It’s illegal to say “oh boy” in Jonesboro
| Jonesboro | 4 Comments
This law actually has a sad and dark origin. After the civil war, many former slaves can not find work due to the decimated economy in the south. As a result, there were alot of starving former slaves who would fight eachother over the work of cleaning horses so they can afford a meal. Many of these fights turn bloody and some turned deadly. As a result the law was passed that the white folks who need their horse cleaned are not allowed to openly offer to have someone clean their horse by calling for them. And, the term they used to call for former slaves was “oh boy”
4 Comments
When I was a kid 30 or 40 years ago, I heard that there was a man that needed odd jobs done and he would call out to passing young men, oh boy, and would hire them to do these jobs. But after a while, people started making fun of him and he got a law passed saying that you could not say oh boy anymore. Another tidbit I remember, was that it would not stop a bunch of kids from saying oh and another one saying boy to get around the law. I wonder which one is true and why so much detail in the one that is a lie?
Interesting. But this website should include the codes for the laws in question.
Oh boy!
If it’s still on the books the law makers have failed to do their jobs keeping laws current and enforceable.