Updated Handbook of Racial Code Words: Your child's school lunch and the subtle racism of peanut butter

Lori Ziganto | 2:01 PM on September 10, 2012

No, really. This has moved beyond slack-jawed incredulity into total self-parody territory.

The food at my kids' schools hates everyone. Disgusting. RT @bdomenech: Your kid's school lunch is racist. http://t.co/dy5foFuD

— Melissa Mackenzie (@MelissaTweets) September 10, 2012

What is racist about a child’s lunch, one might ask? Peanut butter and jelly, of course! You racists probably even use black currant jelly sometimes. On white bread.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES ARE RAAAAACIST!!!! http://t.co/AfPeVD3a

— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) September 10, 2012

Portland Schools beat the drum 4 equity http://t.co/tpmLncB4 Critical Thinking: Peanut butter sandwich is racist because of White Privilege

— Nancy Pelosi is SATAN ?⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@drdrjojo) September 10, 2012

https://twitter.com/RickMoore/status/244988542567211009

That’s right. The Handbook of Racial Code words does not just include nefarious terms like “kitchen cabinet” and “chair.” Now it exposes the “subtle racism” of … peanut butter.

The Portland Tribune, in an article titled “Schools beat the drum for equity,” reports (hard to keep a straight face typing that) on the “subtle language of racism” discovered by principal Verenice Gutierrez every day. Every. Day!

Take the peanut butter sandwich, a seemingly innocent example a teacher used in a lesson last school year.

“What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches?” says Gutierrez, principal at Harvey Scott K-8 School, a diverse school of 500 students in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood.

“Another way would be to say: ‘Americans eat peanut butter and jelly, do you have anything like that?’ Let them tell you. Maybe they eat torta. Or pita.”