Our counterparts love recycled, fashionable, brightly-colored (and overpriced) designer plastic bags. But we African Americans love the good old-fashioned plastic grocery bag. Erykah Badu, in her infinite wisdom even sang about it in her song, Bag Lady. Think about it, I know you have a plastic grocery bag collection somewhere in your home. Some of these collections have been handed down from generation to generation, which explains why you still have some Piggly Wiggly grocery bags in the kitchen pantry, even though the last one in town went out of business 5 years ago- (this does not apply to the deepest southern counties of Georgia, which continue to hang on to their Piggly Wiggly’s for dear life). The common plastic grocery bag has a myriad of uses in the African-American household. Most frequently they are used as
- Shower caps, conditioning treatment caps, or rain scarves
- A purse/attaché case
- A suitcase (although large plastic lawn bags are used most often for this purpose)
- Rain boots
- Windshield wipers
- Gloves
- A clothes hamper
- Beach bags
- Lunch boxes
- Alternate trash bags (especially in the bathroom)
- Murder weapons
- Gift wrap
- Pillows/pillow stuffing
- A Halloween or armed robbery mask
- A temporary window (must be accompanied by duct tape)
- A book cover
- A flag
- A mail pouch
- A dust cloth
- A bag to hold all of your other plastic grocery bags
- Economical packaging for illegal narcotics
There are, of course other traditional uses for the common plastic grocery bag, such as carrying groceries or collecting pet poop, but this list is specifically compiled from observation of African-Americans. I challenge our readers to send in more examples of ways that WE use plastic grocery bags- as a matter of fact, send ME some more plastic grocery bags, my supply is getting low….
13 responses so far ↓
1 chrissy snow // Apr 4, 2008 at 12:26 pm
i didn’t see trashbags up there…..lol that is what i use em for…..
2 Buena717 // Apr 4, 2008 at 2:02 pm
lol! -This is my confession: I am guilty of 70% of these. Got some good ideas from the other 30%…
3 clayizaiken // Apr 4, 2008 at 11:08 pm
ayo, this is true story– when we used to run outta trash bags back in the day and had to put our garbage in a plastic bag hangin off the doorknob in the kitchen, my pops would call it a ‘Puerto Rican trashcan’!!!!
This one is funny, yo…
4 Jody // Apr 6, 2008 at 12:34 am
L M M F A O I think I just made up an acronym but this article is well deserving of new words. Wow, “murder weapon”, I love how you just sandwiched that in between trash bags and gift wrap and kept it moving… lol! Yes, my family is guilty of many of those uses, no murder tho lol. I seriously moved back home with stacks of plastic bags, one suitcase! lol, I love this, thanks for the laugh.
5 Anonymiss // Apr 10, 2008 at 9:40 am
LOL! I’m guilty of doing 65% of the list. Especially for trash bags. I haven’t used an actual trash bag in months cuz of my supply of plastic bags.
My BF (a Puerto Rican; LOL at “Puerto Rican trash can”) really got me into it cuz I was only using it for the bathroom. One day I was like “Why don’t we use the trash bags I bought?” He’s like “For what?” and then proceeds to whip out a trash bag, shake it out, and line the trash can with it. LOL!
6 ddsprncs // Apr 12, 2008 at 1:51 pm
ok this is too ture. we do most of these. When we start running low, Its time for a shopping trip to WalMart where they bag one item per bag, a great way to replenish my supply
7 Leah // Apr 16, 2008 at 10:11 am
This one is totally true. My (white) boyfriend went through my kitchen and collected six plastic bags worth of plastic bags stuffied inside. He told me we should bring them to the local co-op who reuses them. I refused, insisting that i NEEEEEED these plastic bags. I have done just about everything on the list above (even a murder weapon against bugs). I dont know about a flag, but how about a parachute?
8 ph2072 // Apr 21, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Hilarious! I have 2 bags filled with plastic bags!
9 Nilla Bean // Apr 26, 2008 at 11:20 am
I have definitely learned something new this year! Puerto Rican trash can, OMG! I grew up in Jersey and my Mom taught in Patterson, but this is the first I’ve ever heard of this term or practice…. Our readers are priceless indeed!
10 Nilla Bean // Apr 26, 2008 at 11:22 am
Yes Leah,
I have actually used a plastioc bag as a parachute. Well, not quite for me, but I did replace the parachute on one of my military parachute guy toys with one. Didn’t work too well, but it was still entertatining!
11 Amanda // May 29, 2008 at 8:11 am
I’ve been testing these out on some black friends “do you collect plastic bags? …Yes why?” so far they have all been correct and they think I’m psychic now.
12 MCM // Jul 16, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Ha ha ha! I totally do the shower cap/conditioning treatment cap!
Some black people like to use large plastic bins for suitcases as well… I’ve seen it more than the grocery bag.
13 imhotep // Jul 23, 2008 at 7:33 pm
We love the plastic bag. It has a 1001 uses and most importantly its free. Also subconsciously its better than walking around empty handed. I on many occasions have seen walking black men get detained by the police almost always empty handed. I ‘ve also seen very similar looking individuals WITH a plastic bag not even noticed by the police. The Plastic bag gives the Black man the power of invisibility. Empty black hands signal = potential criminal, roaming, wild
Black man with plastic bag changes that equation to = Poor, homeless, late for low paying job, running for a bus, invisible.
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