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Ethnophaulism In The Louisiana State Congress

Decent Essays

In 1981, the Louisiana State Senate passed a resolution banning the term “coonass”. The issue addressed in the Senate resolution is related to ethnophaulism and stereotyping. Ethnophaulism is “a derogatory word or expression used to describe a racial or ethnic group”-in this case, the Acadians, or Cajuns (Parrillo, 2012, p. 436). The Senate resolution states that “ ...since World War Two, certain persons commenced using the word “coonass” in referring to an Acadian (Cajun)...”. The book describes this as the “language of prejudice”, or a type of negative stereotype that “reflects the prejudice and bigotry of a society’s past and present.” Majority and minority groups use ethnophaulisms to criticize or “degrade” the outgroup. In this case,

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