A word's history
By Brandon Astor Jones
"A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in colour and content ... according to the circumstances and time in which it is used." — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
The Atlanta Journal/Atlanta Constitution in its January 30 issue carried a feature titled "When words get in the way", written by Atlone G. Clarke, a black man from Jamaica. The theme of the article was how words are used as pleasantries or, as is often the case, as derogatory arrows designed to hit and aggravate those "historical wounds" created and left by slavery.
When Clarke walked by Gabinsky, the former's elderly Hungarian neighbour, who said, "Hey there young boy, how is the family doing today?", the term "boy" was not at all derogatory in content or context. I suspect that Gabinsky meant no harm. Nevertheless, when Clarke's other neighbour, Al, who is black, said, "You shouldn't let that man from across the hall get away with calling you 'boy'. He is disrespecting you in a big way.", he was in large part right in a complex sort of way.
For while both Clark and Gabinsky are new to the USA, in their comprehension of that complex lexicon that is English in North America, they have found that the word "boy" does not always mean what it should, especially when it is said by a white man (or woman), no matter how old, to a black man.
Al was absolutely right to bring that point to Clarke's attention; and despite the fact that Gabinsky probably meant no disrespect, more often than not disrespect is inferred (even absent ill intent) because of the term's historical context: whites, for hundreds of years in America and elsewhere, in master-slave context and relationships have referred to men of colour as boys — e.g. "houseboy/cookboy/yardboy" — even when the person of colour is/was old enough to be the white person's grandfather.
Some whites have more than a little difficulty seeing black men in particular, or all men and women of colour in general, as adults. In their myopic visions we are always boys and girls except on those rare occasions when they like to refer to us as "uncle" or "auntie" so-and-so. Such terms are little more than subjugation. It is a widespread demeaning practice.
Even at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center (GDCC) the word "boy" often flows out of the mouth of a 20-something white supervisor, more commonly known as Sergeant McClendon, whose favourite response, when an H-Cell House prisoner calls, is, "Whatcha want boy?" No, he never responded in that manner to me personally, but I heard him use the word "boy" on just about every prisoner in H2 Cell Block, while I was there in solitary confinement recently.
So I agree with all that Clarke's neighbour Al told him; and I am glad Clarke told Gabinsky not to call him "boy". It was the right thing to do.
Moreover, while it can honestly be said that some of the GDCC's prisoners do demonstrate childish behaviour from time to time, there are no "boys" in the prison. I wonder when Sergeant McClendon will figure that out?
[The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He is happy to receive letters commenting on his columns. He can be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G2-51, GD&CC, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA.]