Saturday, December 13, 2014

African Dodger, a game also known as Hit the Nigger

It's no wonder why America is still divided on the issue of race. All throughout the 1800's and the first half of the 1900's there were blatant racist carnival games that highlighted and exploited white people's hostility toward blacks. White Americans made their aggression and violence seem normal and legitimate.

Games like The African Dodger, also known as Hit the Nigger Baby or Hit the Coon, which used actual human targets, were commonplace in local fairs, carnivals, and circuses. Sometimes a picture or model of an African American was used instead, but the message was clear -- unprovoked evil violent aggression toward blacks was the social norm.

1911 photo of racists people playing a disgraceful game at a carnival. 
In 1911, some carnivals ushered in a new game for the "progressive era" called the African Dip, the precursor to the dunk tank. The game was "arranged that every time a baseball hits the target a colored man, seated upon a bar, is thrown into a large pool of water. It's said to be lots of fun..." ("It's Called", 1911). This new game didn't entirely replace the African Dodger. Versions of the original African Dodger were still found in the 1950s. Some carnivals and fairs decided to use targets that resembled African Americans instead of using real people. Promoters sold entire family doll racks that were used as targets at Amusement parks (A. J. Smith Mfg. Co., 1914). The development of Amusement parks in permanent locations increased the popularity of the African Dip game because it was hard to travel with the African Dip dunk tank. Riverview Amusement park in Chicago Illinois, was well known for their popular African Dip attraction, which was a staple there until the late 1950s.


Fast forward to the 2000's and the police use black teenage boys and men as human moving targets.
Insolent Politics
Source:  Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorablilia

27 comments:

  1. With a history like we have as founders of CIVIL inclusion dirty WHITE PEOPLE in their sick CAVE MAN mentality look back and really think that the hands of time will give them a next chance at KICKING us BLACK PEOPLE in the manner they did one time gone, Joke is LIFE gives you what you put out , So watch when the day comes that their stink self gets PAYED for their deeds , TRUST that day is fast in coming, NOT EVEN THE DOGS IN THE STREET shall get away, TRUST

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hit the Noel Kouadio in the head and win a Qupe doll, Step right up and hit an actual racist in the head...step right up folks....

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    2. Hit the Noel Kouadio in the head and win a Qupe doll, Step right up and hit an actual racist in the head...step right up folks....

      Delete
  2. Get over the past you can't change and move the fuck on...

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    Replies
    1. so then how about we all get over the deaths on 9/11.

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    2. Its not that easy to move the fuck on when racist the shit still goes on...all the dirty looks I still get from the older people stuck in their ways. Why is all I ask

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. History is to be remembered and learned from--it is not to be held onto or grudged upon--but held into consideration in order to avoid reacting and repeating events.

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  5. Blacks are parasites on the white Europeans

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    Replies
    1. Agree, American Blacks are not the real problem and they definitely are not parasites.

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    2. Whites prefer parasites. Taking economic power as their own.

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  6. I see this asshole is unknown smh, coward behind a keyboard

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  7. you do realize that racism and slavery happened all over the world. African blacks sold other African blacks into slavery. It's a shitty, dehumanizing practice but those who act like the US is the only country where it happened, or ignore the African tribes role n slavery are simply not being honest.

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  8. I don't know why some white people seem to have zero ability to empathize. I have tried to learn what I can about black history and what whites did (and still do) is horrifying and sickening. And white supremacists think they are the better race? They're monsters. I can't imagine most people would be ok and just "get over it" if all the horrific shit white people have done was more recent than people like to think it was. Imagine your great grandmother being someone's property & being raped all the time. You racists think you'd be completely ok with that even though it's "in the past?"

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    Replies
    1. I'm Irish and polish so actually that could have been the case for me but since I'm white you automatically associate me with all whites.

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  9. The United States of America didn't invent slavery however truth be told, he didn't take us anytime at all after establishing our country to realize that it was inhumane. How about we get a little credit for something 50 60 70 80 years later yeah it sucked we all know it sucked it still sucks the thought of it and being persecuted for it.

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  10. Pavement apes are the scourge of America.

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  11. I wonder how many people have done their ancestory, only to find they may not be what they think. Rape was very common. Very light skinned people passed for a different race. Empathy. Understanding and excepting difficult truths will help us all grow. Grow together and unite so we can all addrest the bigger issues we face as a people.

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  12. So called "politically correct" B.S. has really screwed up this county. It was just a carnival game for God's sake.....get over yourselves already. Sheesh!

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