From his comments on racial prejudice in the Australian film scene to his comments on Coon cheese, Josh Thomas has been in the news a lot within the past 24 hours. Earlier today, we reported on Josh Thomas’ 2016 comments regarding diversity in the industry resurfacing, but now we’re shifting gears to something he Tweeted just a few days ago.
On Sunday, Josh Thomas tweeted a stock-photo of a Coon cheese packet with the caption, “Hey Australia – are we still chill with this?” You can see the tweet from the Please Like Me creator here.
Since this image had been uploaded, the post has gone viral and prompted a nation-wide discussion around why the cheese-brand resembles that of a racial slur.
We spoke about the Black Lives Matter movement on this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
Plenty of responders have criticised Josh Thomas for his views with many people calling him “precious” or “stupid.” with one person trying to kickstart the hashtag ‘Leftism is a mental illness.’ Having said that, Josh’s post has attracted quite a few likes and retweets suggesting support for his views.
So why is Coon cheese called “Coon” cheese? The company hasn’t made an official statement following the discourse that has arisen from Josh Thomas’ tweet but their website offers an explanation to where the brand name originates from. According to the Coon cheese website, the “brand name recognises the work of an American, Edward William Coon, who patented a unique ripening process that was used to manufacture the original Coon Cheese.”
The website then goes onto explain, “The manufacturing of Coon Cheese in Australia commenced in November 1935 and continued through to December 1942, when production ceased because of the war. It recommenced in June 1948 at Allansford in the Western District of Victoria, and at Quinalow on the Darling Downs in Queensland. At that time, it was made in traditional red waxed cloth wrapped 7 lb ‘Rounds’. ‘Red Coon’, as it was known, became popular for its mature flavour and texture.”
Josh Thomas is seemingly aware of Coon cheese’s origins as he followed up his tweet by saying, “It’s amazing the respect people have for the name of a man who invented a processing technique of cheese – who died in 1934. And the disrespect they have for Black people.” He has since followed this up with a series of Tweets defending his opinion. These are a few of them.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Australia has had this discussion.
According to news.com.au, Indigenous academic, writer and activist Dr Stephen Hagan had repeatedly protested against Coon cheese’s name, with the most recent instant in 2008. Dr Stephen Hagan didn’t seem to believe the backstory that Coon cheese has provided, telling AAP at the time: “Initially, Dairy Farmers said it was named after Edward Coon, who revolutionised the speeding process of making cheese… If they can prove to me that Edward Coon was a famous cheesemaker, I will drop my campaign.”
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