I’m just glad he doesn’t spell it with a “J”
I want to personally thank Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY) for helping to set the reputation of Southern men years back. 31, to be exact.
Saaaaaaalute!
April 15, 2008
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April 15th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Beyond the obviously stupid “boy” comment, I could not figure out what in the hell Davis was talking about. Do they have mock nuclear attack simulation drills for Senators and Congressmen? Or did Davis observe Obama playing some video game and determine he lacked the eye hand coordination necessary to be president?
April 15th, 2008 at 9:06 am
As far as I’m aware, Congressmen do participate in various strategic-level wargames and the like, at least to the degree that their Congressional oversight of such matters would be required. And frankly, I can’t see what all the hubbub is about — Obama’s an extremely young first-term senator who had his seat giftwrapped for him by two simultaneous Illinois sex scandals and his political message resembles nothing so much as snake oil. The last time I checked, “boy” denotes a young man, perhaps particularly one doing something somewhat stupid, and doesn’t carry a racial connotation. I fail to see how what the Congressman said constitutes anything other than a fair assessment of Obama’s candidacy. Or what any of it has to do with an old Smokey and the Bandit episode. But who knows, maybe Congressman Davis and I are just bitter about not having jobs.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Paul-
In the South, a white man calling a black man, even a “young” one, “boy” always carries with it a “racial connotation.”
And let’s be honest, Senator Obama is long past the age to be called anything other than an adult.
The statement was, at a minimum, in extremely poor taste, and the congressman should apologize immediately. He may not have intended to make a racist statement, but that is certainly how it came across.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:30 am
I’ve actually found the backlash, or lack thereof, on this one interesting. To me, this was a rather large and embarrassing gaffe, but my white friends without ties to some semi-rural area in the South don’t quite get it. That would certainly explain why it hasn’t had much news legs — most people just don’t understand the history.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Centinel and Feddie,
As someone from a Southern small town with a semi rural background I am aware that the term “boy” when applied to a black man IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES can have a racial connotation. However, the term “boy “is routinely applied to all males regardless of race. For instance, the phrase “That boy couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn from two feet away” could refer to any male suffering from poor marksmanship. The context is what is important in determining if the use of “boy” was intended as a racial slur.
Nothing in the quote you linked to indicates that the congressman intended to make a racial slur. I suggest we leave the supper sensational PC search for racism to the members of the moonbat left.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Joel,
You know I respect you, but come on. Sure the phrase “that boy” can be used in the context you described, but that is not at all how it was actually used in the situation we are discussing.
Is it really necessary to have a lengthy discussion about whether a white Southern man, presumably in the company of mostly other white Southern man, terming an African-American man in his 40s “that boy” has racist overtones?
(I tend to think that is a rhetorical question).
April 15th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Come on, Joel. You know the difference. You’ve heard it. I agree that “boy” is a rather generic term with common usage, but there’s a context issue that’s too hard to ignore. I find that particular word to be insidious because of its ordinary, workaday nature. Every so often I find myself watching a black football player running down the sidelines and think to myself, “That boy sure can run.” It has taken some thought to accept that I would not have thought the same thing if it had been a white guy. I will grant you that there is a small chance that Rep. Davis did not have any conscious or subconscious racial animus, but you can see how he just alienated a portion of his constituency and gave succor to those who would say the GOP is a party of racists.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
You must also see why I would take any opportunity to link to Sheriff Buford T. Justice.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Centinel,
I see what you mean and I agree that it was probably not the most politic word choice. Nevertheless, I have heard the term used countless times to refer to black and white men of varying ages in the same conversation without any indication that the speakers were trying to convey some racist description. I myself have used the term to refer to males of any and all ethnic backgrounds with no racial intent whatsoever. In fact, I can remember saying of a white man back home “That ole boy sure doesn’t know when to say when.”
As I understand it, the word “boy” has traditionally been understood as a slur when directly speaking to a black man in a demeaning way, such as “Hey boy, pick that up,” or “Listen here boy.” However, using boy to simply refer to another man doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:57 am
CheifManyTypos lives in Alabama, and the only time he has heard a racist refer to a black man as “boy” has been on television. It seems to be an expression used by stereotypes.
Anyhow, when did Kentucky become part of the South?
April 17th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Let’s see, Cheif -
KY gave the world Jefferson Davis, bourbon, and the only SEC school that has historically played basketball worth a d*mn. Bear Bryant coached at UK. You’ve heard of him, right?
It’s not Alabama southern, though, so I hear you. Just sayin’, though.
April 18th, 2008 at 8:52 am
CheifManyTypos has never been as far north as the Union State of Kentucky, so perhaps he should withhold judgment (although the one person from Kentucky he has spoken to sounded like a yankee)