Comments on: Republican Congressman Rep. Davis Refers To Obama As “That Boy”

By: DLS

DLS — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:14:30 +0000

There are dummies who actually say (presumably with a straight face) that Obama is a post-boomer rather than a boomer.

He is young and inexperienced compared to others (which is almost certainly the rationale behind the “boy” remark; can't you PC weenies grow up and examine the rest of what is said, actually form concepts out of context?), and that is what he is trying to sell to people. The “snake oil” remark is suitable, though clumsy; I had a relative attend Obama's Portland appearance, and was called about the total lack of real content and substance in his speech, one sound bite after another (my reply was that a speech by him typically is one long sound bite; all the candidates are the same in this regard, but in Obama's case, so much of his support is PC adoration and cult following). Any false put-down about addressing the PC facts behind the reaction to this is silly, to keep thigns much more kind than they need be.

By: lurxst

lurxst — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:19:54 +0000

In the context he used the term it was meant to belittle Obama, there is no doubt about that. I am younger than both of them but I cringed when I read that. Davis is acting like a moron (which is a term to belittle his intellect).

I think this campaign has really made everyone face up to intrinsic racism present in much of our society. I know there are defenders of this kind of behavior and speech out there, but they are losing their ground.

By: kritt11

kritt11 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:40:46 +0000

It could have been unintentional, but I DO think a politician from the South of Davis' generation most likely IS aware of the history attached to that term.

A Southern white man calling a black man “boy” could be like Allen's “maccaca” moment. I guess if someone hung a noose from a tree they could claim it was innocent also.

By: EEllis

EEllis — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:14:28 +0000

As Ryan said many people can and have used “Boy” and meant nothing derogatory or racist. That being said for a white southern politician to use it in reference to Obama is stupid. It is the height of idiocy and there is no playing it off as anything else.

By: runasim

runasim — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:43:41 +0000

Calling a grown man “boy” has a history, and there is no way Davis can fail to know that.
I think it was an intentional slur.

By: ryan

ryan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:57:17 +0000

This seems to me like another much-ado-about-nothing issue. Is it possible that Rep. Davis is racist? Of course. But without further evidence of other racist statements I think he gets the benefit of the doubt for using Southern slang that applies across ethnic groups. Living far from the South in California, the twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings I hang out with (representing black, white, brown, yellow, and just about every other color there is) occasionally use “boy” in reference to their peers, sports figures, celebrities, etc. of all ethnicities. There is no racist intent – it's simply part of the vocabularly of a generation that grew up well after “boy” was commonly used as a derogatory term.

By: templestark

templestark — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:13:57 +0000

Well, people, his supporters do keep on calling Obama “young” which in anything but a politician – i guess – 46 isn't young.

“Boy,” I'm not sure it's straight up racist – but could be persuaded – but it is pretty damn offensive.

By: Marlowecan

Marlowecan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:16:39 +0000

Joe's "Answers.Yahoo.com" link was very good.

I have heard "boy" used by Southerners in a non-racist way...but there has to be an age difference. That is not the case here. I suspect it was coded racism. But that is just my opinion.

sh0ter makes an excellent point: " The rep. should've known better, but I bet he figured he was safe in a room full of his peers."

I imagine Obama felt the same in San Fran. No where is safe from the "GaffeMeisters" in this election!

I thought this was Obama's "macaca" moment...given that I can't imagine him ever again getting in as sweeping a demographic in one gaffe.

But the year is still young.

Wait till Bill Clinton gets caught in a motal room...

...with John McCain!

By: sh0ter

sh0ter — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:03:44 +0000

Boy will always be synoymous with racism, when it is said from a white person( especially an old southern or rual one), to a black, or mixed race person.

Any attempt to play this off as simply being overly sensitive to PCness is a falure or unwillingess to understand history.

The rep. should've known better, but I bet he figured he was safe in a room full of his peers.