In our country’s historical memory, who used to pick cotton? Was it primarily slaves that were forcibly removed from their families, physically beaten and intimidated, brutalized psychologically and largely not given the opportunity to receive an education?
Oh, it was?
But yeah, “cotton picking” just is talking about picking cotton! No racial undertones or connotations! Just some cotton picking. And because slavery was outlawed over a century ago, it doesn’t matter whether the phrase harkens back to a historical moment in which human beings were treated as less than human.
Seriously though, sometimes I really think the “Boston is intolerant” narrative is overblown and then I read the comments on this forum. Just because you aren’t personally offended doesn’t mean it somehow meets the standards of acceptability.