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Chris Christie Uses Term 'Boy' In Heated Exchange At African-American Church

danarhea said:
Here's the deal. It's not that Christie is racist. He isn't. It's not that he's stupid either. He isn't. Let me explain.

In the South, the term "boy" is derogatory, because a lot of white people used to use the term in that fashion when talking to black people. But there are a lot of white people in the North that don't see "boy" in that context. Being from Michigan, I used that word a lot, and of course, there was no intent there to use it in a derogatory way. It is used commonly all the time in the North. "Boy, is it hot out today". "Boy, the Detroit Tigers kicked ass today". "Boy, you better get your act together". Nothing racial in these statements. Of course, the North isn't the South either, but guess what? Christie is from the North. If he was from the South, then due to the history of the usage of the word "boy" there, we might be able to accuse him of something. But he isn't. His use of the word is strictly in a Northern context. In other words, the man is innocent.

Let me tell you what the real problem is here. Many on the left see Christie as an opponent who could give him trouble in 2016, so the mud slinging is starting early. I think Christie should have seen this coming, but now that he has seen it, he is going to really need to watch himself between now and the next election. Dirty politics is here again, but did it ever really go away? LOL.

Article is here.
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Wait, so if a man is born in the North, he is automatically innocent of using the term boy in a racist manner because it's primarily used that way in the South? What a horrible argument. I grew up in Chicago. Almost everybody knew the racial history of that word and I can guarantee that isn't just Southerners who've used in that manner. What nonsense.

Regardless, this, to me, is a story I'm ambivalent about. Whether or not Christie was using the term in a racist manner, he should have known - just by virtue of being a politician - that he shouldn't have said the world. You have to know you're audience. You don't go talking about "anchor babies" to a Hispanic audience, you don't call a black man "boy", you don't accused religious people of "clinging to religion" and so on. It's basic. I don't understand why politicians are so stupid that they can't tailor their words to their audience.
 
Unitedwestand13 said:
He seems more genuine that way, he calls it what he sees it.
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People don't like that. We live in a butthurt society. Everyone takes everything seriously, and you have to be neutral and non-committal to basically everything to be an electable politician.
 
Unitedwestand13 said:
He seems more genuine that way, he calls it what he sees it.
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It's about time someone did, most politicians only say what their scriptwriters want them to say.
 
This is why I respect Christie. He calls it like he sees it and pulls no punches. I don't think he meant it in a racial way at all. Chris Christie is a rare breed of politician that doesn't pander to his party at all. He is one of the most upfront guys I've seen on the political stage.
 
Christie's lucky because any black person intelligent enough to know that it wasn't meant as a racist remark will be/vote Republican anyway.

So he upsets the hood rats who vote Democrat no matter what. Big whoop.
 
Unitedwestand13 said:
He seems more genuine that way, he calls it what he sees it.
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Which used to be a reason that conservatives loved him, when he was being critical of the Obama administration. Once he "called it like he saw it" on Hurricane Sandy, they flipped their ****. They only want honesty when it fits their agenda.
 
Gipper said:
Christie's lucky because any black person intelligent enough to know that it wasn't meant as a racist remark will be/vote Republican anyway.

So he upsets the hood rats who vote Democrat no matter what. Big whoop.
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So, what Gipper is suggesting here that the vast majority of black people aren't intelligent enough to know that, since the vast majority vote Democrat.

And Cephus "likes" this sentiment.

Tell us more about your thoughts of the intelligence of black people, Gipper.
 
danarhea said:
Here's the deal. It's not that Christie is racist. He isn't. It's not that he's stupid either. He isn't. Let me explain.

In the South, the term "boy" is derogatory, because a lot of white people used to use the term in that fashion when talking to black people. But there are a lot of white people in the North that don't see "boy" in that context. Being from Michigan, I used that word a lot, and of course, there was no intent there to use it in a derogatory way. It is used commonly all the time in the North. "Boy, is it hot out today". "Boy, the Detroit Tigers kicked ass today". "Boy, you better get your act together". Nothing racial in these statements. Of course, the North isn't the South either, but guess what? Christie is from the North. If he was from the South, then due to the history of the usage of the word "boy" there, we might be able to accuse him of something. But he isn't. His use of the word is strictly in a Northern context. In other words, the man is innocent.

Let me tell you what the real problem is here. Many on the left see Christie as an opponent who could give him trouble in 2016, so the mud slinging is starting early. I think Christie should have seen this coming, but now that he has seen it, he is going to really need to watch himself between now and the next election. Dirty politics is here again, but did it ever really go away? LOL.

Article is here.
Click to expand...

Let me be further real with you.

I grew up and spent my whole life in the south, granted one of the more northern "southern" states. "Boy" absolutely WAS a racially termed derogatory word in the past, and there absolutely are SOME who are generally older that still use it as such today. However, the vast amount of times I heard the term used in a derogatory way it was more to age/maturity rather than race. It was often used along the same way one would use kid. I can't speak to the deep south, but in the south I grew up in the use of "Boy" in a derogatory or demeaning way only tended to have a connotation of race in the instances where outside people were TELLING us that it did. At least around the places of Virginia I grew up, "boy" was a term meant to degrade and devalue based on age or maturity, not on race. That may've been different 40 years earlier, but that was what I've seen for the past couple decades.

On a personal level, it's actually a term of endearment coming from my 15 years older Uncle. Ever since I can remember, up until today with me being almost 30, he would routinely refer to me as "Boy". My best bet is, with him being a Simpsons fan, that it grew out of Bart/Homer.
 
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danarhea said:
Here's the deal. It's not that Christie is racist. He isn't. It's not that he's stupid either. He isn't. Let me explain.

In the South, the term "boy" is derogatory, because a lot of white people used to use the term in that fashion when talking to black people. But there are a lot of white people in the North that don't see "boy" in that context. Being from Michigan, I used that word a lot, and of course, there was no intent there to use it in a derogatory way. It is used commonly all the time in the North. "Boy, is it hot out today". "Boy, the Detroit Tigers kicked ass today". "Boy, you better get your act together". Nothing racial in these statements. Of course, the North isn't the South either, but guess what? Christie is from the North. If he was from the South, then due to the history of the usage of the word "boy" there, we might be able to accuse him of something. But he isn't. His use of the word is strictly in a Northern context. In other words, the man is innocent.

Let me tell you what the real problem is here. Many on the left see Christie as an opponent who could give him trouble in 2016, so the mud slinging is starting early. I think Christie should have seen this coming, but now that he has seen it, he is going to really need to watch himself between now and the next election. Dirty politics is here again, but did it ever really go away? LOL.

Article is here.
Click to expand...

No it's not! You bought in to that propaganda way too much.
 
Using the term "boy" towards an African-American man CAN have extremely derogatory connotations when used in certain ways. THIS was not one of them. "Boy" was used in the past to make reference to AA's as being "less than a man" in the eyes of racist whites primarily in the South. It is still used by racists today in the same manner. To say that Christie was referring to the man in this way does injustice to situations in which it really IS used as a derogatory racist comment.
 
Zyphlin said:
Let me be further real with you.

I grew up and spent my whole life in the south, granted one of the more northern "southern" states. "Boy" absolutely WAS a racially termed derogatory word in the past, and there absolutely are SOME who are generally older that still use it as such today. However, the vast amount of times I heard the term used in a derogatory way it was more to age/maturity rather than race. It was often used along the same way one would use kid. I can't speak to the deep south, but in the south I grew up in the use of "Boy" in a derogatory or demeaning way only tended to have a connotation of race in the instances where outside people were TELLING us that it did. At least around the places of Virginia I grew up, "boy" was a term meant to degrade and devalue based on age or maturity, not on race. That may've been different 40 years earlier, but that was what I've seen for the past couple decades.

On a personal level, it's actually a term of endearment coming from my 15 years older Uncle. Ever since I can remember, up until today with me being almost 30, he would routinely refer to me as "Boy". My best bet is, with him being a Simpsons fan, that it grew out of Bart/Homer.
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My dad called my brothers and I boy our wholes lives. I'm 44 and I still get called boy by people older than me. It's not to degrade, or devalue me because of my age.
 
apdst said:
No it's not! You bought in to that propaganda way too much.
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I've lived my last 40 years in the South, and I have seen it used that way quite often.
 
disneydude said:
Using the term "boy" towards an African-American man CAN have extremely derogatory connotations when used in certain ways. THIS was not one of them. "Boy" was used in the past to make reference to AA's as being "less than a man" in the eyes of racist whites primarily in the South. It is still used by racists today in the same manner. To say that Christie was referring to the man in this way does injustice to situations in which it really IS used as a derogatory racist comment.
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Had to quote this post to like it enough. Don't normally say this to you, but well said. CAN Boy be used in a racist manner? Absolutely. But when you label situations where it's clearly not the case as "racist" all you actually do is devalue the notion for when it ACTUALLY is applicable.
 
sangha said:
How does that distinguissh him from every other well-known republican?
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Other than another message radifying your unqualified partisanship in all perspectives, does ^ that message have any value whatsoever?
 
"Boy" is derogatory? News to me.
 
danarhea said:
I've lived my last 40 years in the South, and I have seen it used that way quite often.
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But not absolutely, as you suggested in the OP. Yes?
 
I think the only time I've heard "boy" used, in a racially derogatory manner, was in the movies.
Besides that, living in both rural and urban parts of Georgia, I've never heard it used it such a way.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
I think the only time I've heard "boy" used, in a racially derogatory manner, was in the movies.
Besides that, living in both rural and urban parts of Georgia, I've never heard it used it such a way.
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It's another one of those Left wing myths that have taken root in our society.
 
apdst said:
It's another one of those Left wing myths that have taken root in our society.
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I think it could be one of those "**** people not from the South, belief about the South" things.
I've heard my fair share of racially insensitive/offensive comments before and I can't think of a single instance of ever hearing "boy" used like that.

I know they use it in the movies and I know it was used a long time ago in a demeaning manner, I just don't think it had the legs of other words.
 
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