An Urban Legend that Binds Us: The word “Picnic”

[snopes]

Last summer, as my church prepared for their annual church picnic, one of our members suggested to me that we must not use the word ‘picnic' because it has strong ties to lynching Black people. I told my friend that she had been mislead. However, recently I received the following asinine e-mail:

------------------

This e-mail is being sent to you as a public service announcement and as information in the form of a little known Black History Fact. This information can also be found in the African American Archives at the Smithsonian Institute. Although not taught in American learning institutions and literature, it is noted in most Black history professional circles and literature that the origin of the term "picnic" derives from the acts of lynching African-Americans. The word "picnic" is rooted from the whole theme of "Pick A Nigger." This is where individuals would "pic" a Black person to lynch and make this into a family gathering. There would be music and a "picnic." ("Nic" being the white acronym for "nigger.") Scenes of this were depicted in the movie "Rosewood."

We should choose to use the word "barbecue" or "outing" instead of the word "picnic." Please forward this e-mail to your family and friends and let's educate our people.

http://www.blackvoicenews.com/content/view/41888/4/

[Tarquin Farquart]

Isn't the word "barbecue" offensive to the Taino?

[Chloe]

And isn't "outing" offensive to teh gays?

How can "nic" be an acronym for "n!gger'?

[BringTheNoise]

Because logic doesn't apply in the Crazy World of Arthur Br... err, Urban Legends!

[Hans Off]

And "outing" is clearly homophobic.

ETA and results in spankings from Chloe!

[DemonWolf]

Originally Posted by Chloe

How can "nic" be an acronym for "n!gger'?

Because those who are ignorant enough to use racist terms are likely to be illerate as well?

[Dr. Dave]

Originally Posted by Chloe

How can "nic" be an acronym for "n!gger'?

It's nonsense, but maybe the word he was looking for was abbreviation, not acronym. Then it becomes "pick a nig" --> pic-nig --> picnic.

[Ali Infree]

Dr. Dave sez:

It's nonsense, but maybe the word he was looking for was abbreviation, not acronym.

Don't be niggardly in your explanation, lay it all out there.

Ooops

Now I've done it.

Ali "what rot!" Infree

[Ieuan ab Arthur]

Hi All:

I happened to find a little history on the word picnic. However, I can't swear to the accuracy of the research - it does sound a little seedy, if you ask me.

Ta ra 'wan,

Ieuan "nit pic" ab Arthur

[Andrew of Ware]

Originally Posted by Ieuan ab Arthur

Hi All:

I happened to find a little history on the word picnic. However, I can't swear to the accuracy of the research - it does sound a little seedy, if you ask me.

Ta ra 'wan,

Ieuan "nit pic" ab Arthur

Before reading to the end of the thread I looked up the word in my Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and the same origin of the word is given, although it does say that the origins of the word in the 1692 French book is 'unexplained'. The first mention in English is in 1802, but the first English quote they give is from 1866 (but no source is given).

[RealityChuck]

The full OED gives a first cite in English of 1748. It derives from the French pique-nique which dates from from 1718, and is derived from repas à piquenique, which dates from 1694 and roughly means what we would call today a pot luck meal.

Since it's of French origin, it's hard to make a case for any connection with slavery in the US.

[Natalie]

The history of lynching that supposedly supports this is pretty inaccurate, as well. While lynchings were often big outings and sometimes family events, it was rather unusual to just grab a random black person and lynch them. Most of the people killed were targeted for some specific reason. The justification in the white community was usually crime, although there's significant evidence that victims were selected for other reasons, primarily their economic or political achievement or for refusing to "stay in their place" socially.

[BamaRainbow]

Originally Posted by Dr. Dave

It's nonsense, but maybe the word he was looking for was abbreviation, not acronym. Then it becomes "pick a nig" --> pic-nig --> picnic.

Yeah, apparently someone's not familiar with what exactly an acronym is.
An acronym is a term that is derived from the initial letters of a cluster of words, and occasionally becomes an independent word (like "radar" from RAdio Detecting And Ranging). It differs from a general abbreviation as the acronym is normally treated as a word by being sounded as one, such as NATO (spoken as "nay-toe") compared to OAS (spoken as the separate letters "o", "a", "s").
I don't think that abbreviation is quite right in the context, though. I thought there was a "-nym" word that fits the situation, but I cannot, for the life of me, recall the word. Every "-nym" word I've checked fails to match what I'm looking for; it just seems like I remember this from junior high when my English teacher was covering all the "-nyms" (homonym, synonym, antonym, eponym, etc) but I can't find it.
Further, I found a source that lists the French writer Denis Diderot's having used piquenique in one of his Essais sur la peinture (although I can't find an online site to read the listed chapter--Chapter 5 is all the source mentions, if anyone happens to own the work in question). As the Essais were written in the middle of the 18th century, and there weren't a lot of African slaves in France during that era (most were confined to the West Indies colonies like Haiti/St-Domingue, Guadeloupe and Martinique), I would think that any association between a piquenique and hanging anyone (especially the rarity of un Nègre) would have been documented. Certainly the French of the Revolutionary Era were known to enjoy watching public executions while eating al fresco (then again, many Americans weren't averse to making a public execution a type of family outing).

Originally Posted by RealityChuck

It derives from the French pique-nique.

Indeed, but it doesn't make this word less controversial, since the word pique-nique literally translate into "Prick-F*ck" (in modern French).

[NobodyAtAll]

Originally Posted by alsachti

Indeed, but it doesn't make this word less controversial, since the word pique-nique literally translate into "Prick-F*ck" (in modern French).

I tried translating at Babelfish and got 'spade screws.' OMD (O Mon Dieu!)

[Furienna]

I don't believe "picnic" comes from "pick a nigger" either. It really sounds like an urban legend to me.

[damian]

Originally Posted by alsachti

Indeed, but it doesn't make this word less controversial, since the word pique-nique literally translate into "Prick-F*ck" (in modern French).

You wacky French seem to have a different word for everything.

[Furienna]

Well, as far as I know, those words really could have that meaning in French slang.