Talk:Good ol' boy network

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I think a mention is needed about how the good ol' boy network can disenfranchise others (namely blacks and women). Mike H 16:50, Jul 19, 2004 (UTC)

I mentioned that it is among white men, instead of "gentlemen". I'm concerned some one might want to undo my edits, so I've been painfully NPOV here. Hopefully it won't even be a concern. MShonle 22:41, 2 Sep 2004 (UTC)
Don't be concerned, everyone gets edited!! And if NPOV is painful, keep right on working at it, before long you won't even wince!! --Blainster 08:23, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)


[edit] NPOV and accuracy dispute

I'm going to mark this article as disputed. While I'm a social liberal from the midwest, I feel that this article has serious problems with bias and lack of citation. It states a number of "common knowledge" (stereotype) things (which may or may not be true to varying degrees). The clear implication is that these sort of networks are stronger and more influential in the rural South than they are in other parts of the US. But no source is givin to support that assertion. Has anyone done any sort of study to show that the rural towns in say Montana don't have the same kind of networks? Or for that matter that there aren't even more powerful and sophisticated cliques who control the local political scenes in the big cities of the North? At any rate - unless some source can be cited, I'm gonna edit it such that the article states everything as a common belief that people have, rather than as known fact. Blackcats 22:26, 27 July 2005 (UTC)

  • I support that this article seems to lack NPOV. I cannot comment directly on the accuracy but it appears to be largely uncited personal research or opinion. There are parallels with many presumed networks. I think a total rewrite is needed. Davidkinnen 14:15, 17 August 2005 (UTC)

I came across this article browsing around and have tried to make it a little more neutral, including phrases like "the network is said to (verb)" where it before said "the network (verb)". I think it reads more reasonably now, what do others think? I don't know if I agree with the total rewrite idea, but maybe a few softer words here and there. Andyluciano 02:29, 5 September 2005 (UTC)

I linked to this article when wanting to expand on the term for those unframilure. I am from the rural US, some would argue not the south, some would argue as the south. This article appears to need edits to show more "rural United States" and less emphasis on white. My experience tells me the good ol' boy network relys more on class than race, redneck is sited as a "see also" however, true rednecks often are shunned by the powerfull good ol' boy networks as they are of "low class". My experience tells me "high class" Mexicans and blacks have a better chance of joining the powerfull good ol' boy networks than rednecks or "modern" whites. I'm currently working on revisions, but I don't wish to post them until I have some material to site and I have the wording down. My experience also tells me that one locality may have different levels of seperate networks divided along class/income lines with some overlap. We may also want to mention that the networks are often loosely defined by the masons. pecosdave 17:50, 03 October 2005 (UTC)


The emphasis on the South in this article is incorrect. While "good old boy" may apply to a rustic individual from the South, a good old boy network absolutely applies to both Southern and non-Southern social networks, the most obvious example of which is the exclusive network of Yale University graduates who are members of the Skull and Bones secret society. Skull and Bones is probably the ultimate good old boy network, in fact. The nature of power and wealth is such that social networks will always play a role, probably because wealthy and powerful individuals have an interest in maintaining the status quo. No doubt there is an aspect of such social networks among the wealthy and powerful that runs counter to democratic ideals, but to say that it is exclusive to the South is a joke.

I think the phrase "alleged to exist" goes beyond NPOV. While someone might dispute the amount of power that "good ol' boys" have, I don't think anyone disputes that the network exists. —vivacissamamente 13:15, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Confusing the "Old Boys Network" with the "Good ol' Boys"

As far as I know, there is no such thing as the "good ol' boys network." This is a common mistaken merger of the labels "Good Ol' Boys" (Reference: Waylon Jennings' theme song for the television show, "Dukes of Hazzard") and "Old Boys Network" which refers to the male insider networks the author attempts to describe. The "Old Boy Network" is a broader concept than described in its entry and encompasses all kinds of unfair favoritism pratices among privileged white men. This content ought to be shifted to the "Old Boys Network" and a cross reference left here indicating that it is a common mistake. I'm not sure how to do this.

[edit] Only among whites??

I've heard "good ol'boy network" used when speaking of institutions composed mostly of non-whites or sometimes exclusively of people of a particular race, nationality, or class. Here, in the Asia/West Pac part of the world, local governments and the "ruling bodies" of businesses are sometimes described in this manner. Again, there are few, if any, whites in these organizations. This sort of elitism or perceived elitism is found all over the world. I think the article should reflect this fact.Jlujan69 21:29, 3 April 2007 (UTC)