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Where does the word "Honky"(white person slur) originate?
I am and never will be offfended by this word, but I am curious what it derives from.
13 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
The word "honky" as a pejorative for caucasians comes from "bohunk" and "hunky". In the early 1900's, these were derogatory terms for Bohemian, Hungarian, and Polish immigrants. According to Robert Hendrickson, author of the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, Black workers in Chicago meat-packing plants picked up the term from white workers and began applying it indiscriminately to all Caucasians.
Honky, was later adopted as a pejorative meaning white, in 1967 by black militants within SNCC seeking a rebuttal for the term n i g g e r (i.e. playa). They settled on a familiar word they felt was disparaging to certain Americans of European descent; hunkie meaning an American of Slavic or Hungarian descent.
- glowLv 61 decade ago
The word "honky" as a pejorative for caucasians comes from "bohunk" and "hunky". In the early 1900's, these were derogatory terms for Bohemian, Hungarian, and Polish immigrants. According to Robert Hendrickson, author of the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, Black workers in Chicago meat-packing plants picked up the term from white workers and began applying it indiscriminately to all Caucasians.
Honky, was later adopted as a pejorative meaning white, in 1967 by black militants within SNCC seeking a rebuttal for the term ******. They settled on a familiar word they felt was disparaging to certain Americans of European descent; hunkie meaning an American of Slavic or Hungarian descent.
Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honky - 1 decade ago
The word "honky" as a pejorative for caucasians comes from "bohunk" and "hunky". In the early 1900's, these were derogatory terms for Bohemian, Hungarian, and Polish immigrants. According to Robert Hendrickson, author of the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, Black workers in Chicago meat-packing plants picked up the term from white workers and began applying it indiscriminately to all Caucasians.
Honky, was later adopted as a pejorative meaning white, in 1967 by black militants within SNCC seeking a rebuttal for the term ******. They settled on a familiar word they felt was disparaging to certain Americans of European descent; hunkie meaning an American of Slavic or Hungarian descent.
- ?Lv 45 years ago
i think it extremely is a racist fact additionally. only think of how a white baby-kisser may well be vilified if he have been to make statements referencing "familiar black human beings". because of the fact of our previous historic past in this usa related to race family there now exists a double everyday. there's a thought held with the help of many that all white everybody is racist in some regard no be counted if or not they're going to admit it or not. an identical human beings have confidence that minorities at the instant are not racist, yet are extremely only reacting to all of the years of oppression. once you couple this with the sense of guilt some human beings sense in our society related to previous historic past it turns into an extremely useful gadget to discredit the competition whilst issues are unlikely the form you like them too. Now it may well be silly to disclaim that racism would not nonetheless exist because of the fact it actual does, however the generic public do not prepare or condone such habit. human beings ask are we waiting for a minority President in this usa. i think the respond is definite, yet we could continually provide up all of the pointless costs of racism and agree that we are all only human beings and epidermis colour determines not something. A minority President could have the means to symbolize all of the folk extremely and the folk could have confidence that this may well be case, yet neither can take place if the candidate in question isn't keen to exhibit the utmost ethical and ethical standards in this section. meaning you are able to't proceed institutions with glaring racists and you are able to't make racist statements. Martin Luther King reported it maximum suitable whilst he reported that he believed anybody could be judged with the help of the content fabric of their character and not the colour of their epidermis. all of us could re-learn and take a lesson from this truism.
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- 1 decade ago
This is going to sound stupid, but I understand it was because white people would drive through the 'hood honking at all the blacks (Probably in derision, I really don't know why) and thus we got the name honkies, I don't find it defensive at all, I really think it is funny.
- 1 decade ago
It referenced Southern Slang. They thought our voices were whiney and slow. They derived the word "honky" from this somehow.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
I hear it come from car horns! Men used to drive over to pick up the color help and they would refuse to get out of the car - they would sit outside and HONK for the servant. OR white men would drive to predominately black areas and sit just outside the area and honk their horn - this meant they wanted a black hooker or drugs.
The term will never offend me either.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
I heard it was a reference to the way northerners "honk" through their noses when they speak. That's why I find it offensive. Otherwise the spear chuckers cans say whatever they want.
- 1 decade ago
When slavery was in vogue in America, Americans still spoke with the accents of their origins (England).......The Africans had a more guttral tone in their speach where as the "English" had a more nasal tone........therefore; Honking as they spoke......
- xLv 71 decade ago
My understanding was that it referred to the more nasal tendency in white folks' speech -- honking, if you will.