Why are white people called "Honkey's"?

Answer 1

Chris, you have a lot of strange answers here. Back when blacks were first released from slavery and cars became prevalent, it was common for white folk to drive up to a black folk's home and honk the horn for the black employee to come to the door. White folk felt superior to come to the door. So, when they honked the horn, a member of the family or friends of the black employee would say, "Your honkey's waiting." I watched some movie on TV where this happened and wailed laughing. I am an eastern european immigrants daughter and I was always very shocked at all the racism in America between Blacks and Whites. It just wasn't an issue in my family growing up. I didn't even know about the term honkey until I moved to the south and cracker is a term I learned in my late 20's. It's too bad people can't just act more mature about everything.

Answer 2

Honkey was an expression used by black slaves to call their owners. When talking they never knew who might be listening so they invented names. Hence honkey was something for boss, or white boss. I know it sounds nothing like it, this is because they needed to hide its true meaning.

Answer 3

Honky, Honkey or Honkie is a racial slur for a caucasian, usually applied to males.

Origin
Honky, when used as a pejoritive meaning white, was first used in 1967 by black militants within SNCC seeking a rebuttal for the term n****r. 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.[1][2]


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, African-American workers in Chicago meat-packing plants picked up the term from white workers and began applying it indiscriminately to all Caucasians.

[edit]
Folk etymologies
These are some other folk etymologies for the term honky:

Derived from Yankee, a term used in the southern U.S. to describe people from the northern U.S. [citation needed]
Resembles the Wolof word honq meaning pink or pale.[citation needed]
Taken from the "honking" of horn used by males trying to attract the attention of prostitutes in predominantly African-American neighborhoods (believed to be 1920's - 1930's)[citation needed]
[edit]
See also
Honky tonk
Gringo
Haole
Gaijin

I think this just about covers it!!!!

Answer 4

Maybe back when only white folks had cars, they ran around honking at the less fortunate blacks, thus the name "honkeys"? Who knows?

Answer 5

Honky comes from bohunk and hunky, derogatory terms for Bohemian, Hungarian, and Polish immigrants that came into use around the turn of the century. Black workers in Chicago meat-packing plants picked up the term from white workers and began applying it indiscriminately to all Caucasians. Probably thought they all looked alike.

Thats my ancestors for ya!

Answer 6

The derogatory term originally referred to Humans of Hungarian extraction living in the USA. It is also related toa less popular term today, "Bohunkie" which refers to Humans who are Bohemian Hungarian. Roma people or "Gypsies" may have belonged to either group, thus a carry-over of European racialism in USA. In the 1970's the term was made nationally popular by the character "George Jefferson" played by Sherman Helmsley in a show called "The Jeffersons" created by Norman Lear.

Even though ethnic derogatory referencess are as arbitrary as racial designations, I find that the so-called African-Americans are not the originators of any of the demeaning references, with the possible exception of one, that is Ofay, used in James Baldwin novels.

The demeaning terminologies is almost exclusively originates from European, European-American, or so-called white sources.

For instance, "Kike" used for Eurpean Jewry is referenced to "kikel," which is referenced to circle, a mark which was made instead of an "X" by Jews who could not sign their name. "Dago" comes from Dagger,indicating an assassin which was used originally for Spanairds in Europe, then latter in USA for Italians.
"WOP," also used for Italians means "without papers," the designation for illegal immagrants.

I believe that the character Don Juan is referred to as a Dago in the story by the same name.

Todays "Blonde Jokes,' may be a throw-back to the writings of Cicero who echoed the observation that Britts were lazy and stupid and therefore made poor slaves.

Slave comes from Slave.

Now "White" as referenced to people is another matter. It is the product of Mental Illness; binariily polarized thought process, used to make all Humans forget that they are Humans and see themselves as either "Super" or "Sub" Humans, so that economic, social, or political agenda, can be realized.

The usage of this term "White" when referred to Humans is restricted to South Africa, Austrailia, & USA. A European loses his ethnic identity and becomes "White" when he lives in these places.

A so-called African-American, depending in his hue, can be designated "Black" in USA, "Coloured" in South Africa, and "White" in Brazil.

Answer 7

They drive big Honky Tonk Trucks. It also derives from Honky Tonk music which is popular in the South, known for rednecks.

Answer 8

Good question. I don't really know but why are Asians called "gooks"? Not that either name is very nice.

Answer 9

who calls white people that? ive never heard it

Answer 10

what's a white person???