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[-] clifmo@programming.dev 45 points 1 day ago

In the US south they use a racial slur, because of course

[-] nomy@lemmy.zip 43 points 1 day ago

Mhm, midwest US and N***** Knocking was what we were told it was called, because of course.

It became Ding Dong Ditch once we grew up a little.

[-] doingthestuff@lemy.lol 20 points 1 day ago

Yeah this was my experience. People used the slur n***** knockin' through all of my childhood 70s and early 80's but as a young adult in the 90s it was doorbell ditching.

[-] Zannsolo@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Can confirm as an eighties kid in California

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

i might be a titch younger than you, i grew up in california, hit maturity right around the turn of the millenium and i learned the term when i moved to Utah in my 20s (early 2000s). california's pretty big tho, shasta is not san diego.

my parents and friends all referred to it as doorbell ditching (or ding dong ditching), at least when i was around

[-] FrChazzz@lemmus.org 10 points 1 day ago

I knew it as Ding Dong Ditch and then kids in my neighborhood told me it was called [Hard R] Knocking. This was mid-90s. I also spent ages 10-15 living in a trailer park in Florida, which probably explains this.

[-] nickiwest@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

If it came from the old world as "Knicky Knocky," it would make sense* that the racist US version would sound similar to that.

/* As much as any racist shit "makes sense," of course.

[-] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago
[-] socsa@piefed.social 14 points 1 day ago

Not sure what OP's mom has to do with anything

[-] Fredselfish@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

Rural southern person here we called it Knock, Knock, Dash how is that racist?

[-] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago

I grew up in a very bigoted Southern town that was still firing people from schools for being gay in the 2000s, and they still frown on interracial marriage. The N Word was a regular part of life growing up.

We called it Ding Dong Ditch.

[-] Fredselfish@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

Heard that one too. And I grew up in racist state and town they had open KKK stickers on their bumpers but still never heard a racist version. Which guess I am grateful for.

[-] village604@adultswim.fan 11 points 1 day ago

It apparently used to be called ni**er knocking. I'm in the rural south too, and I've always known it as dong, dong, ditch.

But then again my mom was arrested at a civil rights rally (on the side of black people being equal), so my upbringing might have something to do with it.

[-] Fredselfish@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

Crazy! and my mom and dad are both racist, my dad more so and never heard that version. But probably more my dad being that racist to him probably frown on such behavior or more he was shelter enough never to learn of such things. He did grow up on a farm.

I do unfortunately had tons of racist jokes told to me which sucks having those rattling around in my brain pan.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

sucks having those rattling around in my brain pan.

we aren't responsible for everything what got put into our heads, just everything we pass on from them.

if it helps, sometimes i take that shit, write it down (and burn all evidence of it) to see if it gets it out of the brainpan. like how listening to the song you've had stuck in your head gets it out finally.

[-] mosspiglet@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

In 1980s deep south (not even rural) I definitely heard it called n* knocking.

[-] clifmo@programming.dev 5 points 1 day ago

Your experience does not disprove mine, as a fellow southerner

[-] flandish@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

it’s not. but you’re not the only one down there and you were, apparently, raised right. ;)

[-] Scuzzm0nkey@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Spent some childhood in coastal Mississippi and I can attest this is the case

this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2026
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