The ice cream song you know and love is now racist
Racism Score: 0.9
Do you remember as a child when you heard an ice cream truck? The name of the song was “Turkey in the Straw.” The lovely jingle would make children run and beg their parents for money to purchase ice-cold delectable treats.
On hot summer days the treat needed to be devoured as soon as possible or the melted remanence would be embedded in children’s clothing, in addition to sticky dirty hands.
Nevertheless, the nostalgia of the ice cream truck song brings back great childhood memories.
Now, let us ruin it for you and share with you the dark nature of the song so the song is never the same again!
Ok, that may have been a little harsh and insensitive.
Since people could not leave well enough alone, the ice cream truck song’s last days are upon us. The song will soon be ancient history because you guessed it, the song has been deemed racist.
We believe the song falls into the category of repurposing and reimagining. As in, strip the song of its racist roots, shift the dark past and create an enlightened equitable version. Exactly how the rapper Jibb’s reimagined it.
Catchy song no doubt. Simply, the song has been deracialized. Who would have a problem with the jingle, without the original racist lyrics?
Good Humor ice cream, that is who.
Good Humor ice cream apparently does not believe ignorance is bliss. Per NPR, Good Humor wants to be “part of the solution.”
Good Humor ice cream picked the lowest possible hanging fruit, for the quickest anti-racist win by partnering with RZA to create a new song.
Be that as it may, two things can be true.
- Bringing to light the racist backstory behind the ice cream truck song, a lovely jingle, was unnecessary
- RZA’s version is not bad, but not as exciting as the original
On the “to-do” list of racial reckoning, we cannot imagine the ice cream truck song was high on the priority list for Black people.
Kudos to Good Humor, they deserve an anti-racist participation ribbon.
To be fair, please see the steps below Good Humor and Unilever are taking to enhance equality and inclusion.
Overall, this is like bringing attention to the saying “grandfathered in.”
