This has been on my mind for a while, and not really JW related, but I wanted to share anyhow.
Back in 5th grade (oh so many years ago, right at about 30 years, close to that) anyhow...I had a friend named Alvin. Alvin was black...that never seemed to be an issue for us. However, one day in late spring, Alvin and I were walking home together. Alvin was saying something and I said, "Boy, don't be so ridiculous" or something of that nature. Right away he piped in with "Don't call me boy." I just stared at him confused as he stormed away. Alvin didn't speak to me the rest of the year, and moved away to Gary Indiana that summer.
OK, I'd NEVER heard the term "boy" used in a deragatory manner before. For me, at that time it was like saying "Man, I really liked that movie." Instead I'd say, "Boy, I really liked that movie." I thought he was mad because I called him a boy instead of a man. I was in high school before I figured out that "boy" was a sensitive word for blacks.
What I learned from this, eventually, was that some words can be emotionally charged on the receiving end. I'm a bit more culturally aware than I was back then, and don't refer to blacks as "boy" in any context.
What I hope Alvin could have learned from this, and maybe did later, is that not everything is a racial slur. Get clarification before the leap to the assumption that someone is prejudice like that.
Anyway, that's what's been on my mind for some reason.
Ya'll be cool.