'Sons Of Anarchy' Another 'Shield' Star
Monique Ruffin: Moms Change the World: Kenya Stevens
Ask any black man in this country what they would think if a white man called them "boy," and the answer would be the same: racial insult, degrading and maybe even fighting words.
That word is akin to describing a black person with the N-word.
That's why it's interesting that a $1.75-million discrimination lawsuit verdict in favor of an Alabama black man, who says he was denied a promotion and called "boy" by his white manager, keeps getting overturned. The court says that the white managers use of the word "boy" did not display "racial animosity" and that the use of the word was "conversational."
The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes:
A central issue on appeal is the term "boy" and what it means. The federal appeals court in Atlanta found that the manager's alleged use of the term was "conversational" and amounted to "ambiguous stray remarks" that were not made in the context of employment decisions. The court said it found no evidence of racial animosity.
That ruling has stirred some of the giants of the Civil Rights Movement who are justifiably pissed off.
The court's ruling simply "does not stand the test of history, experience, reality or the common social understanding of race relations in the country, particularly the South."
For decades, the term "boy" coming from a white person's mouth was a way to verbally degrade a grown man. It was a constant reminder that blacks did not have equal standing under the law. It was a reinforcement that there was a legal caste system in place in this country and that black men were at the bottom of that system.
Even if you had gone to college, earned degrees, supported a family, raised up children - achievements and responsibilities that are characteristic of responsible adults - you could still be called a "boy." In fact, it's degrading to call any man a boy.
John Hithon, the worker who filed the lawsuit, knows this. So does every black man in America.
Hithon spent 13 years working in a Tyson chicken plant. He was a low-level manager still doing difficult work. A better opportunity opened as a shift supervisor and Hithon applied but was passed over in favor of two white candidates from a different Tyson plant. Hithon thought that the fact that the manager regularly referred to black as "boys" had something to do with it.
The lawyer in the case was chastised for trying to insert testimony that equated the word "boy" with the word "n*gger."
U. W. Clemon, the first black assigned to the federal bench in Alabama, challenged that decision:
"I'm outraged, because not only does the Supreme Court realize that the word 'boy' can be racially offensive, all you have to do is pick up a dictionary, pull up Wikipedia, and both will indicate that the word "boy" can be used as a racial epithet; it's racially derogatory," Judge Clemon said in a radio interview.
The Supreme Court has rebuked the federal appeals court in Atlanta and a jury has ruled twice in Hithon's favor, and there is historical precedent for the idea that certain words are reprehensible. In Chaplinsky V. New Hampshire, the court held that:
There are certain well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech, the prevention and punishment of which have never been thought to raise any constitutional problem. These include the lewd and obscene, the profane, the libelous, and the insulting or "fighting" words those which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace. It has been well observed that such utterances are no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and are of such slight social value as a step to truth that any benefit that may be derived from them is clearly outweighed by the social interest in order and morality.
I would count the use of the word "boy" in the context of a white man directing it to a black man as one of those words.
Republican Rep. Geoff Davis was forced to apologize to President Barack Obama, after he called him a "boy" who was unequipped to handle national security duties if he was elected president:
"I'm going to tell you something: That boy's finger does not need to be on the button," Davis said. "He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country."
In his letter, Davis acknowledged that his choice of words was "poor," quite an understatement.
Civil rights leaders are doing the right thing by standing up. Far from an obscure lawsuit, this case represents an attempt to rewrite history. If we deny the fact that "boy" has a history as a horribly derogatory word that was used to intimidate, oppress and degrade black men, then it's possible that blatant abuse will once again become acceptable as the law of the land.
Comments: (20)
Add a comment
By: H.W. on 10/26/2010 11:13AM
Boy am I glad I don't have to work under those conditions!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: kirok on 10/26/2010 11:34AM
Sounds like the man from Alabama, keeps getting his big "pay day" lawsuit overturned because it's typical "spin". One mis-spoken word and out of context by a White guy and it's dollar signs galore for this Alabama man. I mean, who are we kidding. It's your typical Black advocates reaching into the past, pulling out antiquated racial epithets that no one uses period and trys to spin it so it is compared to the "N" word, that in actuallity more African Americans throw around more frequent than White people.
"For decades, the term "boy" coming from a white person's mouth was a way to verbally degrade a grown man. It was a constant reminder that blacks did not have equal standing under the law. It was a reinforcement that there was a legal caste system in place in this country and that black men were at the bottom of that system"...... Really??, cause as a White guy, I have not heard that term used since I stopped watching old B&W movies from the early part of the 20th century.
Judge Clemon was "outraged". What did this guy just wake up out of a time capsule for the 1950's or something?
This is why I state of how African Americans have become indoctrinated with all this hype over the years. Of why as a culture, they tolerate the "N" word to be used amongst themselves and yet find it so offensive when a White person even whispers it, and let it be said that I think the word should not be used period.
That can be for another discussion though. Bottom line is people site and claim many things on baseless claims of racism. It has been well documented. The DC Sniper is just one example of where, there was so much outrage from the Black community, that it must be a White person committing these crimes. In the end it ended up being two Black men. Yet, when it was found out, all you heard was crickets chirping, it was so quiet from the Black community. Enough said!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: bestausweh on 10/31/2010 5:09PM
Whites cannot own up to the racism in this country. So it will keep costing us as a society until black people can work and enjoy employment like everyone else being harassed and degraded no matter how outdated the method used may seem.
Report This
By: Greg D. on 10/26/2010 8:34PM
@kirok
"a culture, they tolerate the "N" word to be used amongst themselves and yet find it so offensive when a White person even whispers it, and let it be said that I think the word should not be used period." Oh really? What proof do you have that black culture tolerates the use of the "N" word?
Should I also assume all whites tolerate wife swapping too culturally since it happens among whites. Or is it possible your culture generally rejects it even while it's practiced by some?
The "N" word by itself is only a word. The intelligent person knows any word's effectiveness or (affect)iveness is determined by it's contextual application. If you ignore the historical significance of these words when use by whites and directed toward blacks then yes, YOU would be confused.
You mentioned you've haven't heard that term, "boy" used since old BW movies. So, what you're saying is because YOU haven't heard it, it's use toward blacks doesn't exist. In your world, any experiences blacks have with racism must be filtered through YOU'RE knowledge. It YOU didn't witness it, it doesn't happen. It's frivolous claim that must be rejected out-of-hand. I'm sure you would also agree since you haven't seen God he also doesn't exist. Despite evidence to the contrary. Despite the experiences of others.
YOU (a white man) are in the best position to decide if a black person has been victimized by racism. Wow! Reading the utter arrogance, ignorance and attitude in your words would leave anyone (but you of course) to conclude current claims from blacks of racism are more likely valid than not.
Oh and by the way, I have NEVER EVER heard a racist refer to himself as a racist. Not even the Grand Wizards of the Ku Klux Klan or members of the domestic Nazi parties.
I've always considered it interesting while whites will frequently acknowledge the existence of racism they seldom acknowledge a single instance of it.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: kirok on 10/26/2010 4:14PM
@Greg D.
Greg you expect me to buy that marlarkey. The "N" word has been thrown around like a rag doll by every hip hop artist and black comedian since Richard Pryor. The only time it is chastised by the Black community is when it is questioned by White people as being a double standard. As far as wife swapping well, I've never lived in Utah.
What floors me Greg is the fact of your claim that because I have not witnessed the word "boy" being used in a racist manner is frankly my friend baseless.
I can say for a fact that most Black folks that I know have never been labeled that term. More likely something that they have been told by their elders or have read about.
The fact remains that these names sit on a shelf and can be easily be taken down and used by African Americans at will. As we see with the NACCP claim of racism by the Tea Party. With no subastantiated proof of such, yet because the NACCP says it is, it must be. Another, is the Black professor from Boston who cried racial foul against the Cambridge police. Again with no substantial proof. Because he was Black and the police were involved, it must be so. If I remember correctly, President Obama referred to the Cambridge police dept. as "stupid" before any proof of the allegation was given.
See Greg, I don't need to witness personally to see that racism is used as a false front to other underlying agendas. As with the whole reparation act to pay each African American a million dollars for the opression from 150 years ago or the Black farmers scam, whereby some 40,000 more Black farmers suddenly popped up on the radar to collect there so called "just do".
The reason why most Whites do not claim instances of racism is simply called as I did earlier "the double standard". For a white person to claim racism is by most consirdered "complaining". However, if a White man farts near a Black person, and that Black man cries foul based on race. The whole world stops, here comes Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the NACCP. All looking for some payback. Heads are going to roll. This is an outrage. That White man farted near that Black man because he was "Black".
I'll agree with you though on a person label themselves as racist. The same could be said about Mr Farakan or Mr Shabazz from the "New" Black Panther Party. See I have always considered it funny how these two gentleman spew hate and yet nothing from Black community condeming their action. I can say though, that most White people will condemn the message that the KKK or the domestic NeoNazi party spout. What say you? Enough said.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Greg D. on 10/29/2010 7:36AM
@kirok
Sir, you are missing the point. While making mine. You cite EVERY hip hop artist and EVERY black comedian since Richard Pryor as using the "N" word. Well, I'll bet I've heard more hip hop and black comedians than you. And I can PROVE not ALL of them use the word. You can only cite the ones YOU'VE heard. You make my point when you take a small sampling and use that to represent the whole. Would it be fair for me to take a sampling of, oh let's say, some white racist and claim that behavior represents ALL white people? Apparently, it does using your own brand of logic.
Furthermore you said "What floors me Greg is the fact of your claim that because I have not witnessed the word "boy" being used in a racist manner is frankly my friend baseless."
kirok, I didn't claim that. You said that. Read your own words. Yeah, you should be floored, as was I when you said it.
As for reparations. Who the hell brought that up? The problem here is YOU reject objection by blacks to racism in general. YOU are incapable of an objective opinion weather informed or not. You see YOU'VE taken everything racially related and lumped them all together into this giant ball of stuff you hate. YOU reject anything other than perceived double standard racism as invalid. Even though the evidence of your so-called double standard is very recent at best and barely exist on the sub-atomic level.
YOU would take hundreds of years of history, countless actual examples, dead bodies, burned homes, wrecked lives, court cases, eye witness, photographed and documented, red lined, discriminatory confessed testimony and any other hard evidence and reject it out of hand.
Don't you see MAN! YOUR VERY ATTITUDE GIVE CREDIBILITY TO PRESENT DAY CLAIMS BY BLACKS OF RACISM.
READ YOUR OWN WORDS. LOOK AT HOW YOU THINK AND FEEL ABOUT ALL BLACK PEOPLE! IS IT SUCH A STRETCH THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS THE SAME ATTITUDES ABOUT RACE AS YOU, MIGHT BE IN A POSITION OF AUTHORITY AND MIGHT MISUSE THAT AUTHORITY?
And by the way, President Obama didn't say the Cambridge police department was stupid. His exact quote was "the Cambridge police acted stupidly". There is a difference. Surely, at some point in you life you did something stupid. But does that mean you are stupid all the time? Never mind, on second thought...don't answer that!
Report This
By: mswll4 on 10/26/2010 4:37PM
BLACKS Have been using racial slurs against each other for years. Clean up your own yard 1st:BOY.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: kirok on 10/26/2010 5:08PM
@msw114
My friend and I use that term loosely, I have more respect for Greg D. than you. Greg D can at least have a civilized conversation than spouting moronic crap like your comment.
Report This
By: corrine on 10/27/2010 10:48PM
We are we and you are you. You stay off this blog and let us talk to one another. It ain't you business what "we" call ourselves among ourselves. Now, go, go, go.
Report This
By: alie on 10/27/2010 4:39AM
yes we need to clean up are act but at the same time so do you, by ending your comment Boy shows that you are not prepared to do the same?
Report This