was originated from slaves and part of black history.

My friend in Northern Spain taught me about beet greens. It’s poor people food.

[Anonymous]

I'm 40 and black. Haven't met a white person yet who naturally played Uno or Spades (had to teach on the spot). What about Tunk? 21?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 40 and black. Haven't met a white person yet who naturally played Uno or Spades (had to teach on the spot). What about Tunk? 21?

I'm a white guy who played tonk some in high school, but it was with black friends and it was definitely considered a black game. It's the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread.

[Anonymous]

South Asian, and we are all uno fanatics. This is the first time I've ever heard of what OP's saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 40 and black. Haven't met a white person yet who naturally played Uno or Spades (had to teach on the spot). What about Tunk? 21?

Maybe you need to grow your friend circle. Anecdotal experiences do not mean a whole lot.

[Anonymous]

What about hearts? Or spoons? Or Gin? Or bullshit?
I played spades, Uno, crazy eights, dominoes, parcheesi, pick up sticks, checkers, Chinese checkers, war, poker, mancala and am teaching my kids. We are white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 40 and black. Haven't met a white person yet who naturally played Uno or Spades (had to teach on the spot). What about Tunk? 21?

Maybe you need to grow your friend circle. Anecdotal experiences do not mean a whole lot.

I'm 48 and White. I grew up in a conservative religious community where traditional playing cards (and the games you would play with then) were considered sinful. Uno, on the other hand, was acceptable and widely played, as was Rook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:South Asian, and we are all uno fanatics. This is the first time I've ever heard of what OP's saying.

You and your friends and family members get together multiple times a year and play Uno? You find it weird when you meet a South Asian who doesn’t play?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I (a white person) enjoy eating mac and cheese but I can still recognize that it's a significant food for pepole the AA community. It's not that hard to understand.

That doesn’t make Mac-n-cheese a “black thing.” Nobody’s denying that Uno is a part of black culture. But it’s also a part of white culture. Same with Mac-n-cheese, bbq’s, drunk uncles, and big Sunday dinners.

Mac n cheese is a black thing - which doesn’t make it “not a white thing,” but it has a specific black cultural connotation that’s unique. not sure why this is hard to understand?

Because by making it a “[insert race here] thing”, there is an implication that others don’t get it, don’t use it (play it, cook it, etc...) right or haven’t been exposed to it. There are certainly black things and white things (although they are often further divided by ethnicity- Irish things, German things, etc) and most of those haven’t been part of the experience of someone else of another race, but co-opting a standard American card game that all kids were exposed to in some way doesn’t make it a thing.

For instance, one black thing that I learned of was talking during movies at the theater. At first, I was surprised but I learned to appreciate it as it adds such a fun, extra element to watching a movie. Talking during movies is a black thing because it isn’t something most of the rest of America does. Conversely, every freaking one plays UNO and loves Mac-and-cheese at potlucks!

Mac and cheese started with slaves just because you eat it now doesn’t mean it isn’t a black thing. It’s something we only make if there is a picky eater, it’s not something most families have at every non-POC family party.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/03dbf30ccad245b0a505f18b18fb5e8c

It's Southern. Like grits and collard greens. It so happens that a lot of Black people live in the South. It so happens that a lot of white people also live in the South.

Nope again.

Southern food and soul food are different.

Grits was given to slaves and greens were cut off the beets and slaves would cook the greens because they were “waste” it evolved into other green (collard).

But it was originated from slaves and part of black history.

You're contradicting yourself.

Nevermind. I don't like grits, I'm not Southern. You can keep them.

No I’m not. Southerners imitating black culture became Southern food. It’s an off shoot but grits is soul food.

You’d like grits if you ate them the way black people do.

Your cited article says that mac and cheese started as aristocratic, elite food that was prepared by slaves for slaveowners. Then, helped by the invention of Kraft dinner, it became ubiquitous and was adopted by Black people. Then you say that grits and collard greens were low-class food. You're saying that all food is Black people food and sometimes white people eat it, but less well.

Okay.

That’s CB part of the article... then what happened or did you just find a part that you thought supported your idea and stop reading.

No I didn’t say that about grits but youre obtuse so....

[Anonymous]

I just don’t understand why things have to be so divisive. I grew up playing uno and spades nonstop with my huge white extended family. Played them extensively in high school and college. Everyone I know plays those games too. Dhs family doesn’t play games, but all my friends do. We regularly held game nights before COVID and everyone knew cards. I hate to say it, but I don’t have any black friends anymore but tons of Asians and whites at my parties and they all play. Why can’t things just be enjoyable without some weird racial slant? Soon people will be telling me I can’t play because cards don’t belong to my culture.

[Anonymous]

Black MIL taught all my little ones uno. I don't even know what the game is- have never played, so this is really cute-will have to ask her! She lets them stay up late with her if she babysits and we joke about her teaching them to gamble.

[Anonymous]

GTFOH. If you were on a swim team in the 80s you had to have played all these games during all the downtime during meets. all of them.

You need uno cards, deck of regular cards, dice, and plastic spoons and you’re good for several hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I (a white person) enjoy eating mac and cheese but I can still recognize that it's a significant food for pepole the AA community. It's not that hard to understand.

That doesn’t make Mac-n-cheese a “black thing.” Nobody’s denying that Uno is a part of black culture. But it’s also a part of white culture. Same with Mac-n-cheese, bbq’s, drunk uncles, and big Sunday dinners.

Mac n cheese is a black thing - which doesn’t make it “not a white thing,” but it has a specific black cultural connotation that’s unique. not sure why this is hard to understand?

Because by making it a “[insert race here] thing”, there is an implication that others don’t get it, don’t use it (play it, cook it, etc...) right or haven’t been exposed to it. There are certainly black things and white things (although they are often further divided by ethnicity- Irish things, German things, etc) and most of those haven’t been part of the experience of someone else of another race, but co-opting a standard American card game that all kids were exposed to in some way doesn’t make it a thing.

For instance, one black thing that I learned of was talking during movies at the theater. At first, I was surprised but I learned to appreciate it as it adds such a fun, extra element to watching a movie. Talking during movies is a black thing because it isn’t something most of the rest of America does. Conversely, every freaking one plays UNO and loves Mac-and-cheese at potlucks!

Omg, are you serious? I hate this so much. It’s incredibly rude to everyone else trying to listen to the dialogue. There are theaters I actively avoid because it’s so ubiquitous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 40 and black. Haven't met a white person yet who naturally played Uno or Spades (had to teach on the spot). What about Tunk? 21?

Maybe you need to grow your friend circle. Anecdotal experiences do not mean a whole lot.

I'm 48 and White. I grew up in a conservative religious community where traditional playing cards (and the games you would play with then) were considered sinful. Uno, on the other hand, was acceptable and widely played, as was Rook.

I was just about to write this as well. I think that this is why uno became so popular in the black community too. Skip bo was also considered okay when I was growing up.

[Anonymous]

In our black religious Southern family, UNO, Scrabble, and checkers were serious business. I had never even heard of spades before attending the best HBCU.