"Bud" now racist?
We read:
"Is "bud" the new "boy"? As a black man -- even in a "post-racial America," where a black man now occupies the White House -- I still wonder. Usually the way it happens is I'm somewhere out here in the Windy City, or near my home in the south suburbs, minding my own business, going about the daily fare, when suddenly I hear the annoying call -- "Bud" -- or some similar moniker, dangling from the end of some salutation: "Thanks, bud." "How can I help you, bud?" "What's up, bud?"
Sometimes I am running errands near home -- buying tires, searching at a home improvement store for a toilet flapper valve; or near my office on Michigan Avenue, purchasing a new mailbox; or on a Loop elevator, or in a downtown lobby. And whether it is bud, buddy, boss, pal, pimp, or playa, all of it offends. For I am none of these.
The offenders most often are white, sometimes younger than me and almost always in service or blue-collar positions. Most often it is the "b" word that is used. It feels too informal a title for perfect strangers, especially when I suspect they call other full-grown men sir.
Source
Such forms of address can have genuine intent. The equivalent term among Cockneys (and Australians) is "mate". Cockneys are working-class Londoners. When I bought a newspaper off a Cockney street vendor in London, how I was addressed depended on the paper I bought. If I bought a working-class paper such as the "Sun" or "Mirror", the vendor would say as he took my money "Ta mate" ("Ta" means thank-you). But if I bought the "Times" or "Telegraph", he would say "Ta guv", in recognition of my being one of the "bosses". So "mate" actually conveyed the friendly message "You are one of us". So I think that the black guy above is not considering all the possibilites.
15 comments:
I find his suspicion that people are calling other men "sir" to be rather out of touch. While some (but not nearly all) of my friends and I were raised to do so, and still do for the most part, address our elders as "sir", most of the kids that I have seen and met in this country in my generation (I'm 28) and younger that are non-1st generation immigrants do not use "sir" outside of very formal occasions and instead use bud, pal, bro, etc. It seems to me that in the States that I have lived in the only groups which are consistently teaching their children to address their elders as "sir", or with some other formal term of respect, are the immigrant populations which carry their culture with them and have not fully integrated into American culture yet (be it of an Asian, Hispanic or any other non-Western European culture). While a respectful greeting of one's elders is a social nicety, it does seem to be dieing generally outside of formal use and friendly terms such as pal, bud, mate, etc. are in no way disrespectful even if not what the elder generations are used to and might hope that kids today are being taught.
I am from England where we don't use this expression, but even I know that it is a short form of "buddy", meaning friend. Of course it's a friendly message. Like so many people these days this guy is looking to be offended. What an idiot!
I can still remember as a child the first time the old lady in my local sweet shop calling me "my duck". I was bemused as I don't have webbed feet or a beak, but my mother told me it was a northern England term of endearment, and the lady was being friendly. Thereafter, although I still thought the phrase pretty mad, I took it as it was intended.
Jacob, i'm 66 years old and i still call people i don't know "sir and ma'am". It is simply about respect. And the only time i say "bud" is when i'm ordering a beer.
"Beware of those who cry racism, for they are the true racists"
My son recently traveled to Mississippi and stayed in an old boarding house owned and run by an elderly black man. When my son, who has been in the military, addressed the owner as 'sir', he was bluntly told, 'don't call me sir'. It seems sir was used to differentiate the 'uppers' from the 'lowers' as this man grew up. He wanted to be called simply by his first name as he considered all his guests his equals. Racism will never end until people such as the 'professor' take a lesson from this innkeeper.
To think that racism will end is naive. It is as much a part of human nature as is love, hate, or any other natural emotion. One sure way to diminish it might be to stop making the mere allegation so profitable and newsworthy.
I disagree with the comment that racism is a natural part of human nature. It is fair to say that affinity for those of one's own race is a natural part of human nature, but not racism, which is hostility toward an individual based on his race or racially identifying features. There's nothing natural about bigotry, which is a form of the fallacy of composition.
As for the writer of the article, if being called "bud" bothers him, there are three simple words to remember. The first two are "call me", and the third one is his name or preferred nickname.
Another thought came to mind after my other comment. Terms like bud, buddy, mister, sir, ma'am, and miss are what we resort to when we do not know an individual's preferred method of addressing him or her. "Call me John" straightens that out promptly.
English is not my first language. For some reason it's more natural to be polite in English than in my own language. I almost always use sir and ma'am but I rarely use the polite form of address in my native tongue unless I'm speaking to someone over 75. That might be a cultural thing as we aren't usually so formal, or it might have something to do with the way I feel about English as a language (no need to be so self aware). It's also easier to sweet talk to a lady in English for some reason.
As for bud, if you don't like it just say so. I doubt it's a racial thing. A racist would not use such a friendly term and they would never ask a black guy "what's up". In fact a racist would not make any contact at all unless the customer came directly to them and then they would ask "what do YOU want?". I know, I used to work in a place filled with racists.
That's right, a racist would call you "boy" even if you're 65.
Takes one to know one.
Robert,
Having an affinity for ones own race is considered, by those who constantly look for racism, to be racist, as is everything they disagree with. And all humans are born with a natural bigotry towards anyone who's different. That's not to say it will manifest itself into hostility, but it's there. What's done with it is up to the individual. Reality is not always pleasant, is it.
Also, i did not say the word "bud" bothers me. What i did say was that i choose not use it unless ordering a beverage. Got it?
While I was reading I thought at first that it was merely a request for greater politeness and civility in public discussion. Then came the 'the offenders are white' and 'I suspect they call others sir' bits.
As a child I would never have dreamed of calling an adult by their first name. Teachers were sir or miss or Mr x, Miss x or Mrs x. That seems to have all died away. I still feel a little uncomfortable when my children call our neighbours by their first names but that seems to be just the way of the world nowadays. Race doesn't really enter into it I think, people are merely less formal all around.
Well, if "Bud" is now a racist term, someone tell my Blue & Gold Macaw. Almost every time we enter the room, he says "Hi Bud." My son taught him that, and says it right back to him.
I guess we live in a racial echo chamber.
Please come take this bird away before we "Bud" again!!!
This guy's just looking for something to offend him. If none of the words he mentioned were used, he'd be offended that these people were too impersonal, they don't see him as a person at all. And, that, of course, also is racist.
He should be thankful this is the biggest thing out there to get his shorts in a knot. Once upon a time in the USA people had real problems to fix.
For those to thick to get the sarcasm: this guy is a moron looking to be offended and does not deserve ANY courtesy.
I dont understand, I'm a southern male,but i call everybody buddy, its a slang term for friend, as well as the first name of one of my favourite guitar players, so calling someone friend is wrong? i work in the service industry, and to be fairly honest, i dont care who you are, and barely pay attention to you as a consumer, i just want you to spend your money and leave, so bud is just a generic name cause i dont care to learn yours. If i wanted to offend you i would use alot worse words, and talk about your momma,not call you friend. I could really use some feedback.
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