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> Ditto for "black girls": either your looking for porn or for stock photos. What other intentions do you have with such a query? Consider the possibility that

> Ditto for "black girls": either your looking for porn or for stock photos. What other intentions do you have with such a query? Consider the possibility that the user is a black girl, or her parent. Generally, I'm careful not to assume I can anticipate the perspectives of everyone else.

perl4ever 9y ago
Do white boys ever enter the query "white boys" into a search engine? I assume some HN users could speak to this...
- danso 9y ago
  To answer your immediate question, "white boys" is not uncommon in popular usage. People might look it up in the process of looking up a lyric or obscure title/name for a song/group. The phrase "white boys" in general seems to be mostly desexualized. You can call someone a "white boy", either as a mild insult (like describing something as "vanilla") or a term of endearment. I think that's predicated from most people (in the U.S.) realizing that white boys/men are the status quo. I'll ignore race and just say that I think the word "girls" in general has far more of a sexual/gendered connotation in U.S. usage. "Boy/Man" is considerably more generic and all-purpose. I use "Boy/Man/Guy" in casual conversation regardless of audience gender, e.g. e.g. "Boy, that was fucked up!" or "Man oh man that's got to hurt". I can't think of a single time in normal conversation where I would ever say "Girl" or "Lady" without referring to a female.
  - perl4ever 9y ago
    I'm aware of how the term is used, but your comments seem more like a tangent than an answer. My question was whether there is any connection between being a white boy and Googling the search term "white boys". It was prompted by the parent post suggesting that not seeing a connection between being a black girl and Googling "black girls" might be kind of a blind spot. I think the implication was pretty clear that if you don't imagine someone Googling the search term "black girls", it's because they occupy the position of the "other" in your mind. However, I gave a reason to doubt it - contemplate whether and how often white boys Google "white boys". I note that somehow, I already knew the connotations of the term "white boy" that you mentioned without Googling it. So you are not bringing anything to the point I was making. I am not a laissez faire fanatic about much of anything, including Google search results - I just think that when people criticize such results, the search terms (and the subsequent reasoning) often seem contrived.
MichaelGG 9y ago
Ok so why is she searching for "black girls"? I don't search for "Canadian guy". Outside of wanting a generic/stereotype photo, what're the reasons? Same for "professor style" and expecting to get something other than that stereotypical brown sweater with elbow patches look.

perl4ever 9y ago

Do white boys ever enter the query "white boys" into a search engine? I assume some HN users could speak to this...

danso 9y ago
To answer your immediate question, "white boys" is not uncommon in popular usage. People might look it up in the process of looking up a lyric or obscure title/name for a song/group. The phrase "white boys" in general seems to be mostly desexualized. You can call someone a "white boy", either as a mild insult (like describing something as "vanilla") or a term of endearment. I think that's predicated from most people (in the U.S.) realizing that white boys/men are the status quo. I'll ignore race and just say that I think the word "girls" in general has far more of a sexual/gendered connotation in U.S. usage. "Boy/Man" is considerably more generic and all-purpose. I use "Boy/Man/Guy" in casual conversation regardless of audience gender, e.g. e.g. "Boy, that was fucked up!" or "Man oh man that's got to hurt". I can't think of a single time in normal conversation where I would ever say "Girl" or "Lady" without referring to a female.
- perl4ever 9y ago
  I'm aware of how the term is used, but your comments seem more like a tangent than an answer. My question was whether there is any connection between being a white boy and Googling the search term "white boys". It was prompted by the parent post suggesting that not seeing a connection between being a black girl and Googling "black girls" might be kind of a blind spot. I think the implication was pretty clear that if you don't imagine someone Googling the search term "black girls", it's because they occupy the position of the "other" in your mind. However, I gave a reason to doubt it - contemplate whether and how often white boys Google "white boys". I note that somehow, I already knew the connotations of the term "white boy" that you mentioned without Googling it. So you are not bringing anything to the point I was making. I am not a laissez faire fanatic about much of anything, including Google search results - I just think that when people criticize such results, the search terms (and the subsequent reasoning) often seem contrived.

MichaelGG 9y ago

Ok so why is she searching for "black girls"? I don't search for "Canadian guy". Outside of wanting a generic/stereotype photo, what're the reasons? Same for "professor style" and expecting to get something other than that stereotypical brown sweater with elbow patches look.