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Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Kamala Harris And The Terms "Coconut Tree" & "Coconut Pill" (definitions and comments)

 

GOP War Room, May 10, 2023

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Updated July 26, 2024

This pancocojams post showcases a brief 2023 video clip of United States Vice President Kamala Harris giving a speech that includes the now viral quote "Do you think you just fell out of a coconut tree". 

This post presents an article excerpt explaining that "fell out of a coconut tree" statement and selected comments about that "coconut tree" and some other "coconut" that are related to Kamala Harris.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and political purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Kamala Harris and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/07/kamala-harris-and-british-slang-terms.html  for the related pancocojams post entitled "Kamala Harris And The British Slang Terms "Brat" And "Brat Summer" (videos & information)."

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This pancocojams blog isn't neutral about the 2024 national election in the United States. I strongly support Kamala Harris for President of the United States and will only publish content that is positive about Kamala Harris and the 2024 Democratic campaign for President/Vice President of the United States.   

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WHAT "COCONUT TREES" MEAN IN THE CONTEXT OF KAMALA HARRIS
From  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km1Rkm0pHO4, "The Obamas Endorse Kamala Harris, posted by Kamala Harris, July 26, 2024
@AlfCalson, July 26, 2024
"Kamala Harris made her “coconut tree” remarks on May 10, 2023 at the White House while swearing in the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.

“My mother used to — she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’” Harris said, while laughing. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” "

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From https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/07/21/kamala-harris-coconut-tree-quote-explained-what-she-meant-and-why-its-going-viral-as-biden-drops-out/ "Kamala Harris’ ‘Coconut Tree’ Quote, Explained: What She Meant And Why It’s Going Viral As Biden Drops Out"

Conor Murray, Jul 21, 2024,02:48pm EDT

Murray is a Forbes news reporter covering entertainment trends.
"TOPLINE A bizarre quote by Vice President Kamala Harris—“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”—is going viral once again as President Joe Biden drops out of the race following his rough debate performance, adopting coconut emojis and other memes inspired by the quote on social media to (possibly ironically) demonstrate support for Harris.

Harris’ quote: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you,” which she said at a White House event last year, has become an ironic slogan in support of the vice president as various Democrats, newspaper editorial boards and more call for Biden to step out of the race.

Supporters of Harris taking over the ticket have embraced the long-viral meme, even referring to her potential presidential candidacy as “Operation Coconut Tree.”

Several users used the meme to defend Harris as their pick over Biden, instead of a different candidate at a possible open convention, pointing out another candidate “can't just fall out of a coconut tree.”

Some supporting Harris over Biden have said they’re “coconut-pilled,” even using the coconut emoji in social media posts or their display names on X, formerly known as Twitter, to demonstrate support for the vice president.

[…]

WHY DID HARRIS SAY THE “COCONUT TREE” QUOTE?

Harris made her “coconut tree” remarks on May 10, 2023 at the White House while swearing in the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. Harris spoke about the importance of equity in education policy, noting that not all students are offered the same opportunities to succeed, depending on financial resources and the environments they are raised in. She said “none of us just live in a silo” and “everything is in context,” adding that creating educational equity also depends on providing for the needs of parents, grandparents and communities, before telling a personal anecdote near the conclusion of her speech. “My mother used to — she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’” Harris said, while laughing. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”

KEY BACKGROUND

The “coconut tree” quote had already gone viral on social media, particularly TikTok, on which thousands of users have posted videos using Harris’ remarks as the audio. Users made jokes about Harris’ change in tone from lighthearted to serious before and after the “coconut tree” sentence and how the quote makes little sense out of context…. One user said the clip sounds like “me and my friend having two separate conversations on two different apps at the same time,” poking fun at how the quote is seemingly nonsensical out of context. Rapper Doja Cat tweeted part of Harris’ quote last month. The quote has also been used by Republicans and Harris’ detractors as a point of criticism. The GOP War Room YouTube account, which posts clips of Democratic politicians appearing to make gaffes or slip-ups, posted a video of Harris’ “coconut tree” quote on the day she made the remarks, which has since garnered more than 137,000 views."...

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THE SAYING "YOU DIDN'T JUST FALL OUT OF A COCONUT TREE" ISN'T THE SAME AS THE  PEJORATIVE USE OF THE WORD "COCONUT"
The saying "You didn't just fall out of a coconut tree" has a different etymology (origin) than the use of the word "coconut" as an racial or ethnic slur.

Here's a quote from a 2020 United Kingdom article entitled "Calling someone a “coconut” or an “Oreo” is unbelievably offensive, but it still happens all the time", written by Priyankaa Joshi

https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/coconut-racial-slur/490585

"Terms like “coconut” and “Oreo” – meaning brown on the outside, “white on the inside” – are still thrown around to describe Black and brown people who don’t conform to reductive cultural stereotypes.

[...]

While 77% of Britons who took part in the aforementioned YouGov poll said making assumptions about someone’s behaviour based on their race is a form of racial discrimination, people of colour in the UK are still constantly reduced to outdated racial stereotypes. Terms such as “coconut” and “Oreo” are glaring examples of this.

A “coconut” or an “Oreo” is someone who is Black or brown on the outside and “white on the inside”... These terms are levelled at people of colour who don’t act, speak or dress in a way that’s considered “authentic” to their race. They might seem harmless, unlike the N-word or P-word which are well-established as racial slurs, but they’re reductive, demeaning and they propagate the idea that there’s only one correct way to be a person of colour."...

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT THE GOP WAR ROOM YOUTUBE ACCOUNT,

(This is the YouTube account whose publication of Kamala Harris' "coconut tree" quote is used in this blog post.)
 
Here's the "About" statement for that GOP War Room account:
"About:
GOP War Room: “Exposing the lies, hypocrisy, and failed far-left policies of Joe Biden and the Democrat Party. Managed by the Republican National Committee.”

-end of quote-

This GOP War Room post was published to poke fun at VP Kamala Harris. It appears to me that prior to July 21, 2024 (the date that President Joe Biden dropped out of the race for 2024 President of the United States and endorsed Vice President (VP) Kamala Harris as the 2024 Democratic nominee for President) most of the commenters in this discussion thread were Republicans. However, after July 21, 2024, a significant number of Democratic commenters and people who are sympathetic to Democratic positions began commenting in that discussion thread. These commenters "flipped the script",  turning what Republicans intended to be a derisive video and a derisive use of "coconut tree" to something that they (and I) consider to be quite positive. 

Democrats also appear to have created other positive terms/memes from VP Harris' "Coconut tree" comment such as "coconut pill” and coconut army”.

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS SHOWCASED VIDEO THAT EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF "FALLING OUT OF A COCONUT TREE" OR REFER TO "FLIPPING THE SCRIPT" REGARDING KAMALA HARRIS' "COCONUT TREE" STATEMENT

1. @user-cr1iz8fw6h, July 12, 2024
"It’s a very common saying in South India lol. There’s a lot of coconut trees there."

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2. @balala5430, July 21, 2024
"Can someone PLEASE tell me the meaning of her quote? I don't quite understand it"

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Reply
3. @dylanholm9995,July 22, 2024
"@PatrickS.Tomlinson that’s not the point my guy… she’s saying that everything has context and happens because of something that has happened in the past. It’s the basis for dialectical materialism"

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4. @P0l1ux, July 23, 2024
"@balala5430  Basically its saying that all aspects of human existence, the way we feel, think, act, the conditions we live in and the conditions others live in, are based upon the events that happen in and around us. We don't just suddenly spawn on the planet, the planet and its history moulds who we are.

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5. @CJShrader< July 22, 2024
"This is so funny that you posted this thinking it's an attack on her, when it's become a rallying cry."

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6.@videoselections3421,July 22, 2024
"Literally love how dumb the RNC is that they consider this oppo research instead of the most kickass clip of all time"

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7. @franklinbadge1215,July 22, 2024
"The right doesn't have any dirt on her, so expect clips like these to circulate while they grasp desperately at things to criticize, like her laugh or her use of analogies"

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8. @waytoobiased, July 22, 2024
"also expect boatloads of sexism and racism"

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9. @ksommerh12, July 22, 2024
"I love that this line of attack is completely backfiring"

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10. @tadeas_uncut, July 22, 2024
"i dont get the coconut tree part somebody explain pls"

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11. @gladigatorrawr1480,July 22, 2024
"Basically saying you didn't just "pop into existence"

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WHAT "YOU DIDN'T FALL OUT OF A COCONUT TREE" MEANS
1. @IceFire9yt
"Americans are about the to realize that they exist in the context of what they live and what came before them"

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2. @mikerains9520
"I exist in the context of all in which I live and what came before me."

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS SHOWCASED VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JWR29RT5sw  published by GOP War Room, May 10, 2023

These selected comments don't include any examples before July 22, 2024, the day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the campaign for the 2024 United States Presidency and endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris.

This comments are presented in relative chronological order with the oldest comments given first except for replies. 

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

July 22, 2024

1. @timidcrayonbox
"ITS COCONUT TIME "

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2. @oakwood1041
MADAME PRESIDENT

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3. @lovenara1
"COCONUT ARMYY"

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4. @thefIyingace
"i’m joining the coconut army"

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5. @IDoThings490
"Billions must take the coconut pill"

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Reply
6. @mmps18
"I'm officially coconut pilled"

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7. @w0000z
"It's happening, y'all. It's time to take the coconut pill."

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8. @AlexanderM.-rm6lu
"Just fell out of the tree"

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Reply
9. @astrobabecosmicwaves7587
Coconut pill already taken

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10. @milandalosur1850
""

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11. @thewolfPrince
NOTHING BUT RESPECT FOR MY PRESIDENT

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12. @meredith15832
"Coconut Head 2024"

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13. @BrandonConrady
"Coconut regimers rise up"

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14. @afriendofepicproportions
"I have taken the coconut pill

Kamala 2024"

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15. @kilomillensimus9379
"Sounds about right to me, whose mom doesn't use weird folksy metaphors to lecture them about something important? I'd vote for her."

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16. @Lucy-fn9rj
"it’s so weird that a video from gop war room made me like kamala harris"

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17. @MeatGoblin88
"I like it how the GOP uploads this out of context to make her look silly but in reality it just makes her more likeable"

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18. @Elim95-ot5di
"Get ready for what can be, unburdened by what has been.

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19. @djathome2915
"Coconut army REPRESENT"
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Reply
20. @Elim95-0t5di
"🫡"

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21. @only-mint
"WE DID IT COCONUT TREE BROS"

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22. @unlucky46th
"The arc of the coconut tree Is long but It bends towards Justice."

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23. @hugocruz1889
"COCONUTS FOR BIG SISTER GENERAL 2024"

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24. @user-cn8vj5rs5c
"Take the coconut pill"

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25. @sleepygirr
"Coconut Tree 2024"

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26. @HyperionGamingTOPKEK
"Im such a contextpilled coconutcel its insane"

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27. @CemeteryDriveClown
COCONUT WAVE

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28. @illegalpants
""

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29. @margaretemuller8345
"Who else will choose the withered ? Choose coconut!"

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30. @slurmophidalfellatroskob
"Sound the Kamalarm!!

I am so coconut-pilled for MADAME PRESIDENT!!

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31. @joachim5080
"Haha this is Backfiring big time for MAGA - people love it. No problem with "

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July 23, 2024

32.@AlEl2908
"COCONUT NATION"

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A FEW OTHER EXAMPLES OF COMMENTS ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS AND COCONUT TREES OR OTHER COCONUT MEMES/TERMS

From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsOYQfC2ct4

1.@maga7155, July 23, 2024
@@DasMartins You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you

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3 comments:

  1. Azizi PowellJuly 24, 2024 at 11:03 AM

    It should be noted that the terms "coconut tree", "coconut pill", "coconut army", and "coconut nation" as they refer to Kamala Harris don't have the same etymology (origin) and meanings as the use of the word "coconut" (brown on the outside and white on the inside) to disparage a brown skinned person.

    The coconut slur is the same as calling people "oreos". "Coconut" has particularly been used for decades as a pejorative referent for people of South Asian, Pacific Islander, indigenous Australian, Latino, or mixed race (Black/non-Black) ancestry.

    Instead of that etymology "falling out of a coconut tree" and the other coconut terms/membe that are associated with Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris have their origin in an Indian (South Asian) and folk saying.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Azizi PowellJuly 24, 2024 at 4:09 PM

    Here's an example of the term "coconut train", another example of a term that is derived from the "coconut tree" meme:
    From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fczFkJFDVwULIVE "Kamala Harris gives KEYNOTE SPEECH at Sorority Event" posted by Meidas Touch Network, July 24, 2024

    @SkycometFallen
    @GraitBritton absolutely! The left is fired up! We have hope for the first time in a long time! Coconut [insert emoji of a coconut] train [insert emoji of an old fashioned train] time"

    -snip-
    Here's that podcast's summary statement: "U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris deliver remarks at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.’s Grand Boulé event."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Azizi PowellJuly 24, 2024 at 5:12 PM

      Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. is a historically Black Greek letter sorority. That sorority's "Grand Boule" is a yearly (?) conference for members of that sorority. Here's information about Zeta Phi Beta, Inc. from www.zphib.org "Zeta Phi Beta, Incorporated was founded in 1920 on the campus of Howard University, and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Zeta has initiated a diverse membership of more than 130,000 college-educated women with more than 9000 chapters in North America, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East."
      -snip-
      Kamala Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, the first historically Black Greek letter sorority that was founded in 1908. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sororities are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) that was founded in 1930. The NPHC serves as an umbrella governing body for five historically Black Greek letter fraternities and four historically Black Greek letter sororities. Those organizations are informally known as "the Divine Nine".

      All of those organizations will undoubtedly provide strong support for Kamala Harris' candidacy for the Democratic President of the United States.

      Delete

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