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[sbc hris]

"Young buck?" Gee whiz I haven't heard that sort of terminology since the 1960s? How do you refer to the women?

Heard today the Federal Government has shelled out well over 80 billion in CERB benefits since March. Puts those little FN bucks ...er I should say dollars into perspective... at least for me.

Hi Ralph, is there some racial undertone associated with "young buck"? It's something I use from time to time, but I never thought it had any racial implications attached to it. If there is I will certainly stop using it.

[RalphH]

Hi Ralph, is there some racial undertone associated with "young buck"? It's something I use from time to time, but I never thought it had any racial implications attached to it. If there is I will certainly stop using it.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/buck

a contemptuous term used to refer to an American Indian male or an African American male.

https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Buck

3. Offensive A Native American or black man

[hammer]

Thanks Ralph,

I learned something today...other than the obvious male deer I was only aware of 2a. It’s not a term I used, but I had only understood it in the mentioned context.

[dennisK]

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/buck

https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Buck

So if you say the word buck it makes you a racist? or just slang.

ps. Apparently using the word "Indian" makes you a racist too.

https://historyboots.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/why-cant-i-call-them-indians-anymore-a-question-and-a-few-answers/

[DanTfisherman]

I struggle with this one, for when I was first into the construction industry as the "new guy" the "young guy", other senior guys would say "hey, young buck, here's a task for you".  Get the "young Buck" to do these tasks.

I had to look up on the internet and do a couple of key word searches.  I changed the wording, how I looked, and in 5 of my keyword searches, First Nations and "young bucks" never came up in my searches, and I did move off the first page.

Example here:
https://ca.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?publisherid=58020&type=BIZM_3010510014_$58020_000000$&hspart=Lkry&hsimp=yhs-SF3&obt9bpdyed=0&p=what+does+term+%22young+buck%22+refer+to&param1=mT_VyuK_N8qBpBSxAlcLA92-b_ISBNPauWrQIEJfQwLIc8nylcPcTstlJJj15g7O5yQbv2U60i8O8reGiVrC2sWw80dekKNYRVHQmKbYrV3TFo-QyqcE0DEB8xqRKR2Ilizh2UHGx26gmy3eRSHvOg-M8HKQXDOf4f2pgsfKDPeStNrxr1B-hyTFhO3p3D6K667vhnooB0qe2_ahIGSHlciQR9s1lirFNezeE5th1hTnyyNB7M4_iNdAN6Lg3N23-wk%2c

If anything, young buck came up most often as slang for a young male.  In some of the sources, some references were made towards African Americans, and Ronald Regan and his use is alluded to.

My conclusion is that many cultures and nationalities seem to have used the term "young buck" as it has developed and evolved.  I am not sure if I would categorize it as derogatory and targeted towards First Nations people.  If anything, the origins may have originated with African Americans, and seems to be a term often used in those circles.

In my research, I even discovered that if you talk to the right people, the term "uppity" can even be considered derogatory depending who you talk to.

Dano

[GordJ]

I think when you use the term “buck” when talking about young male Indians at a blockade you are tending into a racist area. Just like when you use the word “squaw”. I don’t think the op meant it in this instance because if you are describing a bunch of young men running around like a bunch of deer you can get away with it but if its an Indian?

[RalphH]

over the decades I have heard the term buck used to refer to First Nations men when none were present and it was never in a complimentary way. 

Meaning of any word depends on context and who is involved in the conversation. When all the references to "squaw" were removed from place names (good by squaw fish) I worked with a FN woman (a native liaison person in government) who said she and many FN women she knew were proud to be squaws. Usage in the white community particularly among men often implied something different.

Gotta remember most common popular use for FN males either was or is Brave or warrior.

At best all these words are archaic and as silly as referring to a well off man as a squire or a gentleman.

[Blood_Orange]

So if you say the word buck it makes you a racist? or just slang.

ps. Apparently using the word "Indian" makes you a racist too.

As with so many things in life, intention is key. To wonder whether saying a word makes you racist is silly... holding racist beliefs is what makes people racists, not what words they use