To some, the word “coon” is most recognizable as a racial slur. Yet as South Carolina considers issuing specialty plates with “Coon Hunters” written on them, the president of a raccoon hunting organization there says the term is hardly offensive.
“Coon is a word that’s in the dictionary,” David McKee, president of the South Carolina Coon Hunters Association told TPM. “There are national publications about coon hunting.”
True, the dictionary does define coon primarily as an abbreviation for nature’s mischievous bandits. Yet the online version of Merriam-Webster notes the common derogatory connotation as well. The site defines coon like this…
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