Why does this flyer have a watermelon on it? 🤔

[sheshe2]

Link to tweet

Racist as F**k

[sakabatou]

1. What next? Are the people who made the flyer going to use minstrel show caricatures?

[TheBlackAdder]

29. That was probably their first draft and considered to be "Too Soon" so an alternate was commissioned.

[RussellCattle]

2. This is from one of the comments.....

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_A8tGDbkAACpwx?format=jpg&name=large

[sheshe2]

5. Palestinian flag, okay.

Also racist as F*** with Jefferies name on that poster as they call him out!

[Bettie]

31. The Palestinian flag is not banned in the US

and it is extremely tone-deaf (to put it mildly) to put watermelon on a protest against a Black congressman.

[comradebillyboy]

41. It's a lot more than tone deaf, it's a straight up racist attack.

[zanana1]

57. I agree.

It couldn't be more obvious.

[Bettie]

67. Yes, it is....

I was trying to be nice. Maybe they are not from the US?

[Kennah]

3. Ultra classy DSA

[comradebillyboy]

42. DSA piling racism on top of antisemitism.

[MMBeilis]

4. The link that Russell has posted above explains the connection between a watermelon and the Palestinian Flag.

I would hesitate to criticize someone for not being attuned to the racial connotations of Watermelons as I, for one, did not know anything about it's symbolic use in Palestine.

[sheshe2]

6. Hesitate at will.

The people that made up that poster know full well the symbolism of a watermelon for Palestine AND for black people.

[RussellCattle]

9. I don't share your certainty.

[sheshe2]

10. Alrighty then.

Nite.

[yardwork]

20. To be fair, it's entirely possible that DSA is as clueless on this as they are with everything else.

In my experience, DSA is a group of privileged white kids running around telling everybody else what to do while not bothering to learn anything much.

That poster is beautifully designed. Probably done by an art major at NYU.

They have nothing better to do than to hassle Hakeem Jeffries - an actual black man who is a little busy right now trying to keep the government running while dealing with the fascists who control the House - by accusing him of genocide and sticking a picture of watermelon in his face without a clue what it means.

Right on schedule for the 2024 election.

[sheshe2]

87. Your post is spot on, yardwork.

Thanks 😊

[yardwork]

92. Thanks for this thread!

I noticed what seemed to be astroturfing yesterday but it turns out to be much more than that.

[Cha]

100. Sigh.. I just linked this post of yours to she, yardwork..

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218459590#post5

TY

[EllieBC]

25. Ignorance to excuse racist tropes?

That excuse doesn’t work anymore.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

40. I agree

Link to tweet

[progressoid]

77. I'm not defending Goldwag but it seems that Ragnarok Lobster is mis-reading the tweet.

Goldwag tweets about Israel banning the Palestinian flag

Lobster tweets about America banning the flag.

Two completely different things.

[yardwork]

79. Ragnarok is exactly right.

There's no need to use a watermelon image in a poster accusing Hakeem Jeffries of genocide. They could have used the Palestinian flag.

A pro-Palestinian website I consulted said they found little evidence that the watermelon is a common symbol of Palestinian liberation. They called use of this image a MYTH. It's astroturfing.

And, even if we are to believe that some Palestinians use watermelon as a symbol because it mirrors the colors of the Palestinian flag - where is the essential white rind in the poster with Jeffries' name? The symbolism falls apart without the white color.

Basically, a bunch of privileged white posers used a symbol of Jim Crow to accuse a Black man of genocide.

Kinda ironic, huh?

[progressoid]

82. OK. But that's not what I was commenting on.

Ragnarok said that America never banned the Palestinian flag.

Goldwag tweets about Israel banning the Palestinian flag, not America.

[yardwork]

83. In context, that's beside the point. It's basically gaslighting.

Again, I repeat: a bunch of privileged white posers used a longtime, well established symbol of Black oppression in a poster accusing a Black man of genocide.

Black people say whoa.

Dude responds by saying Israel banned the Palestinian flag google it!!!!

So effing what.

[progressoid]

103. It may be gaslighting. Unfortunately, the example he used to prove his point was meaningless.

[Cha]

106. Boom. Rec TY

[sheshe2]

90. Thank you.

I saw his post this morning on twitter. He is absolutely correct.

[Cha]

104. There were 3 Flyers.. Watermelon only on Hakeem Jeffries.. TY, LMPV

Link to tweet

[Bettie]

33. Do you live in the US?

Because the racial connotation of watermelon is VERY well-known.

[catbyte]

7. Because fried chicken was too hard to draw?

Despicable. I really really really despise this.

[Cha]

8. ".. Still giving it a side eye"

Link to tweet

[sheshe2]

11. Well look at that.

DSA never used the watermelon until Hakeem Jefferies name was put on the flyer.

Imagine that.

Thanks Cha, great find!

Boom

[Cha]

12. Well you're up

late, Missy!

You're Welcome and Thank You!

[sheshe2]

86. 🙂🙂🙂

[Cha]

98. Hi she.. you might want to check out this Post from yardwork on anohter thread..

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218459590#post5

[Behind the Aegis]

13. Masks aren't coming off, they are being ripped off with pride!

It is disgusting.

What's next? Protests outside Jewish lawmakers homes with showerheads?!

[sheshe2]

93. You are absolutely correct.

[Aussie105]

14. Maybe not racist, but you went there!

[babylonsister]

15. So if not racist, do tell

what significance a watermelon has in a political ad.

[Oopsie Daisy]

17. References to watermelon have historically been used in racist and derogatory ways,

References to watermelon have historically been used in racist and derogatory ways, particularly in the context of racial stereotypes and caricatures. These offensive depictions emerged during times of deep-seated racism and discrimination, particularly in the United States during the era of slavery and its aftermath.

Watermelon was used as a symbol to dehumanize and demean African Americans, perpetuating harmful stereotypes that portrayed them as simple-minded, lazy, and childlike. The association between African Americans and watermelon was often used to justify racial segregation, discrimination, and inequality.

These stereotypes and discriminatory practices have had long-lasting effects, contributing to systemic racism and the marginalization of African Americans. Consequently, references to watermelon can be seen as offensive and hurtful, particularly when used in a manner that perpetuates or reinforces racial stereotypes.

It's important to recognize the historical context and cultural sensitivity surrounding such references. While individuals may not intend to be racist when using watermelon references, it's crucial to be aware of the potential impact and considerate of the historical significance tied to these associations.

[treestar]

80. Yes though the wrinkle here is that it also symbolizes

Palestine. I had to google that to learn it today. It popped right up, so a lot of people are googling it today.

We don't know which symbolization it is for.

[Cha]

109. It's Obvious to me, treestar.

Link to tweet

[Oopsie Daisy]

121. So many contortionists trying to defend it (or to explain it away as "innocent" and "harmless")

... it's like I'm watching a "How It's Made" video at the pretzel factory.

[Cha]

125. Yeah, DSA is "quite innocent".. The Org who Celebrated in

Times Square the Day after HAMAS Slaughtered Innocen Israelis at a Musical Festival for Peace.

[Cha]

107. Yeah clap.. so classy.

Link to tweet

[TreasonousBastard]

16. If the watermelon is as bad a thing as some...

around here believe, wouldn't Jeffries himself be the first one to notice it?

This is an Israeli/Palestinian fight, and we're messing it up with our own issues.

If I say "It's just a fruit", does that start another fight over personal issues?

I like watermelon, as do the black, white, and indistinguishable people I serve it to every chance I get.

[yardwork]

22. Jeffries is a little busy right now, trying to keep the government open and things.

I doubt he gives a flip what a bunch of privileged WASPs with coloring sets do outside his office.

[Emile]

18. I question who made this poster.

[yardwork]

21. A wealthy white art major, probably.

[Cha]

112. But whomever drew it it's without the "White Rind",

right? I just don't see it and I took note of your mentioning that in another thread.

So since that's a Color that's part of the Palestinian flag why wouldn't they include the White Rind?

And, why out of "3 Flyers is the watermelon only on Hakeem Jeffries' Flyer"?

TY

[yardwork]

127. Hat tip to DUer Haele who noticed the absence of white rind.

I started noticing that absence in some other photos of white people at pro-Palestinian rallies. Intentional? Ignorant? Who knows.

[elighdom]

19. Uncle Tom

I view it as referring to Jeffries as an Uncle Tom for not supporting those akin to his own ancestors of whom are viewed by some as historical parallel. Enslaved and murdered by an oppression.

[treestar]

81. meld of the two different symbols?

the black one and the Palestinian one at once?

[RainWalker]

23. Watermelon 🍉 now a Palestinian symbol

Lots in the link below, more than I can quote here.

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-watermelon-symbol-of-palestinian-resistance-2023-11?op=1]

* Some social media users say tech platforms are unfairly removing pro-Palestinian content.

* Images of watermelons have become code for pro-Palestinian activism on Instagram and TikTok.

* Watermelons are widely grown in Gaza

and the West Bank and share the colors of the Palestinian flag.

As social media platforms double down on their content moderation policies to control the flood of misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war, some users claim these platforms are also censoring innocent pro-Palestinian content, including comments and accounts that feature the Palestinian flag.

Instagram users, for example, reported that the platform was hiding comments containing the Palestinian flag emoji and automatically inserting the word "terrorist" into translations of certain profiles that contained the emoji, according to a report from Palestinian digital rights nonprofit 7amleh.

Instagram's parent company, Meta, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for a comment, but a Meta spokesperson told The Intercept that the company had no policies specific to the Palestinian flag emoji, and was hiding comments that contained the emoji in certain "offensive" contexts that violated its rules.

As a result, social media users — across major platforms from Instagram to TikTok — are resorting to using watermelons in place of the Palestinian flag or as a stand-in for words like "Palestine" or "Gaza" to express solidarity with Palestinians and thwart what they say is unreasonable moderation.

[yardwork]

24. Right. The "grassroots" movement on TikTok.

Doesn't look so spontaneous and "grassroots" today.

[blm]

28. Exactly.

[Goddessartist]

32. I immediately thought of support for Palestine! Yes!!!

I read about this yesterday. I love watermelon!!! And I support Palestine!

[yardwork]

34. Ooh!!! It's so cute!! Go team!!!

Coffee and sign painting at my house tomorrow!!'

[Goddessartist]

35. What exactly do you mean?

Is this kind of remark helpful? It's only a reflection on you.

[yardwork]

44. I'm just trying to be enthusiastic for the cause!

[Goddessartist]

50. Right.

Disingenuous response.

[Cha]

111. "There's no excuse for using it in flyers against a Black New York politician."

Link to tweet

[RainWalker]

36. I get why people are upset

I understand that. But I hope that once they learn what it's about they'll have a much better understanding of things.

[Goddessartist]

37. I would think that they'd have done their research

before making such comments. The original poster could have asked the question themselves before posting and gotten the answer in about 2 seconds. There are many here who seem to want to divide us.

[EllieBC]

38. That's like the Twitter and TikTok kids trying

to tell me why I shouldn’t be upset by a swastika.

If you have any knowledge of US history, even 30 seconds to google it, you’d know a watermelon is a racist trope.

[RainWalker]

39. Sorry but I don't believe that

And I'd like to see sources backing up your claim.

And kids aren't the only ones on TikTok and Twitter. Literally our entire party is on Twitter and TikTok is filled with seniors who are making a ton of money because they've monitized their accounts.

[yardwork]

43. You don't believe that watermelons are racist tropes?

Edited to ask: if you dint believe that watermelons are a racist trope, then why do you get why people are upset with this?



Congratulations on monetizing your social media accounts.

[EllieBC]

45. You don't believe watermelons are a racist trope?

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/how-watermelons-became-a-racist-trope/383529/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon_stereotype

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/popular-and-pervasive-stereotypes-african-americans

And hopefully the WASPs of any age trying to monetize telling Jewish people that swastikas aren’t hate symbols go broke.

[yardwork]

46. I expect that the watermelon image may be quietly retired, at least in the U.S.

My guess - and it's purely a guess - is that the people behind the watermelon astroturfing that we've been seeing genuinely didn't know about this imagery's meaning in the United States. The blowback from this incident - which may have been deliberate, who knows - of putting the classic racist watermelon wedge on a poster aimed at a Black man - will probably lead to the image being quietly retired.

As we saw with the little Hamas parachuter images that disappeared earlier.

[RainWalker]

47. Not that. This.

That's like the Twitter and TikTok kids trying to tell me why I shouldn’t be upset by a swastika.

That.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

52. A prolific terrorist supporter who is no longer with us here made that exact argument after the 10/8 protests

[RainWalker]

54. I'm not tracking

What do you mean? My comment or theirs? Sorry but I'm a bit out of it today as I'm in massive pain. Clarity helps. Thank you.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

56. Prolific pro-Hamas poster claiming we shouldn't be offended by a swastika at anti-Israel rallies nt

[EllieBC]

58. Strange that when those users get booted

New ones with total understanding of the board join.

[RainWalker]

59. Whoever said that needs their head examined

You know, this is swerving into off topic territory and perhaps I'll make a thread later about it when feeling better but I have never understood why hate symbols are allowed in this country. While I understand 1A, I'm not an absolutionist and I believe that there should be limits especially on things like this.

I don't understand those who are against such things. The only purpose of those sorts of things is to instill fear and terror into others. That really bothers me.

I'm unfamiliar with the situation you speak of but that's really messed up someone said that.

[yardwork]

60. Right, the swastika got retired, around the time the little Hamas parachuter was retired.

Yesterday there was a "grassroots" effort to push the watermelon but somebody messed up (intentionally or not) and put it on a professionally designed poster next to Hakeem Jeffries' name. Oops. The background intel was little weak there.

"From the mountains to the sea" is hanging on as an anthem to peace - was it you who compared it to MLK's speeches or was that another DUer?

I can't wait to see tomorrow's new astroturf campaign. Snakes? Wait, no, already been done.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

61. Remember the excuse that it was a paraCHUTE and not a paraGLIDER?

That was another talking point being bandied about by the pro-Hamas posters.

[yardwork]

62. Yeah, that didn't fly - so to speak.

It became difficult to argue that nobody was pro-Hamas when they were literally celebrating a specific terrorist attack by Hamas.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

63. Rats?

I saw another pro-Hamas poster call Israelis rats who were gnawing on Palestine.

[yardwork]

64. I have seen rats. Also references to insects.

These references literally strike fear into my heart - and I'm not even Jewish.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

65. My favorite was the one saying Palestinians need to start chanting "Jews will not replace us" nt

[Cha]

114. Don't believer it.. Doesn't make it not TRUE..

Link to tweet

[RainWalker]

123. Not the watermelon

The comment about the swastika flag is what I was in reference to.

Hope you're having a great day over there.

[Sneederbunk]

66. We should ban the watermelon flag?

[blm]

26. White Nationalists showed up at Floyd protests, too.

They take advantage of these times to target black organizations and Jewish communities.

I don’t think it’s particularly wise to ignore their past record of infiltrating these type of political protests.

Feds say far-right group coordinated attack on Minneapolis police precinct during protest
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/522509-feds-say-far-right-group-coordinated-attack-on-minneapolis-police-precinct/

2 members of US far-right group Boogaloo Bois arrested for attempt to aid Hamas
https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-members-of-us-far-right-group-boogaloo-bois-arrested-for-attempt-to-aid-hamas/

[calimary]

27. Oh cute.

Like we wouldn’t get the subtext…

[dalton99a]

30. Clearly with benign intent

[RainWalker]

49. It is benign and not what you think

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-watermelon-symbol-of-palestinian-resistance-2023-11?op=1]



https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/16/watermelon-emoji-palestine-meaning-symbol/]



https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/why-a-watermelon-symbolizes-palestinian-solidarity/]



https://time.com/6326312/watermelon-palestinian-symbol-solidarity/]

[yardwork]

72. All these articles popped up in the past several days.

I just went to a long-standing pro-Palestine website. They were curious about where this came from, so they looked into it and concluded that this is FAKE. This pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli site stated that the use of the watermelon as a Palestinian resistance symbol is a MYTH.

This is an example of astroturfing. Somebody pushed this story out onto the internet, literally a few days ago. They did a very good job but miscalculated in a few ways.

THIS is exactly why I'm very suspicious of all this pro-Palestinian stuff right now.

[muriel_volestrangler]

89. It was documented in 2021; certainly going by 2007. One version dates it to 1993

but that, although it was in the New York Times, was unattributed.

There's a Wikipedia article, with several sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_resistance_and_watermelons

such as the Washington Post in 2021:

JERUSALEM — Raising the red, green, white and black Palestinian flag has historically been banned at times in Israel and today draws the ire of authorities. So the watermelon — locally grown and similarly colored — has for decades served in Palestinian iconography as a subversive stand-in.

In recent weeks, the watermelon has resurged on social media, as part of what some Palestinians say are efforts to preempt or circumvent online censorship and content moderation, in the face of heightened enforcement sparked by the Israel-Hamas conflict in May and the attendant wave of grass-roots Palestinian activism.
...
The watermelon symbolism stretches back to Palestinian organizing tactics before the first intifada, the period before the 1993 Oslo accords created the Palestinian Authority and set in motion a now-defunct peace process. But it has found new resonance.

Palestinian artists used the watermelon “as a metaphor for the Palestinian flag and to circumvent the ban,” Hourani said. Online, the tradition persists: Palestinians, distrustful of social media platforms and fearful of Israeli surveillance online, are trying to avoid the catch nets of what they say are unfavorable algorithms and content moderation methods.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/09/palestinian-watermelons/

Or The National, in the UAE:

The first example can be traced back to Khaled Hourani, who had heard a version of Mansour’s story and painted a slice of watermelon for the Subjective Atlas of Palestine project in 2007. His work later travelled around the world, including Scotland, France, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. Hourani has also held art workshops centred around the work at schools in Ramallah.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/how-the-watermelon-became-a-symbol-of-palestinian-resistance-1.1230806

So, no, the connection with Palestine is genuine, and has been around for years. That does not, of course, mean the artist wasn't also fully aware of the American association with Black people and that it is frequently a racist insult in the USA.

[yardwork]

91. Yes, the website I consulted acknowledged that there were a few references over the years.

But they pointed out that they had to work to find them, and they themselves had been unfamiliar with the use of this symbol. So, they concluded that it's a myth.

I don't know - just reporting what I read. As a casual observer I can say that I don't recall seeing this symbol associated with Palestine until yesterday. I'm very familiar with Yasser Arafat's keffiyeh, but I don't recall him lugging around a watermelon.

I can see how the symbolism is attractive, but I strongly suspect that the literal explosion of this symbol on social media this week is astroturfing. I think it was felt that this cute, happy image was good public relations.

Somebody effed up, though. The image needs the white rind to match the Palestinian flag, and that's conspicuously absent in the images made and held by Anglo Americans.

[muriel_volestrangler]

94. Meh - no, there's no sign it's "astroturfing". That's just denying agency to people

when there's ample evidence that it has been a well-known symbol for years (another example from 2007: https://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07202007/girmay5.html ). You don't have to "work" to find them - just google "watermelon" "Palestine".

Until the use with the flyer to protest Rep. Jeffries, it was just a Palestinian symbol.

[yardwork]

95. Skepticism is good but I see echoes of 2015-2016 and I'm hyper-alert.

[muriel_volestrangler]

96. You're American-centric

You're bringing the American view of watermelon to something that started outside the USA. The use inside the USA should take into account the particular American meaning; not for the rest of the world.

What do you think you're really being "alert" to - that, over a month, people would write many articles "what the watermelon means in the Palestinian context" just so one artist had an excuse to racially insult one particular politician a month later?

[yardwork]

97. I think you're misunderstanding my point.

Yes, I'm American-centric in the sense that I'm focused on the 2024 elections. I think there is a global PR campaign promoting sympathy for Palestinians and anger against Israel, with a goal, in part, of influencing the American elections. We are already seeing calls for Biden to step aside because he's guilty of "genocide." Why would Hakeem Jeffries - minority leader of the House - be accused of genocide? Folks are using this as an opportunity to meddle in U.S. politics.

I definitely see signs of astroturfing. I'll leave it that. I was here in 2015-16 and the behavior is similar.

As for the cock up involving the Jeffries poster, see my last post in this thread. I think it was probably incompetence.

[muriel_volestrangler]

99. Again, your 2nd sentence is American-centric.

" I think there is a global PR campaign promoting sympathy for Palestinians and anger against Israel, with a goal, in part, of influencing the American elections."

No, it's about people, in Israel and Gaza (and the West Bank, for that matter) getting killed. The world does not revolve around American elections a year away. Some Americans will be thinking "how should this influence our elections", but the rest of us don't tie it to you as the driver.

I don't think you've shown anything at all about "astroturfing". What is this controlling organization? Who are they manipulating? Why is discussion of a documented symbol dating back years "fake"? What was this organization doing in 2015-16 doing "here" (the USA? DU? The world?) that you think it's doing again?

There is a current discussion on whether Congress should vote to send more support to Israel. If someone sees the Israeli tactics as "genocide" because they kill so many innocent Palestinians (I wouldn't use the word myself - I think Netanyahu sees the killing as a price worth paying, rather than a goal itself), then they'd say any politician is supporting that. US politics is inserting itself in the Israel-Gaza conflict (and always has; so have many countries), not the other way round.

[yardwork]

108. I don't know how I can say any more clearly that I am American-centric.

Shall I jump up and down and shout that I'm being American-centric? I definitely, certainly, intentionally am. This is Democratic Underground, focused on U.S. politics, with probably the most pivotal election of my lifetime coming up.

A documented conspiracy of billionaires, including but not exclusively Putin, interfered in our 2016 elections. This is documented.

I think it's happening again. These same billionaires, give or take various interested parties, are revving up the propaganda and misinformation again. I see it. I saw it in 2015 and I see it now.

I get that the rest of the world has their own issues, entwined to a greater and lesser degree with ours, but this post is about the U.S. election in 2024.

[Cha]

118. Boom. Rec TY

[muriel_volestrangler]

120. You talked of a "global PR campiagn". Yes, the feeling is global. That's why it's not about the US elections next year

Sympathy for 10,000 dead Palestinians is not "propaganda and misinformation". Neither is bringing up the previously-known association of watermelon with the Palestinian cause.

[haele]

75. Pointing out, there's no white inner rind on that watermelon picture.

So it doesn't really depict the Palestinian flag as stated in the definition of that particular symbolism.
Green, White, Red, and Black. Any artist worth paying for that poster would understand the White inner rind must be on the symbol if it were to be justified as a symbol of the Palestinian flag.
Otherwise, it's the symbol of a common racial slur.
Especially when the name of a prominent black politician is in a major position on that poster

Haele

[yardwork]

76. The white ring is also missing in the poster held by the white dude.

The one standing behind the blonde girl wearing a keffiyeh.

So, these posers are holding a symbol of Jim Crow, while shouting slogans that compare Palestine's plight to American slaves. The irony of this is impossible to overstate.

[Mountainguy]

48. If republicans put out anything similar

racism would be the first think that everyone said.

No difference here. Whatever cultural reference it has in Gaza, this is a protest in the US, by Americans, toward Americans. American cultural references and norms are at play, and this is a racist trope.

[bamagal62]

51. WOW. Truly awful people.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

55. I've followed the conflict pretty close

Two days ago was the first I saw the watermelon image - on a page comparing Hamas to the Rebels in Star Wars. A long-standing symbol for Palestinian liberation since 1967? I never saw the PLO waving watermelon flags.

[yardwork]

68. I first became aware of the watermelon motif yesterday.

Last edited Thu Nov 16, 2023, 03:38 PM - Edit history (1)

Various DUers were celebrating a TikToker who created a watermelon filter, supposedly to raise money for Palestinian children.

I had never heard of the watermelon as a symbol of Palestinian support, so I googled it. Most references popped up in the last few days. Interestingly, a pro-Palestine site dedicated to "challenging the bevy of pro-Israel myths" took a deep dive into the question and concluded that it is FAKE.

In other words, an actual pro-Palestine site says that there's no evidence of any widespread use of the watermelon as a pro-Palestinian resistance symbol. The stories about this are made up.

This is what we saw in 2015 and 2016. Fake stories spread by trolls on the internet pretending to be a grassroots movement. It's how Britain got fooled into voting for Brexit and Americans got Trump.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

71. I think Tuesday was the first I saw it

And today was the first I saw an explanation (or any suggestion of history). I've known the keffiyeh has been a symbol of Palestinian resistance for ages. I'm seeing a lot of young white people wearing them all of a sudden as well.

[BannonsLiver]

69. I guess it could have been worse

Given that the people who made it are almost certainly latent Hamas supporters and antisemites.

[mcar]

70. The watermelon isn't racist, it's aspirational

[yardwork]

73. Like happy paragliders!

[mcar]

74. And friendly swastikas

See, it's all perfectly reasonable.

[dalton99a]

78. +1. Watermelon has to be eaten respectfully lest you insult the dignity of Hamas

[mcar]

84. ...

[Behind the Aegis]

85. I would say I am surprised by their ad, but I am not.

Just as I am not at all surprised by those here making excuses for this microaggression, at best, and cultural misappropriation, at worst. When it comes to Israel (and Jews), people will do all kinds of gymnastics to explain away their "concerns", even when using bigoted tropes.

[yardwork]

88. It's another miserable fail by the DSA.

Bless their hearts. They try so hard to be relevant, but they spend so much time arguing in meetings they never really learn anything. Jacobin and The Intercept never seem to give the whole picture.

Who could have known that a cute happy little symbol of Palestinian liberation they were handed by... somebody... a couple of days ago would turn out to be some old symbol of, like, racism against Black people and stuff? And that it would offend Black people when they painted it on a sign accusing Hakeem Jeffries of genocide because ... reasons. And nobody mentioned that the white rind was essential (that wasn't in your email Ashley so shut up ok!!)

I mean, how were they supposed to know? They didn't actually attend their American History classes. Too busy protesting the DNC.

[mathematic]

101. Perfect dogwhistle: accuse Jeffries of "shuckin and jivin", fall back on "oh, new symbol for solidarity"

You'll never convince me that someone in the DSA, someone on the American left, would not know or understand what a watermelon might mean in a Black context. That nobody at the DSA saw that poster and said, uh, maybe we should just use the Palestinian flag for this?

No, they thought they were getting away with one. They thought they were being clever. They wanted to present the idea that Jeffries was being this racial caricature that sucks up to "white" authority.

[yardwork]

105. That's possible but I'm not sure they deserve that much credit.

It's possible, though. Either way, it's not a good look for DSA.

[DBoon]

102. It may not be intentionally racist

as in truly meant to represent a Palestinian flag

But if not intentionally racist, it is certainly clueless and ignorant, which is something that reflects very poorly on the group organizing the event

Being that clueless is a disqualification for any group seeking to be credible

[honest.abe]

110. Apparently a "watermelon" is a long-time symbol of Palestinian solidarity and resistance. I had no idea.

The watermelon — a long-time symbol of Palestinian solidarity and resistance — has reemerged online, at protests and as part of artwork worldwide to support Palestinians as the war in Gaza intensifies.

Why it matters: The red, green, black and white fruit — which matches the colors on the Palestinian flag — has symbolized unity for over half a century. It's now accompanying calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and for greater Palestinian rights.

https://www.axios.com/2023/11/14/watermelon-palestinian-solidarity-symbol

[sheshe2]

113. Read through the thread...

That has been disputed.

[honest.abe]

115. I dont know how it can be disputed. It seems to be a fact with articles and images from all over.

Here's one more:

A history of the Palestinian watermelon
The use of the watermelon as a Palestinian symbol is not new. It first emerged after the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel seized control of the West Bank and Gaza, and annexed East Jerusalem. At the time, the Israeli government made public displays of the Palestinian flag a criminal offense in Gaza and the West Bank.

To circumvent the ban, Palestinians began using the watermelon because, when cut open, the fruit bears the national colors of the Palestinian flag—red, black, white, and green.

https://time.com/6326312/watermelon-palestinian-symbol-solidarity/

[muriel_volestrangler]

122. And the dispute is wrong. We have 2 examples from 2007

in this thread, and many more before 2023.

The watermelon symbolism for Palestine is indisputable. But it's quite reasonable to suggest the artist of the flyer knows the American racist symbolism, and intended that, and wanted to use the Palestinian symbolism as an excuse.

[honest.abe]

129. Yeah that very well could be what is going on here.

[Celerity]

131. the 'dispute' claiming it has not been a Palestinian symbol of resistance for 5 plus decades is illegitimate

[EllieBC]

116. It's been used longer as a racist trope against

African Americans.

It’s not going to suddenly not mean that.

[honest.abe]

117. I get that is but was it intentional??

[EllieBC]

119. Is the DSA that culturally ignorant?

That they wouldn’t think twice about putting a watermelon on the flier of an African American politician they were trying to harass?

If so, literally nothing they say has any value.

[yardwork]

126. I go back and forth on this.

See my other posts in this thread. Yes, some DSAers are that ignorant. But some DUers make a compelling case for this being a deliberate two-part attack on Hakeem Jeffries.

I mean, when you're making a poster telling Jeffries he's guilty of genocide, adding a Jim Crow dog whistle is just one small step more.

Either way, yes, DSA has no credibility.

[honest.abe]

128. Well yeah its also really stupid if they did it on purpose.

Dont get me wrong I am not approving of what they are doing. It makes no sense to attack Democrats on this.

[Cha]

124. It's DSA the Org who Celebrated in Times Square The Day

After HAMAS Snuck into Israel and Slaughtered Innocent People at a Musical Festival for Peace

[Goddessartist]

130. I've known of this symbol for years.

All those twisting its meaning need to educate themselves on the Palestinian cause. I've been following this conflict for 30 years.

My Jewish mil knows this symbol.

Just stop with the accusations of racism.

[Rhiannon12866]

132. Good Grief! What is wrong with some people??