The Coon Caricature

The coon caricature is one of the most insulting of all anti- black caricatures. The name itself, an abbreviation of raccoon, is dehumanizing. As with Sambo, the coon was por- trayed as a lazy, easily frightened, chronically idle, inarticulate, buffoon. The coon differed from the Sambo in subtle but important ways. Sambo was depicted as a perpet- ual child, not capable of living as an independent adult. The coon acted childish, but he was an adult; albeit a good-for- little adult. Sambo was portrayed as a loyal and contented servant. Indeed, Sambo was offered as a defense for slavery and segregation. How bad could these institutions have
been, asked the racialists, if blacks were contented, even happy, being servants? The coon, although he often worked as a servant, was not happy with his status. He was, simply, too lazy or too cynical to attempt to change his lowly position. Also, by the 1900s, Sambo was identified with older, docile blacks who accepted Jim Crow laws and etiquette; whereas coons were increasingly identified with young, urban blacks who dis- respected whites. Stated differently, the coon was a Sambo gone bad.